GEORDAN MURPHY’S LEICESTER have confirmed the signing of former Munster man Aled Walters as the club’s new head of physical performance.
Walters joins from the Springboks, who confirmed yesterday that the Welshman had been released from his contract in South Africa for personal reasons.
World Cup winner Walters was with Munster from 2012 until 2018, when Rassie Erasmus lured him to the Boks set-up, and he now brings his skillset to Premiership club Leicester.
Walters will be working alongside director of rugby Geordan Murphy, the former Ireland fullback, and new head coach Steve Borthwick, who is joining from England.
Expressing his delight at signing for Leicester, Walters revealed he has been an admirer of the club for some time.
“I grew up a staunch Scarlets fan and have a lot of history with Leicester,” said Walters. “I was there when the famous Tim Stimpson penalty went over [in 2002].
“You have to fit the culture and I definitely appreciate that. 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.
“It’s a genuine privilege and I don’t take leaving a World Cup team lightly. It’s 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.”
Meanwhile, Murphy – who officially moves into the director of rugby role from 1 July – welcomed the addition of Walters alongside Borthwick.
“Aled is a world-renowned, world-class coach who we are excited to have joining us in Leicester,” said Murphy. “The addition of someone of Aled’s experience and knowledge is a significant signing for Leicester Tigers.
“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.
“Aled’s addition alongside Steve [Borthwick] is key to what we are doing in Leicester. It’s a game-changer for us at Tigers and something we are extremely excited about going into the next phase of this journey.”
Leicester have confirmed the additions of Nemani Nadolo, Matt Scott and Cyle Brink to their playing squad for next season.
Irish players Noel Reid, Jordan Coghlan, and Johnny McPhillips are already on the club’s books.
