dtaai-maai wrote:Another like - Thomas Waldrom, Exeter no.8. (Just watching Exeter give Wasps a good hiding the other day)
I was going to say he must be one of the best no. 8s never to play for England, but when I googled him I saw he played 4 times some years ago. A Kiwi who only realised he was eligible for England (through granny) when he was c. 27. Great club player,m who looks a bit chubby but isn't!
(Yes, catching up on some rugby!)
"Thomas The Tank" - and I believe one of the top try scorers in the Premiership....... some Muppet scored 6 tries for Wasps the other week to take the title...
Anywho, superb player - pity he didn't have a Welsh Grandmother......
"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things" - Yma o Hyd.
I've been watching Waldrom all season when I catch an Exeter match. As you say he doesn't look the part for the performance he puts in consistently, especially with that cap on. He's on my list for a fantasy team if and when I ever get enough knowledge to actually put one together. Pete
Here's his bio:
NAME: Thomas Waldrom
POSITION: Back-Row
BIRTHPLACE: Lower Hutt, New Zealand
HEIGHT: 1.85m/ 6’1
WEIGHT: 114kg/17st 13lb
PREVIOUS CLUBS: Wellington, Hawke’s Bay, Hurricanes, Crusaders, Leicester Tigers
DEBUT:v London Welsh (A), Aviva Premiership, 7/9/14
One that's normally under the radar and not too sure if you'll get any coverage on channels available to you in Thailand, but the "World Rugby U20 Championship" is coming up next month. Has always been a great tournament with future stars of the game coming through.
To be honest the coverage in the UK is fairly poor. We'll have it televised here in Wales on S4C (unfortunately those who don't speak Welsh may struggle with the commentary!!), but if you can get a link it's one to look out for.
^ I saw yesterday that the New Zealand matches are only on the All Blacks web site via live feed video. No mention of any other channels covering the matches. Pete
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
prcscct wrote:^ I saw yesterday that the New Zealand matches are only on the All Blacks web site via live feed video. No mention of any other channels covering the matches. Pete
It's a real pity, because it really is great rugby......
"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things" - Yma o Hyd.
prcscct wrote:^ That made me look up the London Welsh who went down last season. They stand 5th in the Championship so at least another season down there. Pete
And the players that used to be at London Welsh..... Now that was a team!!
"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things" - Yma o Hyd.
prcscct wrote:^ That made me look up the London Welsh who went down last season. They stand 5th in the Championship so at least another season down there. Pete
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Well done Bristol . My son was a season ticket holder, but lost touch when he moved here.
How well organized is drug testing in the National and Professional ranks? I ask as I never see anything reported on it, anyone failing or basically anything at all. With the size of these guys and the muscle mass, I would think steroid use is not out of the question. Pete
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
Big Boy wrote:Well done Bristol . My son was a season ticket holder, but lost touch when he moved here.
Yes, they've done well and some good young players coming through the ranks. BUT not there just yet - maybe this is their season after narrowly missing out against Worcester and London Welsh in previous seasons.
In years past there were some great encounters with Bath..
"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things" - Yma o Hyd.
prcscct wrote:How well organized is drug testing in the National and Professional ranks? I ask as I never see anything reported on it, anyone failing or basically anything at all. With the size of these guys and the muscle mass, I would think steroid use is not out of the question. Pete
Yes,I think it's pretty well monitored and there's certainly been some positive tests fairly recently - both steroid abuse and "recreational drugs" such as cocaine. There was a big stink regarding cocaine at Bath RFC some years back with 3 or 4 players banned - Matt Stevens being the most high profile.
There's also been a huge problem in Wales with the lower tier teams (non-regional/semi-professional) and I'm sure it's the same in England and other rugby playing nations. The WRU are certainly cracking down hard and have handed out what amounts to life bans to some players.
There was a documentary on BBC a while back which is still available on BBC iPlayer if you can get access to it.
pharvey wrote:.....Cracking day out in Cardiff yesterday (although "my team" lost .... again ).........
I caught a replay of the last 30 minutes of the Blues/Ospreys match and indeed it was extremely enjoyable. Really good back and forth rugby and great weather to boot. I'll try to see the whole match on the next replay. You picked a good one to go to Pharvey. Pete
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
I actually heard a commentator use the term "touch down" this week when a try was scored. If that is a common term in Rugby, more proof concerning NFL roots/similarities. Of course in American Football the player doesn't have to touch the ball down to the ground to score, just put the ball over the line into the end zone. Pete
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
If you get a chance, watch a replay of the Highlanders vs Crusaders match from Friday night. Played in Dunedin and a truly magical event. Every soul in the stands was singing at once for many minutes. I've never seen that before when watching Rugby. It was really a "feel good" game and so was the result from my perspective. Keeps you on the edge of your sofa! Pete
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
Pete 
I think they were one of the founding members of the Premiership and have been in it for the past 22 years. Pete 
. My son was a season ticket holder, but lost touch when he moved here.
Pete