Bridgend need to get winning habit - Baldwin

SCOTT Baldwin picked up plenty of tips to take into his new coaching career in winning 37 Welsh caps and playing more than 175 games for Ospreys, but he is the first to admit his four seasons in the English Premiership also left a lasting impression.

- ROB COLE

Last season Baldwin was defence coach at Newcastle Falcons having finally hung up his boots after a stellar 14-year playing career that saw him win league titles with both the Ospreys and Harlequins.

He spent two seasons at Twickenham Stoop, one at Sixways with Worcester Warriors and then one at Kingston Park, the final five months under the leadership of Steve Diamond as a fledgling coach, before heading home to Bridgend to take over as head coach at his first major club.

The Brewery Field outfit haven’t pulled up many trees in recent seasons, but made it into the new 10-team Super Rygbi Cymru league that launched last week with the aim of providing a higher quality breeding ground for Wales best young talent.

The Ospreys have provided his squad with six academy players – Evan Hill, Ben Evans, Rhydian Greenhall, Tom Florence, Lewis Jones, Math Iowerth-Scott – and he will be seeking to give them the exposure they need to grow into regional players.

“There is so much talent in Wales but it is about getting them in to train more often and to understand what nailing your role every time is all about – and what consistency in the process is all about,” said Baldwin.