Waratahs lock Dave McDuling says stints in Africa and New Zealand made him a more complete player

SYDNEY lock Dave McDuling spent last year learning how to play like a South African and a New Zealander - just so he could get a start at the Waratahs.

EVERY successful team needs a good journeyman but few can boast a journey quite like Dave McDuling’s.

The NSW lock has emerged as quality new recruit for the Waratahs, to the point where McDuling replaced Wallaby forward Dean Mumm in the starting line-up to meet the Kings at Allianz Stadium.

But at the ripe old age of 28, McDuling’s progression to a run-on role for his favourite boyhood team is anything but conventional. Not only was the Epping-raised big man the very last player signed by NSW for this season, but his path to the Tahs included playing for provincial teams in Australia, South Africa and New Zealand — all in the last two years.

McDuling during a coaching clinic at his alma mater, Riverview. Picture: Phil Hillyard

“I have had a lot of different experiences,” McDuling says.

“It’s not the textbook story of many rugby players but I treasure that.”

Via Sydney Uni and Australian junior rep teams, McDuling won a Super Rugby contract under Ewen McKenzie at the Reds in 2011.

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At 1.96m and 115kg, McDuling was seen as a player of huge potential but the cruellest of blows — back-to-back knee reconstructions — sidelined him in 2012 and 2013.

He went onto play 11 Super Rugby games for the Reds but stuck behind James Horwill and Rob Simmons, McDuling looked for opportunities offshore in 2015.

Unlike many, however, McDuling didn’t look at Japan or France. He signed a deal with the Sharks in Durban.

“I wanted to go overseas and get that fresh new experience,” he said.

“But going over there, it allowed me to still be playing Super Rugby and if I was playing well, it would open up an avenue to come back​.

McDuling playing for Canterbury in the Mitre 10 Cup.

“I am Aussie born and bred but my dad (Patrick) was born in Durban, too, so we have a lot of family there. It just fitted well.”

Over two seasons, McDuling only played one Super Rugby game for the Sharks but he ploughed through two physical seasons in the Currie Cup, where being a hard-nut is part of the job description for a lock.

“It’s pretty brutal but it’s just what they expect of you. They have so many players over there, rugby is the No.1 sport so the squad sizes are big and the rate of attrition is pretty high,” he said.

Last year, however, McDuling’s footballing world went to opposite extremes when he left Durban and signed to play for Canterbury in New Zealand’s Mitre Ten Cup.

“It was an interesting year,” he said.

McDuling playing for the Cell C Sharks.

“I had that physical, abrasive, South African rugby for the first two-thirds of the year and then I finished the year playing a new game that virtually had no ruck and was super-fast, high octane.

“I gained a lot of confidence just in myself after being there and playing with those guys.”

Not wanting to fade into “obscurity” overseas, McDuling hoped solid form for Canterbury would open doors back in Australia but even after helping Scott Robertson’s side win the Mitre Ten Cup, the phone stayed quiet.

It was only after the Waratahs’ Kiwi lock recruit Leon Power was released with a knee injury that Daryl Gibson called.

“I missed the first week of pre-season but I was really pleased to get the call,” he said.

“I have reached a level where I now am confident in myself, and that comes with experience. I can adapt pretty well these days.”

Originally published as Waratahs lock Dave McDuling says stints in Africa and New Zealand made him a more complete player