Alex Joseph Dombrandt (born 29 April 1997) is an English professional

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player for Harlequins in

Premiership Rugby Premiership Rugby, officially known as Gallagher Premiership Rugby, or the Gallagher Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is an English professional rugby union competition. The Premiership has consisted of thirteen clubs since 2021, and is the ...

. His primary position is Number 8.

Early years and education

Dombrandt began playing rugby at the age of six for Warlingham R.F.C in

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, originally at

fly-half In the game of rugby union, there are 15 players on each team, comprising eight forwards (wearing jerseys numbered 1–8) and seven backs (numbered 9–15). In addition, there may be up to eight replacement players "on the bench", numbered 16– ...

before switching into the forwards pack. He attended

The John Fisher School The John Fisher School is a Roman Catholic voluntary-aided boys' faith school based at Peaks Hill, Purley, Croydon, Surrey, England. The school is located in and funded by the London Borough of Sutton. It occupies the former site of the 19th-ce ...

as a pupil. He played no rugby for representative sides or a professional academy before joining

Cardiff Metropolitan University , image_name = Shield of Cardiff Metropolitan University.svg , image_size = 150px , motto = cy, Gorau Meddiant Gwybodaeth , mottoeng = The most valuable possession is knowledge , established = 2011 – Car ...

in 2015. He played for Wales under 20s in all five of their games in the

2017 Six Nations Under 20s Championship The 2017 Six Nations Under 20s Championship, was the 10th series of the Six Nations Under 20s Championship, the annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Wales were the defending champions. The competition was won by England, who comple ...

, qualifying as a resident student at a Welsh university. However he has no birth, family or residency qualifications to play for at Test level.

Senior playing career

In February 2018 Harlequins announced Dombrandt's signature for the following season. Dombrandt's form for Harlequins led to calls from Stuart Barnes and others for him to be included in the international squad. On 2 June 2019 Dombrandt made his England debut, playing in a non-cap match against the

Barbarians A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be less c ...

, in which he scored two tries. In June 2019 he was one of four uncapped players named in England's preliminary

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

training squad but was not selected for the tournament. Dombrandt reduced his weight from 130kg (at university) to 120kg by the 2019-2020 season. He scored a try during Harlequins 43-36 defeat of

Bristol Bears Bristol Bears (officially Bristol Rugby Club or Bristol Rugby) are a professional rugby union club based in Bristol, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded as Bristol Football Club in 18 ...

in the Premiership semi-final, a game in which Quins recovered from a 28 point deficit to win. He started the following week in the Premiership final against

Exeter Chiefs Exeter Chiefs (officially Exeter Rugby Club) is an England, English professional rugby union club based in Exeter, Devon. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded in 1871 and since 2006 has played i ...

and scored another try as Harlequins won the game 40-38 in the highest scoring Premiership final ever. On 10 July 2021 Dombrandt made his senior

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...

debut in a 70-14 victory against

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...

International tries

References

External links

* 1997 births Living people English rugby union players England international rugby union players Harlequin F.C. players Rugby union number eights Alumni of Cardiff Metropolitan University Rugby union players from Surrey {{England-rugbyunion-bio-stub