Caelan Doris, born on 2 April 1998, is an Irish professional rugby union player who plays as a number eight. He currently represents the United Rugby Championship club Leinster and the Ireland national team.
Doris was born in Lacken, Mayo, to parents from Dublin. His father, Chris, was a centre and also attended Blackrock College, graduating in 1980. Doris initially got involved in rugby with Ballina. At the age of 12, he started attending Blackrock College in Dublin as a boarding student. During his time at Blackrock College, Doris was part of the successful Leinster Schools Rugby Senior Cup team in 2014 and captained the team in 2016.
Doris is currently studying psychology at University College Dublin.
Leinster:
After finishing school in 2016, Doris spent a year in the Leinster sub-academy before joining the academy in the summer of 2017. He captained the Ireland Under-20s team and showcased strong performances, which led to his promotion to Leinster's senior squad ahead of the 2018-19 season. This promotion came after just one year in the academy and having already made his senior debut for Leinster the previous season.
Ireland:
Doris represented the Ireland Under-20s team in both 2017 and 2018. He captained the team in the 2018 World Rugby Under 20 Championship, despite a challenging campaign for Ireland. Doris stood out as one of the top performers in the tournament. He has earned 14 caps for the Ireland Under-20s, despite missing the entire 2018 Six Nations Under 20 Championship due to injury.
Doris received his first call-up to the senior Ireland squad for the 2020 Six Nations Championship. He made his debut as a starting number eight in Ireland's opening match against Scotland on 1 February 2020. However, his debut was cut short after four minutes due to a concussion. Doris was unable to participate in the 2021 Six Nations but made a successful return to the Ireland team during the summer and autumn internationals. He played a significant role in Ireland's victories against Japan, New Zealand, and Argentina, and also scored his first tries for Ireland in matches against New Zealand and Argentina. Doris was honored as the Irish men's Players' Player of the Year 2023 at the Rugby Players Ireland awards.
Doris has established himself as an impressive number eight, following in the footsteps of other talented players produced by Leinster. He demonstrated his strength and running abilities and has become a highly regarded player in the Leinster setup.
In terms of his club rugby, Doris played for St. Mary's College, and as of November 2019, he had earned 21 caps for Leinster, scoring 10 points. He was named among the five uncapped players in Ireland's 35-man squad for the 2020 Six Nations Championship.
Ahead of the Rugby World Cup 2023, Doris has been named in the squad for Ireland.
KG(30/06/2023)
Career
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Leinster Rugby No. 8 |
2017 - present |
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Ireland No. 8 |
2020 - present |
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Ireland A No. 8 |
2022 - present |
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Ireland U20's Openside Flanker |
2017 - 2020 |
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Blackrock College No. 8 |
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St Marys College RFC No. 8 |
