War of words erupts over Alex Dombrandt's move from Cardiff to Harlequins
While Alex Dombrandt debuted for England this year and has set a goal of taking over as the nation’s first-choice number 8, the multi-talented loose forward could have been lining up for Wales in a different timeline.
Dombrandt, although born in Surrey, relocated to Wales following high school where he represented Cardiff Metropolitan University in both the classroom and on the rugby pitch.
The 24-year-old was offered a contract with Cardiff Rugby during his second year of studies in 2017 but he turned down the offer and ultimately signed for Harlequins, where he’s now established himself as one of the best ball-running forwards in Europe.
With Dombrandt’s form reaching dizzying heights over the past month, culminating in the number 8 scoring a hattrick of tries against Northampton in the latest round of Premiership matches, many have questioned how Cardiff and Wales weren’t able to hold onto a player of such obvious talents.
Some contention has now arisen on Twitter regarding the circumstances of Dombrandt’s departure from Cardiff, with The Rugby Paper writer Peter Jackson suggesting that Cardiff weren’t willing to sign the loose forward unless he gave up on his university studies.
In 2017 @Cardiff_Rugby offered Alex Dombrandt a contract worth around £20k on condition that he gave up studies @cardiffmetrfc. ''I didn't want to do that,'' he told @TheRugbyPaper last summer. ''I'd done two years…it would have been a waste of my time to pack it all in.' 1/1
— Peter Jackson (@JackoRugby) December 28, 2021
Jackson wrote:
“In 2017 Cardiff Rugby offered Alex Dombrandt a contract worth around £20k on condition that he gave up studies. ‘I didn’t want to do that,’ he told The Rugby Paper last summer. ‘I’d done two years…it would have been a waste of my time to pack it all in.’
“The following year, his degree course completed, Harlequins offered Dombrandt three times as much. They love ‘Dommers’ at Cardiff Met as one of their own, this ‘big teddy bear of a bloke’ with an unhealthy appetite for cream cakes.”
Unsurprisingly, Twitter users were quick to criticise Cardiff and piled on the club for their ostensibly poor decision-making.
Telling a young man to stop is studies for 20k is appalling. Do the WRU have a guidance on this. It shouldn’t happen, I though player welfare and post rugby life was important?
— Dai (@Dai25841) December 28, 2021
Cardiff should be ashamed.
— Dean H David (@DEANHDAVID) December 28, 2021
Telling him to pack in his education ,that’s poor
— Darren Evans 🏴🇮🇪 (@dazz20) December 28, 2021
The likes of former Wales representatives Jonathan Davies and Andy Powell also joined in, questioning how Cardiff let Dombrandt go.
How did @Cardiff_Rugby not pick Dombrant up from @cardiffmet
— Jonathan Davies OBE (@JiffyRugby) December 27, 2021
Because the scouting in wales is shit it’s who you know and it’s who you know
— Andy Powell (@andypowell8) December 27, 2021
Cardiff, however, quickly attempted to hush the discontent and suggested that many who were commenting on the matter didn’t have the full picture.
A lot of disappointing reaction to this tweet
Alex was offered a contract in Aug, 2017, which fully supported his remaining time at Cardiff Met both in terms of rugby & academically.
ADVERTISEMENTHe opted to go to Quins as that was his home team, the team he supported & to pursue Eng hons https://t.co/zmcUxK3idw
— Cardiff Rugby (@Cardiff_Rugby) December 28, 2021
While it’s possible that Dombrandt did consider playing for Wales at some stage – as evidenced by his decision to play for their Under 20s side – the 24-year-old is now a long-term candidate to slow into the England backrow and could be a major player at the next Rugby World Cup.
Comments on RugbyPass
We’re building a bridge but can't agree where the river is.
2 Go to commentsfirst no arms shoulder or helmet tackle into his rib cage is going to be so very painful even to watch. go back to RU mate.
1 Go to commentsBulls by 5. Plus another 50.
3 Go to commentsJohan Goosen avatar. Cute. Surely someone at RP knows how to do a google image search?
3 Go to commentsCan’t these games play a little earlier? Asking for a friend.
3 Go to commentsIt’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
7 Go to commentsChristie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
45 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
7 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
45 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
45 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to comments