Thomas Waldrom is on target to outgun the wing men

Thomas ‘The Tank’ Waldrom is on course to become the first forward to top the Premiership scoring charts since former England flanker Neil Back achieved the feat in 1998-99.
But the in-form Exeter No.8 insists personal glory will mean nothing unless the fourth-placed Devonians nail down a play-off spot and have a crack at winning silverware.
Waldrom has 13 league tries to his name, two ahead of Wasps‘ Christian Wade with three rounds remaining, and three ahead of other wingmen Tom Arscott, Alex Lewington and Tom Varndell.
Waldrom told The Rugby Paper: “It would be an honour to top the list but there’s much bigger things on the horizon for Exeter Chiefs.
“We’ve got three very big league games coming up and if I happen to finish top of the try-scoring pile, then great.
“Having said that, I have been able to get a few important scores and I wasn’t expecting to get this many. I definitely didn’t expect things to go as well as they have.
“When I left Leicester my expectations were to come down to a new environment and challenge to get into the squad, but it’s gone way better than I thought it would.”
By coincidence, the Championship scoring charts are also dominated by a Kiwi-born No.8 in London Scottish‘s Mark Bright, 36, who has notched a remarkable 24 tries to date.
The pair competed against each other in the Noughties, when Waldrom was playing for Wellington and Hawke’s Bay while Bright turned out for Tasman Makos.
Waldrom, 31, said: “Mark has always been a good talent and 24 tries is a great return. He’s got an eye for the gap just like me. I don’t know why we’re both enjoying such success this season, maybe London Scottish are playing the same way we are, but you’ve just got to read the game and I think to get 24 tries means he’s reading the game pretty well.”
Waldrom, meanwhile, believes it is time England took notice of fellow Chiefs back rower Dave Ewers, the Premiership’s outstanding blindside.
He said: “Dave’s right up there with the best I’ve played with – and I’ve been privileged to play with Richie McCaw, Kieran Read and Tom Croft!
“Dave’s in that class now and it’s not going to be long before he breaks into the England set-up because he’s got a bit of all of them in him. He’s a big old lad and he’s mobile and tough, but he’s also one of the nicest lads I’ve met as well, which is really pleasing to see.”
Exeter’s title hopes rest on critical league showdowns against top four challengers Saracens, Wasps and Sale, but Waldrom insists there is nothing to fear.
He added: “It’s in our hands, we can decide how far we go and it’s about making history. The boys won the LV=Cup last year and you want to keep winning stuff.
“We also want to finish on a high for our skipper Dean Mumm, just for what he’s done down here.”
NEAE HARVEY