Caelan Doris' first Six Nation's campaign as captain has gotten off to a strong start with back-to-back bonus-point wins over England and Scotland leaving Ireland sitting at the top of the table after two rounds.
The Leinster number eight replaced fellow back-rower Peter O'Mahony as permanent captain in October, and despite a 23-13 loss to New Zealand in his first match, the he has quickly cemented himself as the team's leader.
Doris played a major part in Sunday's victory over Scotland at Murrayfield, scoring the second try in the visitors' comfortable 32-18 win.
The Ballina, Co Mayo native was identified as one of the Irish players deemed most attractive to sponsors entering the Six Nations campaign, and the team's performances over the past couple of weeks are unlikely to have dissuaded prospective commercial partners.
In fact, Doris is already tied up with a number of companies, having been named as a brand ambassador by Aer Lingus, Lucozade Sport, and Ohk Energy Group, as well as JFW Renewables prior to its acquisition by NRG Panel to form Ohk.
He is also involved with Childline, and Ohk Energy donated €50 from sales of each installation of solar PV systems and air-to-water heat pumps to the charity last August in a campaign fronted by Doris.
Alongside Brian O'Driscoll and Jordan Larmour, Doris was also among the high-profile investors that pumped €3.2m into Grinds 360 as part of a seed funding round last summer.
The AI-assisted hybrid learning platform, which offers grinds from teachers in 19 subjects, was founded by experienced secondary school grinds teacher Ronan Murdock and serial entrepreneur Brendan Kavanagh. The capital raised was intended for technology improvements and expansion.
In terms of his own business interests, Doris co-founded clothing line EXCD Clothing with his former Leinster academy and Ireland U20s teammate Conor Dean in 2022. The company sells branded t-shirts, baseball caps hoodies and shorts and jogging bottoms.
"Research and experience has led us to the production of cutting edge materials which feel and look great. We let the market determine where the demand lay and we are confident that we have filled that gap through combining your favourite features into our clothing," EXCD says on its website.
He also established public relations and communication activities company Dorlan Media Ltd last June, with his mother Rachel Sweetman-Doris acting as secretary. The company is registered to the Doris family home in Ballina, and he is the sole director.
The 26-year-old went to Blackrock College and then UCD, where he studied Psychology, while training with the Leinster academy, and he was promoted to the senior Leinster squad in 2018.
He played 14 times for the Ireland U20s and has won 48 caps for Ireland since making his debut in 2022, scoring eight tries in the process.
His honours included four Pro14 titles with Leinster, although he has expressed annoyancs that he has only played in one of those finals, against Ulster behind closed doors in September 2020. He missed the 2021 final due to concussion.
Doris also has two Six Nations championships with Ireland, including the Grand Slam in 2023, and he has been named in World Rugby's men's team of the year for the past two years.
In late 2023, Doris signed a three-year central contract with the IRFU that will keep him in Leinster and Ireland colours until the end of the 2026-27 season.
Photo: Caelan Doris of Ireland lifts the Century Quaich Trophy as he celebrates with teammates after defeating Scotland during the Guinness Six Nations 2025. (Pic: David Rogers/Getty Images)
