Special Podcast - Interview with Nick Walshe

Bedford Blues are delighted to announce that player/coach Nick Walshe has joined the RFU Elite Rugby Department as a National Academy Coach.

Walshe, 36, who joined Bedford in 2008 from Bath, will assist with the England Under 20 squad alongside Head Coach Rob Hunter.

Bedford Blues Director of Rugby Mike Rayer said: "Everyone at the club is delighted for Nick and we wish him well for the future. He will be sorely missed by all of us here at Goldington Rd not just as a player and coach but also as a person as well. He has added huge value here on and off the field and developed a lot good players over the last three years.

"Our loss is the RFU’s gain and I’ve no doubt that he will do an outstanding job nurturing the next generation of England Internationals.

"Nick has developed as a coach extremely well since he joined us and it is a tribute to the Championship that he has been recognised for this role. This competition is proving to be a springboard not just for players but also for coaches.”

Whilst at Goldington Road, Walshe was a player, coach and a mentor to the Bedford backs and also contributed massively to the Blues all-round game. A serious injury against Doncaster at the start of the 2009/10 season saw Walshe focussing heavily on coaching during his recovery and he continued to share his wealth of rugby knowledge with younger number nines such as Will Chudley and Darryl Veenendaal.

In this podcast, Sam Roberts speaks to Nick Walshe about the new job and his tenure at Bedford Blues.