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Wasps and North Harbour set up link

Friday 04th April 2008

Familiar face: Dowd will welcome the Wasps quartet with open arms

With former Wasps forwards coach Craig Dowd now in charge of New Zealand side North Harbour the two clubs have set up a player exchange system.

Already this week Wasps announced that fly-half Dave Walder would play in the ANZ Cup for North Harbour, before returning to the London-based club in October. And now three Wasps Academy players are also heading to New Zealand.

Charlie Beech, Nick Porter and Tom Lindsay will head to New Zealand later this month to gain valuable experience with North Shore, a feeder club for North Harbour where Dowd is now in charge.

"We are very pleased to be able to offer our players this opportunity," said Wasps' Director of Rugby, Ian McGeechan.

"Maintaining this ongoing link with Craig and his new province will give several of our players the chance to get some more rugby under their belts, continue to develop their game and become better players.

"Dave Walder in particular is benefiting from having had more pitch time with Wasps during the Six Nations, and I think it is clear to see from his current excellent form that getting regular games pays dividends.

"The exchange will give Dave the chance to build on the back of his good form during the summer. It is important to us to give our players every opportunity to improve, by whatever means, and for Dave, Charlie, Tom and Nick we see this as an important chance to develop their game and gather experience."

Walder, who has been in such good form of late that Wasps have moved Danny Cipriani to full-back to accommodate the former Newcastle man, is looking forward to a new challenge.

"I am obviously very excited about going to New Zealand, and very grateful to everyone at Wasps and to Craig Dowd for getting me this opportunity," Walder said.

"I've never been to New Zealand before, so it will be a new country and a new challenge for me. The introduction of new laws as well, with the NPC playing under the ELVs this season, will also make playing with North Harbour a valuable learning experience, and I am thoroughly looking forward to it."