Harlequins no.8 Alex Dombrandt

Harlequins ace Alex Dombrandt steps up defence for Eddie

ALEX Dombrandt is keeping the faith despite continuous knockbacks and is praying ' strong campaign will finally lead to a first cap.

The No.8 has been at his dynamic, ball-carrying best this season helping to drive the London club into the Premiership final for the first time in seven years.

While Danny Care and Marcus Smith have received glowing praise for playing leading roles in revitalising the club's back play, Dombrandt's charging displays in the pack have also played a vitalpart in the transformation on the field.

Apart from a run out in a non-cap match against the , the 24-year-old has been left frustrated while so many ex-players continue to press for his inclusion on the international stage.

Dombrandt would love to get the nod from when the England coach names his final squad for the Tests with the USA and Canada.

He says: “I definitely want to be involved. I've been aiming for a summer tour and working hard all this time to get my name out there.

“I've been selected for the training camp before, at the and then the Autumn Nations Cup, and I really enjoyed those experiences. I went into them looking to show what I can do and try my best.

“When you are training with the England squad and you are training well, you think: ‘I can get a shot here!' When you don't it is a little bit frustrating, but when you look at the back row competition with England it is ridiculously strong and talented.

“Eddie Jones speaks to me and tells me what he wants to see from me plus I keep in touch with John Mitchell and all the back row mentors. I know what I need to work on and whether they are happy with me. It's a question of focusing on what I'm doing for Quins and what will be will be.”

Charged up: Alex Dombrandt scores for Harlequins in their dramatic comeback victory against Bears. Henry Browne/Getty Images for Harlequins

Dombrandt adds: “I love having the ball in my hand but I've had to work on the defensive game. Perhaps growing up I've neglected the importance of defence. That area has become even more important due to the way the game has developed, and I felt I took a big step forward with the help of Paul Gustard at Quins.”

Dombrandt also feels Quins' resurgence as a Premiership force is due to the club turning the clock back to playing the kind of rugby that helped them claim their only domestic crown so far back in 2012.

The club shrugged off the sudden departure of head of rugby Gustard at the start of the year to reach the play-offs and Dombrand says: “We had that big change around in mid season when ‘Gus' left. A good man lost his job and we had to take responsibility for that.

“We took the attitude that we all had to step up, get better and go out there and enjoy ourselves. We went back to the Quins DNA of quick taps, quick lineouts, get the ball and throw it wide to see what magic we could perform.

“The players have taken on a lot of responsibility. We wanted to play this attacking rugby and we've worked well together with the coaches to get the drills and coaching we want.

“We've turned our potential and ability onto the field and it has shown with some excellent performances and results.”