London Irish have confirmed that center Dominic Waldouck is to leave the club to play in the inaugural Pro Rugby season in America, according to the club’s website. He leaves Exiles with immediate effect.
Waldouck has signed for Ohio, and is available to make his debut in the first game of the season on April 17th.
He leaves having played five times this season after joining for Northampton and has said that the opportunity was too good to turn down. London Irish look set to be relegated from the Aviva Premiership after a poor season, and Waldouck may be the first of many to jump ship and join teams with a more attractive prospect than playing in the Rugby Championship.
Irish’ Head of Rugby Operations Glenn Delaney said: “This is a great opportunity for Dominic to embark on a new challenge in his career and we fully support him on his decision to compete in the American League.”
The Pro Rugby league is in its first season, with only five teams currently competing, Sacramento, Denver, San Diego, San Francisco and Waldouck’s Ohio.
The league hopes to expand to Canadian teams from the 2017 season onwards.
