Tigers ‘building a brotherhood’ in the mould of Super Rugby’s Highlanders, says scrum half Josh Walden
The 27-year-old plays a key role as his side take down Valley 38-27 to leap to outright top of the table
He’s seen first-hand what it takes to win a Super Rugby title and scrum half Josh Walden feels the Borrelli Walsh USRC Tigers are building a “brotherhood” similar to the one that carried the Highlanders all the way in 2015.
The Tigers continued their impressive season in the Old Mutual International Men’s Premiership on Saturday, seeing off Valley 38-27 to vault to outright top of the table.
Walden did a couple of preseasons with the Highlanders and also spent time with their development side and can sense similarities between the New Zealand club and Tigers.
“I was pretty lucky to be part of that environment. They worked on a brotherhood, that was the main thing,” Walden said. “It was 1-35, every squad member was valued. I think we have got that with the Tigers this year, I’ve been told we have got pretty good depth compared to previous years so I’m hoping we can start the same sort of culture and carry on.
“I think we are building a good brotherhood, there is still a long way to go obviously but I think if we can keep the same core group of players for a couple of years it could definitely get [like the Highlanders].”