THE clergy parents of the England rugby player Alex Coles have described experiencing “highs and lows” with each performance in 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 watch the match in person at the weekend.

Mr Coles, a Northampton Saints team member, has played in both of England’s Six Nations matches so far 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 each match with Alex and with the whole team, who are a really close community. I watched at home on Saturday while finishing my sermon, and it was hard not to feel gutted. I get very over-excited, and it can be incredibly hard to watch.

“I try very hard not to 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 are very supportive of Alex. He came to our carol service at Christmas, and visited the local primary school recently, and the children loved talking to him. And, while we are very proud of Alex, we could also not be more proud of our daughter, who works as a social worker in children’s social care.”

Mr Coles played in teams in Cambridgeshire before joining the Northampton Saints Academy at 14. He has played more than 140 games for the Saints and was part of the Premiership-winning team in 2022.

Mrs Coles said that, a decade ago, she had no idea that the “wet cold evenings” spent driving to pick Alex up from matches would result in his selection to play for England,

But being part of the rugby community had also given her new opportunities to connect with people who would not normally have conversations with her as a priest, she said.

“People get a wonderful pleasure from team sports, and Alex is using the talents God has given him to bless others. I understand more now myself about the pleasure people get from following sports, it’s a real community.

“It’s a joy and a privilege to follow him, and it also enhances the conversations I can have with other people who would otherwise not strike up a conversation with me,” Mrs Coles said.