Doug Wooldridge of the Castaway Wanderers began the week preparing for the upcoming start of the B.C. Premier rugby season while working full time as a Victoria elevator repair and maintenance contractor.
But on Wednesday he was suddenly flying off to play with big-time French pro club ASM Clermont Auvergne. Using a hockey analogy, it would be the equivalent of a call-up to the Vancouver Canucks from a senior men’s league team. At the age of 30.
“They sent the contract two days ago and since then, I’ve sort of been swept off my feet,” said Wooldridge, who has also played for the UVic Vikes and Cowichan Green Piggies.
“I had to jump at it, or the offer would be gone forever.”
Clermont’s two tight-head props went down with injuries. Club management remembered Wooldridge’s strong performance in the front row against France last fall at the 2015 World Cup, in which he started all four games for Canada. On the strength of that, Clermont offered Wooldridge a three-month contract to get through their injury situation. Whether he stays, will be up to his performance.
“It’s like a dream,” said the six-foot, 285-pound Wooldridge.
“I’m waiting for reality to hit.”
His role will be specific.
“The scrum is No. 1 for me,” he said.
“If I do well in that, the rest is a bonus.”
Wooldridge matched up well against the pros in the World Cup, so is going in with confidence.
“This is a big opportunity, but also a big task. We called the pro players we faced in the World Cup ‘[physical] freaks’ and it was a tough challenge going up against them, but we did it,” he noted.
“I am confident I can smash with them.”
Wooldridge’s French is limited but fiancée Crystal Lavigne of Victoria, who will meet him there, is fluent.
“We are treating it as an adventure,” said the native of Lindsay, Ont.
Cleremont (7-4-1) is currently tied atop the French elite Top 14 League, with Racing and Toulouse, and also contests the Heineken Cup and European Champions Cup. Clermont was finalist, behind winner Stade Francais, in the 2015 French championship game.
Wooldridge, who has 23 caps, was part of a strong CW contingent on the Canadian roster at the 2015 World Cup which also included Ciaran Hearn, Nanyak Dala, Ray Barkwill, Hubert Buydens, Jebb Sinclair and Jake Ilnicki.
From that CW group, Hearn also landed a pro contract in November and joined Sinclair on the Premiership club London Irish.
“We’re just a bunch of good ol’ Canadian players on CW,” said Wooldridge.
“We come from across the country to Victoria to chase our rugby dreams, because the national team is based here, and found a great home club in CW that provides us with great coaching and camaraderie.”
SCRUM NOTES: CW meets the UNCOB Ravens in a Canadian Direct Insurance B.C. Premier League exhibition fixture Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Windsor Park. The B.C. Premier season officially kicks off concurrently Saturday in Vancouver with the defending champion UBC Thunderbirds hosting the UVic Vikes, a league game that also stands as the first leg of the annual UVic-UBC Wightman Boot competition.
The other clubs open the B.C. Premier regular season Jan. 30
