By David Roberts
The Welsh fitness coach who helped the Springboks win the World Cup last year is returning to British rugby to take over as Head of Physical Performance at Leicester Tigers.
Aled Walters had been the Head of Athletic Performance at SA Rugby since 2018 and was widely credited with having played a key role in the 2019 Rugby World Cup triumph.
He had previously spent four seasons at the Scarlets, worked as head of S&C with Tarakanki and then took over as athletic performance coach at the Brumbies in Super Rugby.
He returned to the northern hemisphere in 2012 to join Munster, where he was the head of athletic performance/strength and conditioning for six years ahead of being recruited to head up the Springboks programme.
“I have got a massive respect for Tigers. It’s a massive club, one of the biggest in Europe,” said the 38-year-old, Carmarthen-born Walters.
“I grew up a staunch Scarlets fan and have a lot of history with Leicester – I was there when the famous Tim Stimpson penalty went over. You have to fit the culture and that’s why teams like Leicester are more attractive to me.
“Leicester is a very similar club to Munster and Scarlets. It’s a working-class area, they’re tougher people and that’s something that definitely appealed to me.”
“I don’t take leaving a World Cup team lightly, but this is a very similar challenge to a couple of years ago when I was approached to join the South African team, who were playing below par.
“I see this as a similar scenario, and what I know first-hand is that things can change, but it takes a lot of hard work and only happens if everyone buys into it.
“The challenge wouldn’t be as attractive if I didn’t believe there were things in place to turn things around and get the job done.”
Walters is no stranger to the Midlands having initially studied at Loughborough University. After completing his BSc degree in Physical Education and Sports Science in 2002 he went to Edinburgh University to take a Masters degree in Strength & Conditioning.
Ahead of arriving in Leicester for the start of next season, Walters hopes to establish relationships within the club before working on how to take the Tigers forward.
“The initial challenge when you join any team is to establish relationships and understand the culture of the team,” he added.
“I have got an idea of what it is about, from the outside, but it’s only an idea and, pretty quickly, I need to contribute to making these guys better rugby players.
“It’s an attractive proposition to work with world-class athletes and there are plenty at Leicester. It’s not a club I can come into without the expectation to deliver.
Tigers head coach Geordan Murphy, who moves into a director of rugby role on 1 July, said he is excited at the prospect of having Walters at Welford Road, where he will be working with the up and coming Welsh back row start Tommy Reffell.
“Aled is a world-renowned, world-class coach. The addition of someone of his experience and knowledge is a significant signing for Leicester Tigers,” said Murphy.
“He has worked with some of the game’s best athletes and been a big contributor to the successful environments he has been a part of, which will be key for us moving forward into this new chapter at Tigers.”