Alex Dombrandt knows neither he nor his Harlequins side can afford to believe the hype surrounding them as they prepare to take on Newcastle Falcons in the first Gallagher Premiership offering of 2019.

Quins notched a statement victory over Wasps at Twickenham last time out, with Dombrandt over the whitewash 49 seconds into the 20-13 triumph.

But having failed to secure back-to-back wins in the Premiership this season, Dombrandt stressed the danger of resting on laurels when his side head to Kingston Park on Saturday. 

“We came in on Monday, looked at the Wasps game where we went well, looked at what we need to improve on and it’s just about now trying to back it up and go back-to-back, which we haven’t done in the league so far, so just going there full of confidence,” he told Harlequins’ website.

“We know what Newcastle are going to bring, especially on the fast track up there, so we’re looking forward to a good game.”

In a breakout campaign that has had Quins fans purring, with some England fans calling for Eddie Jones to sit up and take notice, the 21-year-old is ensuring that he takes things one game at a time.

Forming a dynamic partnership with James Chisholm and Jack Clifford in the back row, Dombrandt is learning every day from his peers as he continues on his frightening upward trajectory.

“To be able to play against [sic] those boys is great; they’ve been around the game a long time even though they’re still young themselves, so every day I’m just trying to learn off them as much as possible, see how they go about their daily business, it’s good,” he continued.

“I’m just trying to live in the moment – things are going well at the moment. For me it’s just about enjoying, coming in with smiles on our faces and see what happens in the future.”