Thursday 18 January 2018 15:19, UK
Harlequins have agreed contract extensions with director of rugby John Kingston, head coach Mark Mapletoft and forwards coach Graham Rowntree.
Kingston, who succeeded Conor O'Shea, led Quins to a sixth-place finish in the Premiership in his debut season to qualify for the Champions Cup.
This campaign has been an underwhelming one for the Twickenham club, who have lost seven of their 13 games and flopped in Europe, but Kingston is confident they are moving in the right direction.
"The extension of these contracts will push attention towards the longer-term ambitions of the club, but it's the immediate future and the remainder of this season that is our main concern," said Kingston.
"Our focus is on the resumption of the Aviva Premiership next month, where there is so much still to play for, together with the opportunities which the Anglo-Welsh competition still presents for us this season."
Kingston added: "Mark is one of the brightest and most forward-thinking coaches in the Premiership and, with three British and Irish Lions tours as coach under his belt, Graham is regarded as one of the finest Forwards coaches in the world.
"They bring a huge amount of knowledge, experience and expertise to the club and to have them extend their time at Harlequins is a real sign of intent."
Harlequins travel to La Rochelle in their final Champions Cup pool game on Sunday, live on Sky Sports Action from 3pm.
