Who is Caelan Doris: Ten things you should know about the Ireland back-row

The Leinster player has dominated at school, club and international level. Kit Shepard reports

Who is Caelan Doris: Ten things you should know about the Ireland back-row

Versatile back-rower Caelan Doris is a powerful ball-carrier for Ireland and Leinster.

Ten things you should know about Caelan Doris

1. Caelan Doris was born on 2 April 1998 in Ballina, County Mayo. He stands at 6ft 4in (1.93m) and is 16st 9lb (107kg).

2. He attended the prestigious rugby school Blackrock College, where he won the Leinster Schools Rugby Senior Cup alongside fellow future Ireland internationals Joey Carbery, Hugo Keenan and Nick Timoney.

3. A product of the Leinster Academy, he made his senior debut for the province against Connacht in April 2018.

4. Doris scored a try against Ulster in the 2020 Pro14 final as Leinster secured their third consecutive title.

5. Strong showings at club level caught the eye of Ireland coach Andy Farrell, who gave Doris his first cap in February 2020 against Scotland.

However, a head injury meant his international debut lasted just four minutes.

6. He missed the entire 2021 Six Nations due to concussion symptoms and could only return to action after problems with concentration, speech and short-term memory had eased.

7. He has a pet dog, named Woody.

8. Doris uses his experiences to encourage others to take concussion symptoms seriously.

Speaking on The Rugby Pod in January 2022, he said: “What I can say with the benefit of hindsight, is if there is anyone going through something similar just get it checked at the very start.”

9. A versatile operator, six of Doris’s first 12 Ireland starts came at blindside flanker, with the other half-dozen coming at No 8.

10. Doris bounced back from his head injury problems in style in the 2021 Autumn Nations Series. He played every minute of the campaign and was Man of the Match in Ireland’s 29-20 win over New Zealand, which featured his first international try.

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