Harlequins tie down Junior World Cup winner Friday and two England U20 teammates on long-term deals

Harlequins have secured the futures of three England U20 internationals, confirming that scrum-half Lucas Friday, lock Elliott Williams and No.8 Tate Williams have all signed long-term contracts to remain at The Stoop.

Friday, 20, is the headline name among the trio. A Junior World Cup winner two years ago, he has already established himself as a key performer for Quins, most notably playing the full 80 minutes in the club’s away victory over La Rochelle in the Champions Cup. His new deal, first reported in August, runs until 2029.

Elliott Williams, 19, made 12 first-team appearances for Harlequins last season and was part of the England U20 squad that reached the bronze final of the World Rugby Junior World Championship. Fellow forward Tate Williams, also an England U20 international, contributed two appearances in the PREM Rugby Cup last season after being part of Bath University’s BUCS Super Rugby treble-winning side in 2026.

Head coach Jason Gilmore framed the trio of renewals as central to a broader philosophy at the club, pointing to Harlequins’ history as evidence that homegrown talent drives sustained success.

“I’m picturing them being, two, three, or four years from now, hopefully in a team that’s winning consistently — winning trophies — and they’re going to play a really strong role in that,” Gilmore said.

“Something that is driven really strongly from the board down is that we want a homegrown team. And with the nursery that we’ve got, we’ve got no excuse not to keep our best players and to bring them through. We’ve got to be brave to bring them through quickly as well, which I think we’re doing at the moment.”

Gilmore added that external recruitment remains an option when the quality is exceptional, citing the arrival of George Furbank as an example of the standard required when looking beyond the academy.