Former Munster and South Africa performance lead Walters joins Farrell's Ireland ticket 

EXPERIENCED CAMPAIGNER: Aled Walters, former England head of strength and conditioning issues instructions during a training session. Pic: David Rogers/Getty Images

Former Munster, England and South Africa performance coach Aled Walters has joined Andy Farrell's Ireland backroom staff as head of athletic performance.

Wales native Walters pivots from his role as England Rugby head of strength and conditioning. Prior to that, he was the head of athletic performance for the Springboks' World Cup-winning squad in 2019.

He also held a similar role at Leicester Tigers between 2020 and 2023 before joining the England setup.

Walters began his long association with Irish rugby in 2012 when he was Munster head of athletic performance for almost six seasons.

IRFU Performance Director David Humphreys said he is '"delighted" to secure Walters' services. 

“On behalf of the IRFU I am delighted to welcome Aled back to Irish rugby. He is a world-class performance coach who has enormous international experience and he will add significantly to the environment in the years to come. 

"I would like to wish Aled well in his role and we look forward to working with him ahead of the start of the Autumn Nations Series.” 

Head coach Andy Farrell added: “We are delighted that Aled has agreed to join the Ireland 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. 

"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."

Farrell also thanked now-departed Jason Cowman for his service to the IRFU. 

"Aled replaces Jason Cowman who departed after the 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.”