Waldouck on the rise after his American love affair

RE-ENERGISED by a short trailblazing spell in the US Pro League, former Wasps centre Dom Waldouck is hoping to nail down a fulltime contract at Newcastle.

He has a week left of his trial to convince Falcons boss Dean Richards that he can help plug the gap left by Adam Powell’s potentially season-ending knee injury.

“Going to America to do the Pro League gave me some game time and I feel rejuvenated now,”Waldouck told TRP.

“I fell back in love with the game while I was there. That’s what made me want to come back to England and play again, a lot of it was down to that experience.

“Now, I am really lucky to have been given an opportunity here and I’m enjoying it. Hopefully it can continue.”

Waldouck joined the Ohio Aviators in the fledgling league Stateside and very nearly came away with a winner’s medal after leaving London Irish.

“It was challenging for me at London Irish because I felt like I could contribute to the team but I wasn’t able to. So when the American chance came up, I jumped at it.

“The standard of the league was better than I thought it would be and we finished second in the end.

“We went into the last game four points behind Denver and we beat them with a bonus point but they picked up two bonus points in the match and we lost out on the title by a point. In the six games I was out there, we had six bonus-point wins.”

Waldouck, 28, believes the US league has the potential to be a big hit.

“From a rugby perspective some guys are quite young to the game and perhaps don’t have the same understanding but athletically there is some brilliant talent there.

“Given the right coaching and opportunities some of the crossover athletes they have from American Football could make a big impact in rugby.

“Rugby really appeals to the American public with its speed, intensity and physicality. And because we were playing in the heat, it was conducive to playing good quality rugby.

Former Newcastle academy product Fred Burdon, a seasoned centre at Doncaster and Yorkshire Carnegie, is also on trial at Kingston Park.

JON NEWCOMBE