'I want to know there's a genuine opportunity to improve, perform, and be successful' - Aled Walters' first interview since joining Leicester
Aled Walters says the challenge of helping Leicester Tigers return to the top of the English game was too good an opportunity to turn down. Leicester’s new Head of Physical Performance joined the club after helping South Africa win the 2019 Rugby World Cup, and has outlined his ambitions for Leicester in his first interview since making the move to England.
Walters is highly regarded for his work with the Springboks, where he held a key role in Rassie Erasmus’ backroom staff, following previous roles at Scarlets, Taranaki in New Zealand, Australia’s Brumbies and Munster.
He joins the Tigers at a time of major change. New head coach Steve Borthwick recently stepped into the role vacated by Geordan Murphy, who has become Director of Rugby, while financial issues raised by the coronavirus pandemic saw a number of players, including the talismanic Manu Tuilagi, move on for pastures new.
The Tigers have begun to plug the holes those departures left in their squad with five new signings – namely Kini Murimurivalu, Kobus Van Wyk, Guy Porter, Luke Wallace and Matias Moroni – announced on Monday.
Headline signing Nemani Nadolo has also recently linked up with the squad following his signing from Montpellier earlier this year.
And as he helps Borthwick whip a new-look Leicester squad into shape, Walters said he is determined to help the Tigers return to the top of the English game following a number of underwhelming campaigns.
Having finished fourth and fifth in the 2016/17 and 2017/18 Premiership seasons respectively, the Tigers slumped to 11th last season, and occupied the same position when the current campaign was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In his first interview since joining Leicester, Walters told the club’s website that he believes the club “belongs at the top.”
“Effort, work-rate, and real honesty (are the three things I look for in players). And I hope that I can reciprocate that, but yeah, they’re the three things. Without that, we’re going to be lacking,” he said.
“I would like to see the supporters at Welford Road and at away games respect that the players are going to go as hard as possible.
“They’re going to have this unrelenting work-rate. There’s going to be an honesty to every performance.
“And while we might not get success immediately, (I hope) that everyone has got this drive to get the Tigers back to where I think they belong.
Tigers hit Pokemon mode this morning #catchingthemall https://t.co/i5VO1Zj0TN
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 20, 2020
“I think we belong at the top. So it’s (about producing) that real, unrelenting desire to improve.”
Walters added that the opportunity to work with Borthwick was the major factor in his decision to step away from the Springboks set-up.
“Why leave a World Cup winning team to go to Leicester? He’s (Borthwick) a massive reason in that. His reputation, the detail, and the teams that he’s prepared. The teams that he has played for, but (also) the teams that he has prepared. I’m thinking about the effect he had with Japan. Then the effect that he’s had with England over the last few years.
“When I join a team I want to know that there’s a genuine opportunity to improve, to perform, and to be successful. That was a massive, massive decision swinger.”
The Welshman added that the Tigers coaching team are currently in the process of evaluating their squad ahead of the resumption of the Premiership season.
“It’s pretty individualised. We’ve had to evaluate where they’re at, and again that’s a new challenge.
'I would love to come back and coach in England but there are certainly more opportunities in France'
Former England, Wasps and Gloucester lock Tom Palmer tells @chrisjonespress about life in France and his hopes for the future.https://t.co/qLxxfmSnPI
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 20, 2020
“It’s a long time since guys have played, so players are coming in and you have no idea what they are going to be like until they actually rock up on your doorstep, and then you go, ‘Oh we’re going to have to adapt your plan.’
“So flexibility in what we do and how we approach things is probably one of the key requirements at the moment.
“Taking the likes of Nemani and going, ‘Ok, where are you, where do we need to get you?’ And then having the best scenario to say, ‘Ok, we think you’ll be able to be reintroduced on this date’, or, ‘This will be a target game for him to be ready.’”
Leicester are due to restart their Premiership campaign with an away fixture against Exeter Chiefs on August 15.
Comments on RugbyPass
Don’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
1 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
3 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to comments