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'I love the club': Alex Dombrandt confirms new Harlequins deal
By Liam Heagney
Harlequins have confirmed that England No8 Alex Dombrandt has signed a new unspecified length, long-term deal with the reigning Gallagher Premiership champions. A statement from the London club read: “First arriving at the club from Cardiff Met University ahead of the 2018/19 season, Dombrandt has gone on to flourish as a senior player.
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“Capped four times by England, the Croydon-born 24-year-old has taken the rugby world by storm since making his senior debut against Agen in the European Challenge Cup in 2018, making 87 appearances and racking up over 200 points to date.
“Scoring an impressive eleven tries in his debut season, the marauding No8 instantly displayed a natural style of play that mirrored Quins’ renowned attacking DNA. Most well-known for intelligent running lines that often see the No8 pierce through the heart of opposition defences, Dombrandt has already scored ten tries in eleven appearances this season.
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Dombrandt said: “I’m very excited to have re-signed. I love the club, I love what we are trying to do at the moment. I’m really excited about what is to come in the future. Coming from university and into the professional environment, I feel like I’ve grown on and off the pitch. I guess for me it’s just about being able to continue that growth, get better each day and go from there.
“This is a club that I have supported growing up. I used to come and watch Quins as a kid, so to stay at the club that is close to my heart, I am very happy to do that. We are trying to create something really special at this club and winning the Premiership last season was amazing, but we don’t want to sit on what we did last year. We are in a really good spot at the moment.”
'Coming into a professional environment it’s probably a wake-up call'
@alex_dombrandt had to shed 10kg when came to @harlequins He talks to @heagneyl ??? about uni, the assaults that nearly ended his career, England and why Gussy is off-limitshttps://t.co/PxmwYDAJOx
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 31, 2021
Billy Millard, the director of rugby performance, added: “We’re delighted that Alex has re-signed. He has grown and developed since joining us from Cardiff Met a few years ago. Almost as much as his rugby, he has developed really well as a leader and gone on to earn his international recognition off the back of his form with us.”
It was last year when Dombrandt sifted through with RugbyPass a whole myriad of scrapes and japes about his journey from South London to becoming a Harlequins regular via a colourful three-year detour in Wales where on-pitch assaults twice broke his jaw and left him with four permanent plates inserted. He also spoke about shedding 10kgs off his university rig after arriving into the pro ranks.
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A titan in the Quin's team, and England's in years to come.