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The story of England bolter Dombrandt and how close he came to quitting after twice being assaulted in Wales

Alex Dombrandt was to the fore in England's win this month over the Barbarians (Photo by Steve Bardens - RFU/The RFU Collection via Getty Imagesges)

Potential England World Cup bolter Alex Dombrandt nearly quit rugby due to having his jaw broken twice due to violent incidents during his three-year university apprenticeship in Wales. 

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The Harlequins back row, who will assemble this Sunday at Pennyhill as one of the 29 players included in Eddie Jones’ preliminary Rugby World Cup squad, was the victim of two attacks while playing for Cardiff Met University in the Welsh Championship.  

Both incidents resulted in court cases and it left Dombrandt, the 22-year-old who impressed for England in the start-of-the-month win over the Barbarians, ready to pack in playing.  

“Both were shocking incidents,” said Danny Milton, Cardiff Met’s director of rugby, to The Rugby Paper. “Both cases went to court.

“The first incident happened against Glynneath after Alex had made a 50-yard break. He got punched from behind. It was a dreadful incident and it left him considering giving up the game. We sat down and talked about it. 

“He found it mentally tough and I wasn’t sure he was going too come back. He’d had a gutsfull. There is probably still an element of violence which you don’t want to see in rugby.”

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The first assault resulted in a court conviction. A Glynneath player was given a 10-month prison sentence suspended for two years and ordered to pay £2,000 in compensation after admitting a charge of grievous bodily harm. 

Dombrandt’s fractured jaw left him unable to attend university for three months and only after considerable discussions with the rugby team did he decide to return to playing.

However, he was to suffer a second broken jaw – again against Glynneath. The incident again ended up in court but there was no conviction on that occasion.

“It made him a more resilient character,” continued Milton. “To have bounced back the way he did was just fantastic. Alex is not an aggressive person. There isn’t a nasty bone in his body. He’s like a big cuddly teddy bear.”

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Soliloquin 1 hour ago
Why New Zealand learned more from their July series than France

For Fischer, many people in France are still doubting him - it’s the first time he has a full season (31 games). Before, he was always injured at some point. He’s 27, so not the youngest, and you have a younger Boudehent or Jégou behind.

His physicality is incredible, but he didn’t prove he’s got hands. He just proved he was able to defend like a beast.

But you know, even Cros has improved his handling skills lately, so it’s never too late!

And he will play the Champions Cup with a solid Bayonne side, so let’s see!


I don’t agree with ‘only Fischer’: Brennan proved he’s a great 4/7 utility player, and Galthié likes those very much (Woki or Flament). He’s 23, playing for Toulouse with high concurrence, so the prospect is good. I rate him higher than Auradou, who had a few games in the 6 Nations.

For Depoortère, he had a more silent season than the previous one - injured at the worst moment during the Autumn Tests series - but came back strong with a Champions Cup and a solid partnership with Moefana. What could save him would be to start playing as a 12 when Moefana isn’t there, bulking up and become the new Jauzion.

But he’s 22 and an incredible talent at 13. His height makes me think he had more potential than your fan favorite Costes or the utility player that is Gailleton.


As for Montagne or Mallez, with the lack of quality in props, they could find a spot!

Especially Mallez who’s got a good spot to get behind Baille at Toulouse. Neti isn’t the youngest and hasn’t an international level.


And again, as Ugo Mola said, you never play with your best team.

So 30-32 player is more of a 38-40, so you need back-ups.

France knows very well how useful they can be during RWCs.

235 Go to comments
S
Soliloquin 1 hour ago
Why New Zealand learned more from their July series than France

Hastoy was a good prospect before the 2023 RWC, he was the fly-half who led La Rochelle to the victory in the Champions Cup final in Dublin against Leinster.

But he made it to the squad only because Ntamack got his ACL.

He played against Uruguay, which a terribly poor game by the French side, and since then he declined a bit, alongside his club.

Under the pressure of Reus and West at 10, he regained some credit at the end of the season (among all a drop at the 81st minute of a game).

He’s quite good everywhere, but not outstanding.

He doesn’t have the nerves, the defense and the tactical brain of Ntamack, the leadership and the creativity of Ramos or the exceptional attacking skills of Jalibert.


I really hope that:

-Ntamack will get his knee back. The surgery went well. He wasn’t the most elusive player in the world, but he was capable of amazing rushes like the one against NZ in 2021 or the Brennus-winning try in 2023.

-Jalibert will continue to improve his defense. He started working hard since March (after his defensive disaster against England) with a XIII specialist, and I’ve seen great moments, especially against Ntamack in the SF of the Champions Cup. It’s never too late. And it would be a great signal for Galthié.

-Hastoy will build up his partnership with Le Garrec, that La Rochelle will start a new phase with them and Niniashvili, Alldritt, Atonio, Boudehent, Jegou, Bosmorin, Bourgarit, Nowell, Wardi, Daunivucu, Kaddouri, Pacôme…

235 Go to comments
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