Scott Baldwin retires from playing to take up a Prem coaching role
Recent Wales Scott Baldwin has announced his retirement from playing with immediate effect to take up a Gallagher Premiership coaching role at Newcastle just days before his 35th birthday. The hooker made headlines earlier this year when he bridged a six-year gap dating back to his last Test cap for his country.
A 2017 selection versus Samoa in Apia was the last time he was chosen by Wales this February, Warren Gatland naming him on the Guinness Six Nations bench versus Ireland and also capping him twice more against Scotland and Italy.
Baldwin wasn’t included in the 54-strong Wales training squad for the upcoming Rugby World Cup when it was named on May 1 and he has now confirmed he won’t play on next season at the Ospreys, instead deciding to take up an offer from new Falcons coach Alex Codling to take charge of the defence at Newcastle.
A statement read: “Wales hooker Scott Baldwin will complete Newcastle Falcons’ staff for the new season after signing up as defence coach. The 34-year-old has retired from playing to focus on his new role having starred for Ospreys, Harlequins, Worcester and Wales in a professional playing career spanning more than a decade.
“The most recent of Baldwin’s 37 Wales caps came during this year’s Six Nations, with the Bridgend-born front-rower packing down against Ireland, Scotland and Italy. His club career saw him playing more than 100 times in the URC and 43 in Europe as well as starting for Harlequins in their victorious 2021 Gallagher Premiership final.
“Spending last season playing for Ospreys and coaching at home club Bridgend, he completes a refreshed Newcastle Falcons management team which sees new head coach Alex Codling working with incumbents Micky Ward and Mark Laycock.”
'I never intended to be as honest as I was in that conversation'@scottbaldwin2 's gambling addiction started properly in Italy and went unnoticed for years, but his house of cards eventually collapsed, writes @heagneyl ???https://t.co/10PPbghSF0
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 16, 2021
Codling said: “I first met Scott when I was forwards coach at Harlequins, I enjoyed working him and you could see straight away he was a top professional. He has got a huge amount of experience from playing in the Premiership, URC and internationally over a number of years, and he will bring a wealth of knowledge to the role.
“During my own time working with Scott you could see he was keen to make the transition from playing to coaching, and he was one of those guys who always seemed to think like a coach. I’m looking forward to integrating him into a fantastic group here and seeing the impact he will make for the Falcons.”
Baldwin added: “Coaching is something I have been really interested in since 2017 when I started doing it at semi-pro level with Bridgend, and I just fell in love with that side of the game. That has grown more and more as time has gone on, and it’s a fascinating area in terms of the different styles of play and not just being one mould for everyone.
“It has broadened my horizons while I have been combining it with playing, and I can’t wait to get started with Newcastle. It’s been tough in a way because I know I can still play at this level, but this felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to start my professional coaching career.
“I have spent a lot of time in Newcastle because my sister lived there for 20 years so we used to go up every six weeks to see her, my nieces and my brother-in-law. They are full-on Geordies, and I already feel like I have got a good connection with the area through the time I have spent up there with them.
“It’s very similar to Wales in many respects with hard-working people and good values, and professionally for me it’s a really exciting opportunity which was too good to turn down.
“It’s a talented squad with a relatively new coaching group, and I worked with Alex Codling during our time together at Harlequins. We got on really well, and we are both very much into the game in terms of talking about rugby a lot and looking into everything around it.
“You have to go into it with your eyes wide open because the Premiership is a relentless league with loads of different playing styles where every squad is incredibly talented, and you have to stay on it every week. All the clubs are in the same country which is a change from the URC from a travel perspective, although we will obviously have some long bus trips with being situated up in the North East.
“In the URC the Welsh derbies feel a bit special because they are not that common, but in the Premiership it’s like that every week where you are up against boys you know, and some of the best players in the world. The Falcons have obviously got a really strong Argentinean contingent as well as all their local talent, and it will be really good tapping into all the various groups with everything they bring to the table
“I love defence, and I have been very fortunate to work with some of the best defence coaches in the world in Shaun Edwards, Steve Tandy and Paul Gustard. From playing against Newcastle on numerous occasions the thing that always sticks in my mind is the fact they are always a hard team to beat. As a defence coach when you know a team is going to work incredibly hard for each other – that is a great starting point, and there is a lot you can build around that.
“There will obviously be some fine tuning around the system and the specifics of how things work, but the biggest thing is just building connections with players. That is what I have always enjoyed about coaching, and when you have that relationship with a coach, you will go that extra mile for them.”
Comments on RugbyPass
GOTTA MAKE ‘THE GEORGE’ HAPPEN!!!! That’s a great idea! A trans Tasman midget battle on ANZAC Day. I don’t think the ABs Wallabies game should be a one off winner takes all though, just the first match with the other two later in the year with the RC. Reason being, no one will ever shut up about how aussies couldn’t win it when it was a 3 match series.
1 Go to comments@Ben smith. Thats knock out rugby. So honeslty who cares?
152 Go to commentsIt will interesting to know which Irish players said that…
1 Go to commentsNaaaww boys will be boys! Now run along ya wee scamp! Don’t let us catch you at again😏
1 Go to commentsGreat to have Ethan Blackadder back in the Crusaders in the last few weeks. One of the best all round loose forwards around. He played so well last week against the Rebels. Fantastic attitude Ethan has and his comments are spot on.
2 Go to commentsThe author is 100% right. The Springboks know that they don't have near the natural attraction, mana, skill and mystic the All Blacks have. So, Chasing the sun 1 & 2 was concocted to overblow the Boks image on the back of a corruptly obtained “win". It's marketing ploy to force the Boks delusion as the World's Best. I guess World Rugby is also not to be believed when it came out with an apology about how the final was officiated. And if the 2023 final such a superb game by the Boks, then the Boks crying about Referee Bryce Lawrence for decades is also deserves a laugh. Chase the sun and get burned like a moth. A very well written literary piece that tore the Boks and Chasing the sun farce to shreds. 🖤All Blacks🏉
152 Go to commentsI’d say France was far more hard done by in the 2011 final than the All Blacks in this game. Joubert simply refused to call a penalty against the All Blacks in the last quarter even directing an All Black to drop a ball he picked up in an offside position rather than penalizing him. This article also totally discounts the efforts of PSTD. Ask Jordie how well he played. Or the backup flank who played hooker for the entire game. Siya was also a brilliant tackle by Richie from scoring a blinder. Pollard was also fantastic. Look I don’t like the boks style but the only thing more questionable than the content of this article is the timing of it. Get over it already
152 Go to commentsDad Marty was also a handy rugby player for Linwood back in the day. Great bloke. Sensational softball career.
2 Go to commentsWhat ifs are always dangerous. If you look at the game before Sam cane got sent of SA was dominating. You could make the argument the going down to 14 men rallied the troops and made them have to play to win which is always dangerous.
152 Go to commentsOmg… you are bruised And battered Benny. Stop crying … the scoreboard speaks. What a pathetic lover you are.. 🤣🤣🤣
152 Go to commentsPacific Lions, cry me a river
152 Go to commentsThis is the single worst piece of journalism I have ever seen since your last one. As a neutral, who really states that there should be an asterisk next to a win? You are an utter embarrassment to real AB fans, journalism and that joke of a house which pays you for this nonsense. Get a life, Ben.
152 Go to commentsGuys. Cancel the World Cup champions after this analysis. It changes everything. Ben knows. We’ll have to unengrave the Bokke off the trophy and hand it to the ABs, now that I’ve been enlightened about this illegitimate win. This needs to be done. Now!
152 Go to commentsBen is right here though, Springboks were woefully poor with the advantage they had throughout this game. The France match was heroic because that was an even contest this match had it taken place in Rugby Championship would have been an easy win for NZ. If anything this match should tell the Bok coaches that a lot of this team should be changed. They beat this same NZ team by record margin with the same circumstances but with a different core. They bring back the tried and tested guys and they nearly botch this game.
152 Go to commentsI knew who wrote this article from the first few words in the headline…lol. The red card actually did the ABs a favour. It galvanized them, only then did they step up a gear. Before that there was zero momentum.
152 Go to commentsFirstly the foul on Bongi was a planned move just like the NZ master plan with Bryce Lawrence you kiwis are filthy fux perhaps try to play a cleaner game next time I doubt that’s possible tho but don’t worry world rugby is on yr side they trying to take away all the BOKS strengths to help all you weakling as Jeremy Clarkson would say LA OO ZA ERR..🤣
152 Go to commentsAbsolutely spot on Ben. I certainly wouldn't gloat over a win like that. Frustrating as it is it's done and dusted and history will forever show the result.
152 Go to commentsHo hum.
152 Go to commentsNo question they were the better team. But that is the beauty of sport isn’t it!
152 Go to commentsEveryone is into Hurling in Ireland according to Porter, but only 11 of Ireland's 32 counties enter a team into the national competition. Same old blarney.
1 Go to comments