Last week Canadian rugby player Doug Wooldridge was squeezing in twice-daily workouts around his full-time job with an elevator repair company in Victoria, B.C., and scheduling his time off around national team games and training camps.

The 30-year-old joins French rugby powerhouse ASM Clermont Auvergne this weekend, meaning that, after five years and 23 national team caps, rugby is finally his full-time job. At least it will be for the length of a three-month contract that represents huge progress both for Wooldridge and Canadian men’s rugby.

“To raise our profile in Canada it’s important to have as many pros as possible,” said Wooldridge, a Lindsay native who plays club rugby with the Ontario Blues. “The more players we get playing professionally the better off we’ll be as a nation, just to get that experience coming back to the national team.”

Wooldridge, a five-foot-11, 234-pound prop, joins the team as a “medical joker,” a designated temporary replacement for players sidelined with long-term injuries. Though the contract contains no guarantees, Wooldridge hopes to play well enough to persuade Clermont to bring him back next season. At 30, he knows he probably won’t have another chance to start a pro career.

And his jump from provincial level club rugby to France’s Top 14, one of the world’s elite pro leagues, comes as Rugby Canada continues to establish its identity on the world scene.

The women’s 15s squad finished second at the 2014 World Cup, while Canada’s women’s sevens team had earned an Olympic berth even before winning Pan Am Games gold last summer.

Gaining a similar foothold has been tougher for men’s teams. The sevens squad is one of 16 teams still vying for the last Olympic slot, and the 15s went winless at the World Cup last fall.

But even in losing all four group stage games, Canadian players gained the experience and exposure Rugby Canada thinks will benefit the program long term. Wing DTH Van Der Merwe scored tries in each of Canada’s games and led the tournament in metres gained in the pool stage, his performance earning him votes for the Lou Marsh Award.

When Canada faced France, Wooldridge went head to head with Eddy Ben Arous, who plays club rugby with Racing Metro of the Top 14. When Clermont’s coaches first considered signing Wooldridge they didn’t have to wonder whether he could match strength with a Top 14 prop. That match had already shown them he could.

“This is a top, top professional club. They wouldn’t bring him over unless they got a close look at his tapes,” said Gareth Rees, Rugby Canada’s CEO. “That’s encouraging and well-deserved for him.”

New Zealand might be international rugby’s undisputed superpower, but the Top 14 might be the world’s highest-quality pro league. It’s certainly the best-funded. According to therichest.com, six of the world’s 10 highest-paid rugby players belong to Top 14 teams.

Wooldridge is an old rookie with a mid-season start date but Rugby Ontario high performance manager David Butcher thinks he will adjust quickly. Butcher points out that the hard-hitting rugby that characterizes the Top 14 fits well with Wooldridge’s style, and that moving to a tougher league gives Wooldridge room to grow as a player.

Even at 30.

“The French pride themselves on their scrummaging . . . and he prides himself on being the cornerstone of the pack,” Butcher said. “For a guy who isn’t in full-time rugby to step in to the World Cup and dominate international props is a testament to his talent.”

If the Top 14 is rugby’s major league, Clermont, located in central France, could be its Boston Red Sox. The club has deep pockets and a dedicated fan base but has won just one league title, while finishing second 11 times over its 105-year history.

That title came in 2010, with longtime Canadian national team standout Jamie Cudmore playing a key role.

Twelve games into this season Clermont sits second in the Top 14, but neck surgery has sidelined Cudmore until at least April.

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Rugby Canada is glad to have a second Canadian on a top-flight pro club. Officials have said repeatedly that Canada will gain ground on more powerful rugby nations when more of its players are able to play and train full time.

But Wooldridge making that exact move will hurt the national team this winter, since joining Clermont means Wooldridge will miss the Americas Rugby Championship, the six-nation international tournament that kicks off in late February.

“I would love to play six nations but this opportunity is a small window,” Wooldridge said. “I’ve got to do it for longer-term life decisions.”

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