THE clergy parents of the England rugby player Alex Coles have described experiencing “highs and lows” with each performance within the Six Nations.
England lost to Scotland 31-20 on Saturday at Murrayfield, bringing their run of 12 Test victories to an end, a result that Mr Coles’s mother, the Revd Olivia Coles, said was “absolutely gutting” for the team.
Mrs Coles is Vicar of Whittlesford, near Cambridge, and her husband, the Revd Professor Alasdair Coles, is a neurologist at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, in Cambridge. He went to Scotland to observe the match in person on the weekend.
Mr Coles, a Northampton Saints team member, has played in each of England’s Six Nations matches up to now against Wales and Scotland. It was announced this week that he would start on the bench for the match on Saturday against Ireland.
Mrs Coles said: “We feel the highs and lows of every match with Alex and with the entire team, who’re a extremely close community. I watched at home on Saturday while ending my sermon, and it was hard to not feel gutted. I get very over-excited, and it could actually be incredibly hard to observe.
“I try very hard to not make too many rugby analogies in my sermons, as I don’t want the congregation to get too fed up of hearing about it. But they’re very supportive of Alex. He got here to our carol service at Christmas, and visited the local primary school recently, and the kids loved talking to him. And, while we’re very pleased with Alex, we could also not be more pleased with our daughter, who works as a social employee in children’s social care.”
Mr Coles played in teams in Cambridgeshire before joining the Northampton Saints Academy at 14. He has played greater than 140 games for the Saints and was a part of the Premiership-winning team in 2022.
Mrs Coles said that, a decade ago, she had no concept that the “wet cold evenings” spent driving to choose Alex up from matches would lead to his selection to play for England,
But being a part of the rugby community had also given her latest opportunities to attach with individuals who wouldn’t normally have conversations along with her as a priest, she said.
“People get an exquisite pleasure from team sports, and Alex is using the abilities God has given him to bless others. I understand more now myself concerning the pleasure people get from following sports, it’s an actual community.
“It’s a joy and a privilege to follow him, and it also enhances the conversations I can have with other individuals who would otherwise not strike up a conversation with me,” Mrs Coles said.
