 Dombrandt representingHarlequins during theGallagher Premiership | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Alex Joseph Dombrandt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | (1997-04-29)29 April 1997 (age 27) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 professionalrugby union player who plays as anumber eight forPremiership Rugby clubHarlequins and theEngland national team.[1]
Dombrandt began playing rugby at the age of six for Warlingham R.F.C and Old Caterhamians inSurrey, originally atfly-half before switching into theforwards pack.[2] He attendedThe John Fisher School as a pupil.[2] He attended the school alongside futureHarlequins teammate andIreland internationalKieran Treadwell.[3]
He played no rugby for representative sides or a professional academy before joiningCardiff Metropolitan University in 2015.[4]
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.
In February 2018Harlequins announced Dombrandt's signature for the following season.[5]
Dombrandt reduced his weight from 130kg (at university) to 120kg by the 2019-2020 season.[6]
He scored a try during Harlequins 43-36 defeat ofBristol Bears in the Premiership semi-final, a game in which Quins recovered from a 28 point deficit to win.[7] He started the following week in the Premiership final againstExeter Chiefs and scored another try as Harlequins won the game 40-38 in the highest scoring Premiership final ever.[8]
In April 2024, he started for Harlequins in theirChampions Cup Round of 16 victory overGlasgow Warriors, winning 28-24 atThe Stoop, the first time the club had ever won a knockout game in the competition.[9] The following week he scored a try againstBordeaux 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.[10]
Ahead of the 2024-25 season, he was named permanent captain of Harlequins taking over fromStephan Lewies.[11] In December 2024, he scored a hat-trick in their opening home fixture of the2024–25 Champions Cup in a 56—19 win over theStormers.[12] In February 2025, he scored a try and captained the side in thePremiership Cup againstSaracens during his 150th appearance for the club.[13][14]
He played forWales under 20s in all five of their games in the2017 Six Nations Under 20s Championship, qualifying as a resident student at a Welsh university.[15] However he has no birth, family or residency qualifications to play forWales at Test level.[15]
Dombrandt's form for Harlequins led to calls fromStuart Barnes and others for him to be included in theEngland international squad.[16][17] On 2 June 2019 Dombrandt made his England debut, playing in a non-cap match against theBarbarians, in which he scored two tries.[18] In June 2019 he was one of four uncapped players named in England's preliminaryWorld Cup training squad[19] but was not selected for the tournament.[20]
On 10 July 2021 Dombrandt made his seniorEnglandTest debut in a 70-14 victory againstCanada atTwickenham.[20][21]
In February 2025, following an impressive performance against Saracens in the Premiership Cup, Dombrandt was recalled to the senior training squad midway through the2025 Six Nations ahead of their fixture againstScotland.[22][23]
| 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][24]
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