Walters leaves England to take up Ireland role

Aled Walters has left his role as England’s head of strength and conditioning to take up a position as head of athletic performance with Ireland.

Walters joined England from Leicester Tigers before the Rugby World Cup in 2023, having worked in rugby for 18 years including roles with Munster and South Africa.

The highly-rated Welshman, who was head of athletic performance for the 2019 Springboks’ Rugby World Cup-winning squad, replaces Jason Cowman in the role.

Walters began his association with Irish rugby when he was Munster’s head of athletic performance for almost six seasons and was Leicester’s head of physical performance between 2020 and 2023.

He has also held senior performance roles with the Brumbies and Taranaki Rugby Football Union.

“I am delighted to join the Ireland national team and am excited about the opportunity to work with such a talented group of coaches and players,” said Walters.

“The Ireland team has gone from strength to strength in recent years and it’s an exciting time to rejoin Irish rugby as the team looks to achieve more success in the years to come.

“I’ve made some great memories coaching England, and I want to thank Steve, the management team and the players for their friendship and support.”

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell was fulsome in his praise for the new recruit to his backroom team.

“He has a wealth of experience and has been a key part of many successful environments over the course of his career to date,” he said.

“I know how excited he is to return to Ireland and hit the ground running and I’m confident that he’ll play an important role in the squad as we embark on a busy international season, starting with the Autumn Nations Series this November.

“Aled replaces Jason Cowman who departed after the Guinness Six Nations success in March. Jason contributed a huge amount to Irish rugby over 15 years and we thank him for his incredible service over that time.”