Lucas Dorrell: England Students captain following in footsteps of Ex-Saracens Father - Ruck (2025)

The England Students are in action this weekend, for their annual battle with French Universities and the latest installment of ‘Le Crunch’. England Students head out to France this time around, with captain back row Lucas Dorrell wearing the rose for a third consecutive season.

Dorrell will captain the scholars upon their trip to Terrasson-Lavilledieu, with the fixture held at the Stade Andre Beaudry, the home of French Regionale One side USC Terrasson. Dorrell, a hard-hitting flanker and Exeter University scholar, will captain the side for his second consecutive season. Whilst being on the books of Exeter Chiefs and with sporadic Cornish Pirates caps under his belt, the 23-year-old’s story will come full circle, as he began his playing days as a junior with US Bardos in France.

“Where I grew up, it’s the heart of rugby country there in the southwest.” Dorrell said, on a recent England Students press conference. “So, it was always at the forefront of my mind. Every weekend I looked forward to, well, back at that time, it was just training on the weekends and then watching the local village play and watching the stuff on TV.

“I got another opportunity to play out there for Brive a couple of years ago. So I know, where a lot of the (French University) boys are coming from and who we’re going to be playing against on Saturday. They’re big on physicality and size, and they like to play the ball around as well. So, I know what to expect.”

“A lot of the reason why I play rugby is because I like the team side of things. I like having a lot of mates and then putting it all on the line for the bloke next to you. So I think coming away with a lot of new friends and boys that I can keep in contact with is important for me. But then also, I think it’s a good plan platform to put a good showing on, not only individually, but also to put a good showing on for BUCS (British Universities & Colleges Sport) Super Rugby, as a competition.”

Dorrell’s life then shifted across the hemispheres, as he found a new home in Australia from the age of eight. The back row soon found an idol in Wallabies legend Michael Hooper, and a mentor in former Australia captain and 1991 Rugby World Cup winner Simon Poidevin. It’s safe to say that Dorrell was in good company, as he progressed through his teenage years with Eastern Suburbs and latterly at Randwick DRUFC.

“I went out to Australia when I was eight, and so not long after that was when Michael Hooper kind of broke into the the Australian setup there. I was a bit of a fanatic, to be honest, when I was around 12, because myself at that age I was similar. I didn’t have his pace, but I was pretty small, like he is compared to a lot of people in the professional game.

“So, at that age, I was kind of trying to base my game off his. And then going through school, Newington College, and then going to Randwick after I finished. I developed my game in a different way. I grew a little bit, thankfully, so didn’t have to rely on the pace that I didn’t have. I was very lucky to be mentored by Simon Poidevin at Randrick, so he helped me out a lot when I was there. I then came over to France in England, and here I am.”

Throughout his rugby journey, Dorrell’s father has been a major driving force across his tenures in France, Australia and now in England. Dean Dorrell, a former England Universities, Saracens and Rosslyn Park player during the amateur era, has helped Lucas upon the early stages of his career. Lucas shared a story on how his father flew across the world to watch him follow in his footsteps, as he made his first cap for an England scholar’s side back in 2023.

“My Dad, he went to Uni at Nottingham, and he didn’t really come from a rugby background, he just picked it up because he’s pretty tall, pretty athletic. He picked it up pretty late, went to Nottingham, played there, and then got picked up to play for Saracens.

“I think back then it was split, it was England Universities which didn’t involve Oxford and Cambridge, and then England Students did involve the two, but he played for England Universities. He then had three years at Saracens, and then went to Rosslyn Park, and then he packed it in because he had a couple of injuries, and also back then the game wasn’t professional.

“He’s always been pretty involved in all of my sport. Actually, when I first played for (England) Students, him and my mum were out visiting my sisters in Australia, and he flew back for 24 hours just to watch the game and then went back, because otherwise my mum would have flogged him! So, he’s a real inspiration, he’s always there helping me out.

Looking beyond his studies, the future looks bright for Dorrell to pursue a career in professional rugby. Aside from a pre-season friendly, Exeter Chiefs are yet to unleash Dorrell in a competitive senior fixture, but the back row has gained valuable experience in the men’s game during his brief stint in Penzance. Dorrell earned two caps for Cornish Pirates in the latest Premiership Rugby Cup campaign, with run-outs under his belt against Gloucester, and his home club of the Chiefs.

“It was unreal. That was unreal getting down there. It’s a great bunch of boys, and the coaches are real good down there as well. I learned a lot, I was only there for a few weeks during Prem Cup, but it really taught me a lot about what the next ‘level-up’ looks like. I learned a lot from a lot of the boys there, specifically the forwards, and you’ve got ‘Paves’ (Head Coach Alex Paver) coaching down there, who knows everything (about) scrums, so he had me pushing a lot harder than I’m used to!”

“I’m not exactly sure what the plan is for me personally next year, but if that (Exeter Chiefs debut) does go on to happen, then it would be ideal to to turn that (form) around. I think they’ve got the facilities in place and certainly the coaching staff and the players having made a lot of signings, a lot of big signings, in order to turn things around.”

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