Murley takes charge at Twickenham
Cadan Murley will be the Harlequins’ on-field captain for the 2026/27 season. The England winger takes over while club captain Alex Dombrandt recovers from an ACL injury. It is another sign of the 27-year-old’s growing influence in the London dressing room.
Murley has been with the Harlequins for several seasons and has picked up plenty of England caps along the way. His appointment comes at a key moment for the club, which will be without its regular skipper for a big chunk of the campaign. The 2026/27 Harlequins will need to lean on that fresh leadership if they are to get their league season moving.
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Sigauke compared to Kolbe
Soon after getting the nod, Murley made a point of praising a young team-mate. Edward Sigauke, the 22-year-old winger who plays international rugby for Zimbabwe, is already turning heads in the dressing room. “His footwork is among the best I’ve seen,” Murley said. “I’ve played against Cheslin Kolbe, and he had brilliant footwork to beat me on the inside, but I’d put Sigauke at that level. He’s got serious pace too.”
That is no throwaway comparison. Kolbe, a two-time World Cup winner with South Africa, remains one of the benchmark names in world rugby for beating defenders and dancing down the wing. Murley went even further, calling Sigauke a “future star” while stressing his discipline and his ability to keep learning despite still being a relatively quiet presence in the Premiership.
A dressing room rebuilding around new leaders
Dombrandt’s long absence forces the Harlequins to rethink the pecking order inside the squad. Murley, already used to taking responsibility with England, becomes a reference point for the younger players in the group, with Sigauke chief among them. The club is banking on that shift to get them ready for the future rather than waiting around for their captain to return.
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