Thomas Waldrom

Thomas Waldrom

Waldrom playing for Leicester in February 2013
Date of birth	(1983-04-28) 28 April 1983 (age 33)
Place of birth	Lower Hutt, New Zealand
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	114 kg (17 st 13 lb)
School	St. Patrick's College, Silverstream
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position	Number 8
Professional / senior clubs Years Club / team Caps (points) 2010–14 2014- Leicester Exeter Chiefs 78 55 (65)13t (190)38t Correct as of 11 September 2016
Provincial/State sides Years Club / team Caps (points) 2001-09 2009–10 Wellington Hawke's Bay 80 14 (60) (20)
Super Rugby Years Club / team Caps (points) 2004–08 2009–10 Hurricanes Crusaders 30 26 (25)
National team(s) Years Club / team Caps (points) 2012– England 4 (0)

Thomas Waldrom (born 28 April 1983 in Lower Hutt) is a New Zealand born rugby Number 8 who currently plays for the Exeter Chiefs and represents England.

His nickname is "Thomas the Tank" due to his size and strength. He performs a tank engine celebration when he scores pumping his arms while the Thomas the Tank Engine theme tune is played around Sandy Park.

As a teenager, Waldrom specialised in shot put, discus and hammer throwing, setting several school and club records in these sports.

Waldrom made his Wellington Lions 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.

Waldrom made his Super Rugby debut in 2004 for the Hurricanes against the Stormers. He went on to play 30 caps for the Hurricanes before signing with the Crusaders for the 2009 season.

On 23 February 2010 English Champions Leicester Tigers announced the signing of Waldrom and that he would join the team at the conclusion of the 2010 Super Rugby season. Waldrom instantly became a firm favourite at Welford Road and has been given the nickname "Thomas the tank engine", due to his size and rampaging runs to which he has taken to giving an arm gesture as if blowing a train engines horn when scoring a try.

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 was cut to 30 before the team left for the World Cup. Waldrom was cut from the 30-man squad, but an injury to prop Andrew Sheridan meant he was called in as injury replacement during the world cup final pool stages.