Thomas Waldrom
Encyclopedia
Thomas Waldrom is a New Zealand
born rugby
Number 8 who represents England
.
His nickname is Thomas the Tank Engine because of his first name and his tank like stature.
provincial debut in 2001 against Otago
. He went on to play 80 games for Wellington at provincial level before moving to the Hawke's Bay for the 2009 season. Waldrom had become something of a fan favourite at McLean Park
with his high work rate and powerful runs with the ball. In 2009 he helped the Magpies to a semi final, scoring 4 tries along the way.
. He went on to play 30 caps for the Hurricanes before signing with the Crusaders for the 2009 season.
announced the signing of Waldrom and that he would join the team at the conclusion of the 2010 Super Rugby season.
Waldrom, who discovered only during the 2010–11 season that he was eligible for England
(see below), was named to the 45-man England training squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup
in New Zealand. The roster will be cut to 30 before the team leaves for the World Cup. Waldrom was cut from the 30 man squad, however an injury to prop Andrew Sheridan
meant he was called in as injury replacement during the world cup final pool stages.
, he was overlooked by the All Blacks selectors whilst playing in New Zealand, and after making his move to England, had aspirations of eventually playing for the England national team
. Under International Rugby Board
(IRB) regulations, he would not be eligible for England until being resident in the country for three years. However, as Waldrom would tell the Leicester Mercury
in March 2011,
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
born rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
Number 8 who represents England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
His nickname is Thomas the Tank Engine because of his first name and his tank like stature.
Provinces
Waldrom made his Wellington LionsWellington Rugby Football Union
The Wellington Rugby Football Union is the official governing body of rugby union in the city of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand...
provincial debut in 2001 against Otago
Otago Rugby Football Union
The Otago Rugby Football Union is the official governing body of rugby union for the Otago Region of New Zealand. The union is based in the city of Dunedin, and its home ground is Forsyth Barr Stadium. The top representative team competes in the ITM Cup, New Zealand's top provincial...
. He went on to play 80 games for Wellington at provincial level before moving to the Hawke's Bay for the 2009 season. Waldrom had become something of a fan favourite at McLean Park
McLean Park
McLean Park is a sports ground in Napier, New Zealand. The two main sports played at the ground are cricket and rugby. It is one of the 10 proper cricket grounds of New Zealand....
with his high work rate and powerful runs with the ball. In 2009 he helped the Magpies to a semi final, scoring 4 tries along the way.
Super Rugby
Waldrom made his Super Rugby debut in 2004 for the Hurricanes against the StormersStormers
The Stormers, for sponsorship reasons referred to as DHL Stormers, are a South African rugby union team based in Cape Town competing in the Super Rugby competition . Despite their lack of silverware over the years, their home stadium, Newlands, typically draws the highest average attendance figures...
. He went on to play 30 caps for the Hurricanes before signing with the Crusaders for the 2009 season.
Club career
On February 23, 2010 English Champions Leicester TigersLeicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers is an English rugby union club that plays in the Aviva Premiership.Leicester are the most successful English club since the introduction of league rugby in 1987, a record 9 times English champions - 3 more than either Bath or Wasps, the last of which was in 2010...
announced the signing of Waldrom and that he would join the team at the conclusion of the 2010 Super Rugby season.
Waldrom, who discovered only during the 2010–11 season that he was eligible for England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
(see below), was named to the 45-man England training squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup
2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
in New Zealand. The roster will be cut to 30 before the team leaves for the World Cup. Waldrom was cut from the 30 man squad, however an injury to prop Andrew Sheridan
Andrew Sheridan
Andrew Sheridan is an English rugby union player and musician, who plays loosehead prop for Sale Sharks.Sheridan is tall, which is unusually tall for a prop, and weighs...
meant he was called in as injury replacement during the world cup final pool stages.
Personal life
The younger brother of former All Black Scott WaldromScott Waldrom
Scott Waldrom is a professional rugby union player from New Zealand. Scott currently plays for the Waikato Chiefs in the Super 15 and Taranaki in the ITM Cup...
, he was overlooked by the All Blacks selectors whilst playing in New Zealand, and after making his move to England, had aspirations of eventually playing for the England national team
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
. Under International Rugby Board
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
(IRB) regulations, he would not be eligible for England until being resident in the country for three years. However, as Waldrom would tell the Leicester Mercury
Leicester Mercury
The Leicester Mercury is a British regional newspaper, owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust, for the city of Leicester and the counties of Leicestershire and Rutland...
in March 2011,
My agent came round and he brought the pamphlet with the International Rugby Board's rules regarding qualifying after residency. My wife was going through the criteria. She saw the line about being able to qualify immediately if one of your grandparents was born in the respective country. I remembered reading somewhere that my grandmother was English. I rang up my mum in New Zealand, where it was four o'clock in the morning. I apologised for waking her up and asked if nana was born in England. She said yes, and that she also had the birth certificate to prove it.This development made Waldrom immediately eligible for England selection.