‘Dominator’ destined for great things
SO FAR, Alex Dombrandt has managed to live up to the tag which has followed him home from university. ‘The Dominator’ is rapidly making a name for himself. Today at Twickenham, the 21-year-old from Croydon will hope to further enhance his reputation by helping Harlequins beat Wasps in front of another massive festive audience in Big Game 11.
The annual fixture is an ideal showcase for the local prodigy, who is being talked up as an England candidate after stunning exploits in the backrow.
The blindside flanker, who stands 6ft 3in and weighs 18st 9lb, has played nine games for the club he followed as a boy, starting eight times. He has scored six tries and earned warm acclaim since his debut in mid-October.
But it was while studying at Cardiff Met University that he earned the nickname now used by his Quins team-mates.
‘We had a TV channel there called Met Sport TV,’ Dombrandt said. ‘They would have highlights packages of all sports, including rugby, and the nickname started through that. I thought when I left uni, I’d leave it behind but it has popped up to haunt me!
‘The Quins boys enjoy taking the mick a bit, but it’s all fun. I’m happy if that’s what they want to call me.’
A quick internet search reveals YouTube footage which testifies to the impact Dombrandt had in the Welsh capital. Mostly operating at lock he was a rampaging presence in open play, breaking the line, off-loading, scoring tries.
He was midway through a sport and PE degree when an offer came to represent Wales. For someone who had never been on England’s age-group radar, it was too good an opportunity to turn down.
Dombrandt (below) has no Welsh ancestry, but could play for the Under 20s due to a dispensation for students based abroad. Crucially, it did not rule out a future England Test call-up.
‘I hadn’t played any academy rugby or representative stuff until uni,’ he said. ‘In my second year, my coach said the Wales Under 20s coach was interested. He came for a chat and said, “We’d like you to come to one of our training camps”.
‘I enjoyed it. They were happy and picked me for the Six Nations. I was over the moon. To play international rugby, even at age-group level, and be exposed to that standard is what every kid wants. It was win-win and didn’t tie me to Wales. It was a threemonth experience which helped me reach this stage.’
Dombrandt’s family have more of a background in cricket than rugby. He was a middle-order batsman and still goes back to Chipstead Cricket Club to watch his father and brother play.
He also played for Warlingham RFC — following in the footsteps of England flanker Chris Robshaw — from the age of six, until his team was disbanded due to a lack of players. A hooker at first, Dombrandt then spent several seasons at fly-half before switching to the pack after a mid-teens growth spurt. His playmaker past may explain some of the stunning off-loads in the footage from his Cardiff Met days. In an era when there is a well-trodden path for most players, from school to academy and into club senior squads, Dombrandt took an alternative path and believes it will serve him well. ‘University was good because it wasn’t just about playing rugby,’ he said. ‘It was also about learning to take care of yourself. It stands you in good stead for the future, learning to cook beans on toast! ‘Cardiff is a great city and I miss it. Game day was great. It was nice to watch England-Wales with Welsh mates!’ He signed for Harlequins months before graduating. Despite going through the slog of pre-season fitness work, there was still an affectionate jibe from his head coach last month when Paul Gustard said: ‘He’s fresh out of university and he’s still got a rig (physique) from university, but the kid can play rugby.’ That was the night when Dombrandt surged to wider prominence, with a thunderous man-of-the-match performance in Quins’ Premiership victory over Exeter at The Stoop. Suddenly, he was being lauded by observers in England as well as Wales. The rookie is sufficiently humble to have been awestruck by the reaction to his exploits against the Chiefs and the praise that has since come his way. ‘It’s surreal,’ he said. ‘Things have gone better than I could have expected. I’m just trying to give it my best shot. Luckily, things have worked out for me. ‘After that Exeter game my phone was going all the time. It was overwhelming. It’s nice to see all the positive things being said about me.’ There will be more to take in and enjoy today. There will be plenty of attention focused on The Dominator. He’ll never shake off that nickname at this rate.