David John Hume Walder (born 7 May 1978 in Newcastle upon Tyne) is a former rugby union footballer who is currently head coach at Newcastle Falcons from the 2017–18 season onwards, having been attack coach since 2015.

Early life

He was educated at Oundle School in Northamptonshire followed by

Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills (Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_chan ...

. He matriculated at Hatfield College, Durham in 1997 for the Sport in the Community course, after being rejected by Hild Bede College. Having initially planned to focus on cricket, his change of college (Hatfield having a strong reputation for rugby) prompted a change of plans and he was eventually offered a professional contract with Newcastle Falcons to start when he finished his degree. During his final season as a student, 1999–2000, he was awarded a full palatinate by the university for achievements in rugby. This included: being selected to represent North East Universities for a match against a team representing the former Orange Free State in January, which led to a letter of congratulations from Tim Burt; making his first appearance for the England Under 21 side against Scotland in February 1999; and just weeks later making his debut for Newcastle against Richmond. He played

minor counties cricket The National Counties, known as the Minor Counties before 2020, are the cricketing counties of England and Wales that do not have first-class status. The game is administered by the National Counties Cricket Association (NCCA), which comes un ...

for Northumberland from 1997–1999.

Career

He most recently played at fly-half for

Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars also known as Mitsubishi Juko Sagamihara Rugby Club, are a Japanese rugby union team based in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The owner of this club is Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The club was founded in 1981. It came second in the ...

in Japan, having signed for them from London Wasps at the end of the 2010–2011 season. He joined London Wasps from Newcastle Falcons in the summer of 2006, and he played a large part in his team's first win, against the Saracens. Walder signed a one-year deal to play for Air New Zealand Cup side North Harbour, but was unable to go through with the move due to injury. Whilst at Newcastle he played in the final of the 2001

Tetley's Bitter Cup The Anglo-Welsh Cup (), was a cross-border rugby union knock-out cup competition that featured the 12 Premiership Rugby clubs and the four Welsh regions. It was a created as a replacement for the RFU Knockout Cup, which featured only English clubs ...

, scoring the winning try against Harlequins. He also started in the 2004 final, scoring 17 points (four conversions and three penalties) as Newcastle defeated the

Sale Sharks Sale Sharks is a professional rugby union club from Greater Manchester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. Originally founded in 1861 as Sale Football Club, now a distinct amateur club, they adopted the n ...

. He earned his most recent England cap against Wales in a World Cup warm up match in Cardiff in August 2003. However, he missed selection for the World Cup and he stayed at home. After 5 years as head coach of Newcastle, Walder will become director of rugby in 2022–23 following the resignation of Dean Richards.

Personal

He is a supporter of

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...

, listing " Gazza,

Peter Beardsley Peter Andrew Beardsley MBE (born 18 January 1961) is an English football coach and former footballer who played as a forward or midfielder between 1979 and 1999. In 1987, he set a record transfer fee in the English game and represented his coun ...

and

Kevin Keegan Joseph Kevin Keegan (born 14 February 1951) is an English former footballer and manager. A forward, he played for several professional clubs from 1968 to 1984. Having begun his career at Scunthorpe United, he moved to Liverpool in 1971 and ...

as his heroes".Fotheringham, William, 'Six Nations Sandwich Provides A Feast Of Rugby', The Guardian 26 February 2001, pA9

References

External links

Wasps profileNewcastle profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walder, Dave 1978 births Living people Alumni of Hatfield College, Durham British expatriates in Japan Cricketers from Newcastle upon Tyne Durham University RFC players England international rugby union players English cricketers English expatriate rugby union players English rugby union players Expatriate rugby union players in Japan Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars players Newcastle Falcons players Northumberland cricketers People educated at Oundle School Rugby union fly-halves Rugby union players from Newcastle upon Tyne Wasps RFC players