Thomas the Tank Engine arrives at Twickenham Station
I always thought that it was common knowledge in rugby circles that the birthplace of a grandparent could have major bearing on who you might end up playing international rugby for. In this context it is somewhat surprising that Thomas Waldrom seems to have had a "eureka moment" and phoned his mum in the early hours of the morning to clarify whether his grandma was born in England. Instead of waiting to be eligible on the grounds of residency, Waldrom who has probably been one of the most influential players of the season, now finds himself potentially a World Cup prospect for England.
Before Martin Johnson gets too excited, Waldrom will need to show a little more care than his fellow New Zealander, Shane Howarth who ended up playing for Wales nineteen times between 1998 and 2000 despite the fact that his grandfather was not born in Wales as suggested but in New Zealand. Howarth could have qualified for Wales through residency before he retired but by then the IRB had changed the rules so that players could only represent one country; Howarth had already gained four caps for New Zealand.
It is going to be very interesting to see how this fortuitous discovery develops. It will certainly give Johnson and his coaching team some food for thought. Waldrom has successfully operated at blindside and No.8 for Leicester Tigers and he could provide some interesting options for Johnson in an area where many selectorial issues still need to be resolved. While the Easter continues at times to be rock like for England his lack of pace was once again exposed in the Six Nations. Johnson also needs to consider the return of Crofts and Moody, while Wood and Haskell proved to be the more than adequate replacements. The importance of Crofts and Wood to England's line out also needs to be factored in.
So what are the possibilities for Johnson? I have listed some of the permutations below as some food for thought!
6.Waldrom 7.Moody 8.Easter
6.Wood 7.Haskell 8.Waldrom
6.Haskell 7.Moody 8.Waldrom
6.Haskell 7.Moody 8.Easter
6.Waldrom 7.Fourie 8.Haskell
6.Croft 7. Moody 8.Waldrom
6.Croft 7. Moody 8.Easter
