Thomas Waldrom confirms he is leaving Exeter Chiefs
Thomas Waldrom has today confirmed he is to leave the Exeter Chiefs at the end of the current 2017/18 season.
The free-scoring No.8, who has scored 50 tries in 91 appearances for the club to date, says the time has now come for him to return home to his native New Zealand with his family.
His departure after four seasons with the Chiefs will undoubtedly be felt by everyone at Sandy Park, particularly given his outstanding form since arriving from Aviva Premiership rivals Leicester Tigers in 2014, but he insists he still has plenty to play for between now and the end of the season.
“The Chiefs will always be a big part of my life and I’ll definitely come back and visit in the future,” said the 34-year-old forward. “It’s a great place to come and play rugby and I would recommend coming here to anyone who asked.
“From the first meeting I had with Rob, talking to him and seeing where the club wanted to go, I knew I made the right decision. Coming down and seeing first hand everything that was here and what the club did, I knew straight away it was the right fit for me and my family.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think the move would go as well as it has, but that’s down to the environment here. The coaches, my team-mates, the fans, it’s been brilliant and I’ve loved every minute of it.
“I also wanted to show people why Rob wanted to sign me when I was 30 on a three-year deal. He showed a lot of faith in me at that time and, hopefully, I’ve helped pay him back a bit over the last few years.”
Indeed, Waldrom has more than proved his worth to the Chiefs, helping the club last season to record a first-ever Premiership title with victory over Wasps at Twickenham.
As he says, the time has come for him, his wife Emma, plus their boys to head home and continue their family life back around many of their loved ones.
“It’s the right time for me to go,” added the England international. “It’s been a hard decision to come to, but deep down I know it’s the right decision. My wife has followed my around England for a good eight years now, when it was only supposed to be two at the start!”
Waldrom insists, however, that he still has plenty to do between now and his departure, namely helping the Chiefs to push on in their Premiership title defence.
“There is still lots to do before I go,” he said. “I know what this team can achieve and, fingers crossed, we can get back to where we were last season come the end of the season. The squad we have, the players within the group, it’s an outstanding bunch who are capable of achieving so much together.
“A lot of what we have done is down to the players themselves, but at the same time Rob [Baxter] and the other coaches do put a lot of responsibility on us as players as well. We do lots of work off the pitch, but when you get things right on the pitch, that’s when they are the first to reward you.”
And it’s that togetherness, particularly amongst the playing group, which Waldrom says is pivotal in the success of the club moving forward.
He continued: “It’s a great environment to be part of as there is always something going on. We do a lot together, on and off the field, and we’ve got things like Cookie Club or we go our for business lunches on our days off. There was Sandwich Club as well, but that’s no more, which I’m pretty pleased about.
“The enjoyment of those sorts of things, the way the boys get on, it all adds to the mix here. There are no egos within the group and everyone is treated the same. The banter in the changing room can be brutal at times, but that just adds to things and makes this easily the best club I’ve been involved with.”
As for the future, Waldrom insists any talk of retirement is very much premature. Instead, he has playing options back home to consider, as well as settling back into familiar surroundings with his family.
Comments on RugbyPass
Absolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
5 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
14 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
14 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
4 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
5 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to comments