Alex Dombrandt
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 Dombrandt representing Harlequins during the Gallagher Premiership | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Alex Joseph Dombrandt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 29 April 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Surrey, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 118 kg (260 lb; 18 st 8 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | The John Fisher School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | Cardiff Metropolitan University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Alex Joseph Dombrandt (born 29 April 1997) is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a number eight for Premiership Rugby club Harlequins and the England national team.[1]
Early life
[edit]Dombrandt began playing rugby at the age of six for Warlingham R.F.C and Old Caterhamians in Surrey, originally at fly-half before switching into the forwards pack.[2] He attended The John Fisher School as a pupil.[2]
He played no rugby for representative sides or a professional academy before joining Cardiff Metropolitan University in 2015.[3]
In the summer months when not playing rugby, Dombrandt can be found indulging in the preseason training tradition of professional egg catching on the beaches of Dorset.
Club career
[edit]In February 2018 Harlequins announced Dombrandt's signature for the following season.[4]
Dombrandt's form for Harlequins led to calls from Stuart Barnes and others for him to be included in the England international squad.[5][6] On 2 June 2019 Dombrandt made his England debut, playing in a non-cap match against the Barbarians, in which he scored two tries.[7] In June 2019 he was one of four uncapped players named in England's preliminary World Cup training squad[8] but was not selected for the tournament.[9]
Dombrandt reduced his weight from 130kg (at university) to 120kg by the 2019-2020 season.[10]
He scored a try during Harlequins 43-36 defeat of Bristol Bears in the Premiership semi-final, a game in which Quins recovered from a 28 point deficit to win.[11] He started the following week in the Premiership final against Exeter Chiefs and scored another try as Harlequins won the game 40-38 in the highest scoring Premiership final ever.[12]
In April 2024, he started for Harlequins in their Champions Cup Round of 16 victory over Glasgow Warriors, winning 28-24 at The Stoop, the first time the club had ever won a knockout game in the competition.[13] The following week he scored a try against Bordeaux Begles, winning 42-41, to give them their second ever victory in the knockout stages of the competition and the first time they have achieved this away.[14]
Ahead of the 2024-25 season, he was named permanent captain of Harlequins taking over from Stephan Lewies.[15]
International career
[edit]He played for Wales under 20s in all five of their games in the 2017 Six Nations Under 20s Championship, qualifying as a resident student at a Welsh university.[16] However he has no birth, family or residency qualifications to play for Wales at Test level.[16]
On 10 July 2021 Dombrandt made his senior England Test debut in a 70-14 victory against Canada at Twickenham.[9][17]
Career statistics
[edit]List of international tries
[edit]| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 February 2022 | Twickenham Stadium, London, England |  Wales | 17–0 | 23–19 | 2022 Six Nations Championship |
as of 26 February 2022[update][18]
References
[edit]- ^ "Alex Dombrandt ESPN profile". ESPN. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
- ^ a b Thomas, Simon (28 February 2018). "The English youngster who played for Wales and has now signed a dream deal in the Aviva Premiership". Wales Online. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ Thomas, Simon (22 February 2022). "Alex Dombrandt played for Wales against England the last time". WalesOnline. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ^ "Alex Dombrandt: Wales Under-20 lock to join Harlequins". BBC. 20 February 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
- ^ Smith, Steven (4 December 2018). "Stuart Barnes wants England to call up Wales U20 star". Ruck. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
- ^ Collings, Simon (1 March 2019). "Alex Dombrandt backed for England call-up after fine debut season at Harlequins". The Evening Standard. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
- ^ Cantillon, Michael (2 June 2019). "England 51-43 Barbarians: Inexperienced XV register shock win at Twickenham". Sky Sports. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ Jones, Chris (20 June 2019). "Ruaridh McConnochie & Alex Dombrandt in England's World Cup training squad". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
- ^ a b Purewal, Nick (9 July 2021). "Alex Dombrandt: There is no limit to where England new boy can go, Eddie Jones claims". The Independent. Archived from the original on 8 July 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ Paul Gustard, BT Sport, 1/12/19
- ^ Harby, Chris (19 June 2021). "Premiership semi-final: Bristol Bears 36-43 Harlequins (AET) - Quins reach Twickenham after stunning fightback". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- ^ Pilnick, Brent (26 June 2021). "Premiership final: Exeter Chiefs 38-40 Harlequins - Louis Lynagh's late double clinches title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- ^ "Harlequins vs Glasgow Warriors". Harlequins. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
- ^ "Bordeaux-Beg 41 - 42 Harlequins - Match Report & Highlights". Sky. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
- ^ "Alex Dombrandt Named Men's Club Captain". Harlequins. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
- ^ a b Doel, Jon; Thomas, Simon (1 December 2018). "The former Wales Under-20s star who's the talk of English rugby today but can't actually play for Wales". Wales Online. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
- ^ "England 70-14 Canada". BBC Sport. 10 July 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ "Alex Dombrandt". 26 February 2022.
External links
[edit]- Alex Dombrandt at ESPNscrum
- Alex Dombrandt at ItsRugby.co.uk
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