Harlequins: Lewis Gjaltema & Santiago Garcia Botta extend contracts

Santiago Garcia Botta has made 47 appearances since moving to Harlequins in 2019

Harlequins prop Santiago Garcia Botta and scrum-half Lewis Gjaltema have signed new contracts with the Premiership champions.

Argentinian Botta, 29, has played 47 times for Quins and was part of the title-winning squad last season.

He has made 12 appearances so far this season and has agreed a new "long-term" contract at the Stoop.

New Zealander Gjaltema, 24, has made seven appearances since joining the club in 2020 from North Harbour.

"I'm very happy to re-sign again with Harlequins. I've spent three seasons in London now and have enjoyed every moment," said Botta, who made the move to The Stoop in 2019 from Jaguares.

"I'm honoured to have been part of a team that turned their season around and went all the way to winning a title last year.

"It's an enjoyable place to be and I'm looking forward to making more memories and working for more silverware doing what we do."

Gjaltema said: "I'm really pleased to be able to sign a new deal with Quins.

Lewis Gjaltema moved to Quins from North Harbour, in New Zealand, in 2020

"This is a team that do things a little bit differently to most and have proven that the Harlequins way of doing things works."

Quins are third in the table, one point behind second-placed Saracens, and are through to the knockout stages of the European Champions Cup.

Botta and Gjaltema have followed Will Collier, Danny Care, Tyrone Green, Cadan Murley, Oscar Beard, Will Evans, Will Edwards, Sam Riley, Luke Northmore and Alex Dombrandt in signing new Quins deals since the turn of the year.

Academy players Lennox Anyanwu and Will Trenholm also this week committed their futures to the club.