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England's 'inside man' could be a concern for the Springboks
Viewers of the 2019 Rugby World Cup winning documentary Chasing the Sun were given full access to the Springboks, their training and the team that makes up the team. One of those members, and standout characters from the outstanding show, was Aled Walters.
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Welshman Walters is a forward-thinking Strength & Conditioning coach that by all accounts transformed and played a large role in the Springboks’ fitness and preparations for the World Cup in Japan.
He’s now with the England side and once again, is making a big difference. A difference that may well pay dividends when the two sides meet in the Semi Final in Paris on Saturday.
Former Springbok and Saracens hooker Schalk Brits recently gave some insight into how Walters operates, and the calculated process that will have been quietly taking place behind the scenes.
“The one thing that he did, that people don’t know, leading up to the World Cup is, he said ‘Boys, we’re going to maximise every effort we can. We’re not going to taper into games, and maybe your performance won’t be as good on the weekends, but we’ll peak at the World Cup.’
“And that is what you’ve seen (with England).”
The Walters sessions are notoriously brutal, with South African players losing kilograms in single sessions in the heat of Kagoshima in 2019.
“At that exact point, I was thinking ‘why did I come back?’. I wish I had stayed retired,” Brits, then 38-years-old, told Telegraph Sport recently. “I think I was curled up in bed, fast asleep by 8pm that night.”
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The S&C role used to be reserved strictly for the gym and fitness training, but that has changed with an astute personality like Walters in the mix.
“Now it has become an integral part to the happiness of the side. It was how he managed the players, managing their happiness. In some ways you have to manage the relationship between the players and the coaches and most of the time the S&C coach is the guy in between. He becomes the channel, the pipeline to get to the coach.”
Walters has since joined Steve Borthwick at Leicester and is now the man in charge of England’s fitness at this World Cup in France.
After having gone through the pool matches unbeaten – albeit with a few lacklustre performances – Walters will have set them up to peak come the knockouts.
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He also has incredible insight into how the Springboks operate and a multitude of inside info on the psyche of Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber.
Handre Pollard says that it won’t be a problem.
“Aled is a top man, we all love him a lot and I’m sure he is going to do great with England moving forward. I’m sure he will have some insights but that we expect.
“There’s not too much he can give away, it’s been four years and we have developed as a squad a lot. It’ll be an interesting weekend.”
South Africa and England face off in Paris at 21:00 (CET) on Saturday, 21 October.
Comments on RugbyPass
Rubbish article! Abuladze played most of Exeters matches when fit. He got injured against Glasgow a while ago and is out for the rest of the season, thats why he hasnt played for Exeter and Georgia recently. Do some proper research next time!
1 Go to commentsGotta love it when kids throw their toys out the pram and can’t hack it with the grown ups debate. Here’s looking at you turlough! 😉🤣
143 Go to commentsThey lost the game period move on
88 Go to commentsSpringboks won! Stop winging. You can change the game however much you and your rugby colonizing IRB want to and the Springboks will win you at that too. Your mind is colonized my friend get a life
88 Go to commentsBen, nobody gets fooled anymore by selective and biased data to support an hypothesis. Games are decided on such small margins these days that you win some and lose some, and dominance is a thing of the rugby past. Look at the RWC circle of fortune…. Ireland beats SA who beat France who beat NZ who beat Ireland. And so it goes on. Match officials help to eliminate real indiscretions. If they had been with us years before, no doubt results would have been different. Remember Andy Haden’s dive from a lineout in 1978 for which a match-wining penalty was awarded? Wales should have beaten the ABs that day. They took the loss like the gentlemen they were.
88 Go to commentsWith all the analysis and how good the all blacks were.The fundamental mistake with the ABs is that this is a test match and not an exhibition.There is no better team(country) in world rugby than the Boks that knows how to win a test match(we are post masters at this).We know our rules, we have the discipline, we tackle like beasts, we take our points and we never give up.I now have educated the ABs supporters(at least say thank you).Please stop “bitching” , accept what the outcome is and move along swiftly.
88 Go to commentsAnd they came from behind to win two big games before the final. No one can say what would have happened. Had the boks gone behind the game plan changes and the result may changes. Ifs and ands are irrelevant. The boks won. Neutral critics enjoyed the games they played. Its not a popularity contest. Get over it and move on.
88 Go to commentsI'm happy for the people of SA to get a second WC. And I mean that. I was very disappointed with this man's “stand on the hand” incident with Josh Van Der Flyer (Ireland). Ireland's downfall in the last WC was they did not rotate their first 15 as the head coach probably should have. That said, I'm happy for SA and genuinely hope it lifts the mood in their country. Ireland did beat them in the first match of the tournament. And before the trolls start trolling ….. please don't bother. Etzbeth said recently that the Irish players said after the match “see you in the final”…..this was actually wishing the SA team the best of luck in the rest, the Irish team were not dismissing the AB’s. This is what Etzbeth was implying. But he was wrong. I no longer live in Ireland. But I hope to see them lift that cup before I pass. Anyway, congratulations SA. 👍
12 Go to commentsMore bloody click bait. Dan Carter has said absolutely nothing. As he should do. Poor journalism again from a site that should know better
9 Go to commentsOh god please help these loosers get over it!!!! You lost. Doesn't matter how many times you dummies are gonna analyse the game, you still lost and we are still Rygby World Champions….get over it, you lost.
88 Go to commentsThe next Willie le Roux. SA are made not to use him.
2 Go to commentsDan has always been as controversial as tea with milk so we were never going to get any definitive answer. So DMac for the win.
9 Go to commentsGoodness. When are the All Blacks and New Zealand commentators going to stop complaining about how they could have won and just try to win next time 😂. In South Africa if you lose you get up and try again. Get over it.
88 Go to commentsHonestly, it doesn’t matter a whole lot. RSA has a ton of experienced talent in its leadership group. I am more interested in who is the new 8 man/8 men and the younger props. The captain may change but the system does not
1 Go to comments“See you in the final” can mean whatever you want it to mean. To me it means that 12 Irish rugby players are a bunch of poeses. See y’all in Pretoria.
143 Go to commentsBen, you are one of the most arrogant and self opionated rugby critics I have ever come across (next to Keohane). I hoped that after SA beating the best ranked teams in the world on their way to the WC (something not done before) that you might have the grace to admit that this is a special team that deserved the accolades coming their way. You have no humility and as has been been already pointed out, merely a troll to attract audience numbers. Count me out in the future.
88 Go to comments‘War of independence’. Such a grand name for a few skirmishes. Where were all the great battles of this ‘war’ ? Smith got goosebumps as he was being emotionally manipulated, another mushroom.
1 Go to commentsFor all those disputing the veracity of Etzebeth’s very public recollections of the Irish players’ comments, I have one question: should we be holding our collective breath in anticipation of a barrage of strenuous denials from the Irish squad? Then again, perhaps not…
143 Go to comments> If the game of rugby is to grow globally, then the rugby Sth Africa play needs to be exterminated. Their performances at World Cup ‘19 & ‘23 were the antithesis to what the game should be. If the World Cup final is the grand spectacle of the game, please no more having to endure the drudgery and insipid ‘style ‘ of play harking back to pre WWII days, where the soulless rugby of the Bok reflected the mindset of a nation. > Gotta agree with Ben Smith, “ the Springboks took the trophy by default, with what might be the most unimpressive escape of all time “.
88 Go to commentsI think Rassie should bring in some new guys and give them a go in these irrelevant games. It’s a chance to blood some guys that might otherwise not get a chance and see if they’re up to it. As for the who’s number 1 dispute? Don’t care. As long as the trophies are brought home, that argument isn’t important. Champions don’t fuss about the could’ve, would’ve, should’ve. They just do, and that for me makes SA and NZ the top dogs. Followed by Ireland and occasionally England.
225 Go to comments