Plymouth Albion: Andrew Tiedemann aims for Canada World Cup spot
Last updated on .From the section Rugby Union
New Plymouth Albion prop Andrew Tiedemann says he hopes to use his time at Brickfields to force his way into Canada's side at next year's World Cup.
The 25-year-old joined his new team-mates for the first time this week.
"Thirty top-quality games before a World Cup year is very important for my development," he told BBC Sport.
"There's a lot of competition in the front row of the Canadian team and those games are going to help me put my hand up for that number-one spot."
| Plymouth Albion's Canadian imports |
|---|
| Justin Mensah-Coker |
| Sean-Michael Stephen |
| Tyler Hotson |
| Aaron Carpenter |
| Brett Beukeboom |
| Andrew Tiedemann |
Tiedemann has won 28 caps for his country and his move from his native Victoria sees him follow a long line of Canadians who have moved across the Atlantic to start their European careers at Albion.
"I think someone gave a Canadian a chance and they proved themselves and did well," explained Tiedemann.
"That's paved the way for the rest of us to come over and have a go with the professional set-up.
"In Victoria we have our Canadian training facility and it's a pretty similar set-up.
"The biggest difference is the players. We don't have a wide pool of players such as you would here.
"We maybe get 10 or 15 top-quality guys that you get to train week in, week out - here you've got 30 or 40 guys to have a good smash up."
