Alex Dombrandt
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Birth name | Alex Joseph Dombrandt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 29 April 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Surrey, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 18 st 12 lb (264 lb; 120 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | The John Fisher School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
University | Cardiff Metropolitan University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Alex Joseph Dombrandt (born 29 April 1997)[1] is an English rugby union player for Harlequins in Premiership Rugby. His primary position is number 8.
Early years and education
Dombrandt began playing rugby age six for Warlingham R.F.C. in Surrey, originally a hooker he also played fly-half before switching into the forwards pack. He attended The John Fisher School as a pupil.[citation needed]
He played no rugby for representative sides or a professional academy before joining Cardiff Metropolitan University in 2015.[citation needed]
He played for Wales under 20s in the 2017 Six Nations, qualifying as a resident student at a Welsh university. However he has no birth, family or residency qualifications to play for Wales at Test level.[2]
Senior playing career
In February 2018 Harlequins announced Dombrandt's signature for the following season.[3]
Dombrandt's form for Harlequins led to calls from Stuart Barnes and others for him to be included in the England international squad.[4][5] On 2 June 2019 Dombrandt made his England debut, playing in a non-cap match against the Barbarians, in which he scored two tries. In June 2019 he was one of four uncapped players named in England's preliminary World Cup training squad.[6]
Dombrandt reduced his weight from 130kg (at university) to 120kg by the 2019-2020 season.[7]
References
- ^ "Alex Dombrandt ESPN profile". ESPN. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
- ^ "The former Wales Under-20s star who's the talk of English rugby today but can't actually play for Wales". Wales Online. 1 December 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
- ^ "Alex Dombrandt: Wales Under-20 lock to join Harlequins". BBC. 20 February 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
- ^ "Stuart Barnes wants England to call up Wales U20 star". ruck.co.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
- ^ "Alex Dombrandt backed for England call-up after fine debut season at Harlequins". The Evening Standard. 1 March 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
- ^ "Ruaridh McConnochie & Alex Dombrandt in England's World Cup training squad". 20 June 2019 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ Paul Gustard, BT Sport, 1/12/19