Full name | Alexander Joel C. Coles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 21 September 1999 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Cambridge, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 117 kg (258 lb; 18 st 6 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | The Perse School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
University | Birkbeck, University of London | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Alexander Joel C. Coles (born 21 September 1999) is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a lock for Premiership Rugby club Northampton Saints and the England national team. [1]
Whilst pursuing rugby, Coles studied BA Politics Philosophy and History at Birkbeck, University of London. [2]
Coles played rugby as a child at Newmarket and Shelford Rugby Club prior to joining the academy of Northampton Saints at the age of fourteen. [3] In November 2018 he made his club debut for Northampton in a Premiership Rugby Cup match against Wasps and the following year scored his first try for the club against Timișoara in the EPCR Challenge Cup. [4] [5]
Coles started in the 2023–24 Premiership Rugby final as Northampton defeated Bath to become league champions. [6] In May 2024, following an impressive season he was named in the Premiership Rugby Team of the Season for that campaign. [7]
Coles scored a try during the 2024–25 European Rugby Champions Cup quarter-final victory over Castres. [8] He also scored both of their tries in the 2025 European Rugby Champions Cup final at Millennium Stadium as Northampton lost against Bordeaux Bègles to finish runners up. [9]
In 2017 Coles played for the England under-18 team on their tour of South Africa. [3] [10] He represented the England under-20 team in the 2019 Six Nations Under 20s Championship and was a member of the squad that finished fifth at the 2019 World Rugby Under 20 Championship. [4] [11]
Coles received his first call-up to the senior England squad by coach Eddie Jones for the 2022 Autumn internationals. [12] On 6 November 2022, Coles made his Test debut starting in a 29–30 loss to Argentina during the Autumn Nations Series. [13] [14]
Coles made his first Six Nations appearances as a substitute in victories over Italy and Wales during the 2024 tournament. [15] [16] Later that year he was included in the squad for their tour of New Zealand and played in both test defeats as England lost the series. [17]