Thomas Waldrom included in England Rugby World Cup squad in place of Andrew Sheridan
Thomas Waldrom got a lucky call-up from his coach Richard Cockerill to take part in England’s Rugby World Cup after the English prop, Andrew Sheridan, was ruled out of global showpiece due to an injury recently.
Sheridan sustained a shoulder injury during the ongoing RWC and ended his chances to continue in the tournament. England’s manager, Martin Johnson, was reluctant to replace his regular prop but finally took the bitter decision. Waldrom has not played any
test match for England and thus has been given a challenging role in the largest event in rugby.
Thomas Waldrom is basically a New Zealand born rugby union player and has played most of the rugby in the Rugby stronghold. He has represented the Wellington side in 80 games and has played for the club for more than eight years. Furthermore, he has also
played for Hurricanes and Crusaders, both Super Rugby teams from New Zealand. He played for Hurricanes from 2004-08 at the props’ position and earned 30 caps. Later on, he shifted towards the Crusaders and played two seasons with the derby.
Waldrom was surprised with England’s decision to include him in the RWC squad. He told reporters on September 25 that it would be a great pleasure for him if he represents his country on such a high level. He added that, “I was surprised. It has been a bit
crazy but enjoyable. It would be a great honour to put the (England) shirt on. It would be a privilege to play against the All Blacks if the chance came along, and would be a chance for me to show them just how good I am.”
Johnson also commented at Waldrom’s inclusion and said that, “Nick is making good progress as is Matt Stevens. But with Thomas now out here it makes sense to get him into the squad officially so he can join in with training. We also owe it to Leicester to
make a decision so that they can plan accordingly without him.”
England will take on Scotland in their next clash of RWC on September 1.
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