MEET THE BEST No 8 IN ENGLAND
With Billy Vunipola injured, Alex Dombrandt should have had a Six Nations call-up ... but the Quins star is refusing to sulk
THE ONLY person Alex Dombrandt still has to convince he is worthy of his ‘ Dominator’ nickname is Eddie Jones. With a broken arm ruling Billy Vunipola out of the Six Nations, the England coach was urged to pick the 22-year- old Harlequins No8 at the back of the scrum. But when the latest English
cause celebre was ignored by the boss, swathes of pundits and former players — including Sir Clive Woodward, Lawrence Dallaglio and Jamie Heaslip — were dismayed that Dombrandt was overlooked.
Ever- stubborn Jones shuffled the pack instead by moving flanker Tom Curry to No 8, with mixed results. Steve Diamond, Curry’s coach at Sale, was baffled.
After England lost to France, frustration was palpable, knowing that Dombrandt, the most in-form No8 specialist, was watching from home.
So what does Dombrandt, who has signed a two-year deal at his boyhood club and goes into today’s match against London Irish as the Premiership Player of the Month, make of all this?
‘It’s disappointing but there’s no point sulking,’ he tells Sportsmail. ‘Eddie and I talked about which bits of my game he’s happy with and what I can improve.
‘He didn’t say much, just told me the reasons I wasn’t in for the Six Nations and that was it — it was a fairly short chat.’
As someone who has moved from a university lock to No8, what did he think of Curry’s switch?
‘I’m sure with a few games in that position he’ll get used to it and will be flying,’ he says.
‘It does take a bit of time to adjust but with the skills he’s got he’ll make a good No8 if that’s the route they want to go down.
‘I played second-row at uni and when I was younger I played a bit of football, which helps with balance and therefore control at the back of the scrum. I feel like it has been a different transition but one I’ve taken to quite well.’
Not half. In 40 Quins games since signing from Cardiff Metropolitan University, Dombrandt has scored 19 tries.
But his performances have shown more than try- scoring prowess. The deft handling, tough tackles, barnstorming breaks and basketball- style offloads have dazzled, hence the ‘Dominator’ moniker.
A stupendous first season saw him picked for an England XV against the Barbarians last June. Naturally, he scored twice but was not initially included in the summer World Cup camps. That was until Brad Shields injured himself. South Croydon- born Dombrandt was called up to train.
‘A bit of a strange experience,’ Dombrandt says of his late call-up to the Treviso camp. ‘I’d never flown on my own. Whenever you go on holiday, it’s with the boys or family — it was just weird in the airport, sitting in Nando’s alone!
‘Usually you’re there with someone to talk to. It was a case of doing it all yourself.
‘Then it was 35 degrees, 95 per cent humidity — a shock to the system! It was a good 10 days but I didn’t make it into the following camps and that was that.’
Revelling in his rapid rise from university rugby to the England squad in two years, he felt comfortable as the smallest fish in the biggest pond.
‘I didn’t feel out of my depth,’ he says. ‘ Or that it was somewhere that in a few years I wasn’t able to be. In a way it was good for me to have that and not to go to the World Cup. I’ve had that taste for it now, I know what the level is and am hungry for that full cap.’
There is no escaping that Dombrandt is a big lad. At 6ft 4in and nearly 19st, he is exactly the sort to go crashing, smashing and bashing over the gainline.
So it comes as no surprise that when he played cricket as a youngster — his first sporting love — he enjoyed whacking the ball to all parts. ‘I loved to bat and hit things,’ he smiles remembering days with brother Ben and father Steve at Chipstead CC.
‘As a middle- order batsman I could hit the ball a long way!
‘I miss it a lot. I’m sure whenever my rugby career ends I’ll go back to it. Cricket helped a lot with my handling.
‘There are a lot of transferable skills and I think it plays a hand in what I can do today.’
While one of Jones’ main concerns was about the No8’s weight, there is more to him than just size. With the brawn comes a brain. He has slimmed down by a stone since then. ‘I came in at 19st 13lb and now I’m around 18st 12lb,’ he says. ‘It feels better. You can have more of an impact.
‘Quite a few young people are focused on the physical side but if you can’t play rugby you’re going to struggle.
‘If you have the option of going to the gym or getting a rugby ball in your hands down the park, then I would play rugby — being able to execute fundamental skills is key.’
When in Wales, he represented their Under 20s and played against England’s Curry twins, Ben and Tom, in a Six Nations game but that did not tie him down to representing Wales.
He loved his time in Wales, living in Roath, studying sport and physical education, drinking pints and enjoying university life.
However, his career was almost ended when he suffered two horrific assaults in matches.
‘I was twice punched in the back of the head when not expecting it, against the same opposition,’ he explains.
‘Both times I broke my jaw. I needed surgery, was out for 10 weeks each and couldn’t eat solid food for five weeks. I still have four
metal plates in my face.
Eddie told me why I wasn’t in the team — it was a fairly short chat
‘The second one did hit me hard. There were complications after my surgery and it was frustrating.
‘It makes you think, “Is it worth it?” It’s one of the most excruciating things you can ever go through.
‘ Welsh rugby is a different conversation. You get a minority who think it’s acceptable to take the law into their own hands.
‘When you’re a uni team against men’s teams, they often came knowing they couldn’t beat us by playing rugby, so they tried to beat you up.’
The first assault saw a Glynneath player handed a 10-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered to pay £2,000 after admitting grievous bodily harm.
The second incident also went to court, but resulted in no conviction.
so while the ins and outs of england selection may be galling now, Dombrandt keeps things in perspective.
‘It’s good to realise where I’ve come from,’ he says. ‘I used to go to Twickenham and The stoop, watch and cheer for them. Fast-forward 15 years and people are cheering for you. It’s a bit weird.
‘It’s important to understand what’s happened. You’re here, make the most of it. I’ll try to achieve something special with Quins and what will be will be.’
This Dominator is not done yet.