HARLEQUINS' Will Sharp could be an England international as early as this autumn.
That was the view of a delighted Quins' head-coach Brian McDermott after Sharpe signed an extension to his contract this week, which will keep him at the Stoop until the end of the 2010 season.
The Bradford-born winger has made huge strides since joining the Quins' academy in 2005, earning a professional contract at the enf of the 2007 season.
His debut season in 2008 saw Sharpe bag a hat-trick of tries against his home-town club with his electric pace, a performance which earned him a regular place in the side.
And as far as McDermott is concerned, the only surprise is the 23-year-old hasn't already been capped by his country.
He said: "Will is a class young player and another product of the Harlequins youth system. He has the rare quality of being very fast and very strong, able to match many forwards, and I'm very pleased that he wants to stay with us.
"He'll feel himself a bit unfortunate that he's not been named in the England set up. However, with the drive and ambition Will has, I've no doubt he'll be in strong contention for the four nations later this year."
Sharp joins team mates Rob Purdham, David Howell, Chris Melling and Chad Randall, who have all recently signed contract extensions with Harlequins Rugby League.
Harlequins continued their recent good form by putting Hull KR to the sword with a 40-10 win that puts them fourth in the table.
