There was a time when playing rugby in Wexford carried more allure than hurling in Kilkenny for Walter Walsh.
At 6’5”, Walsh stands out as someone who could have been proficient at rugby though his frame had little to do with it when he was younger.
He explains: “I played with New Ross in Wexford. I played 10 (out-half) a lot, I wasn’t overly tall when I was younger.
“A lot of people must have thought I must have been a second row. But I played in the backs, played a bit at 15, but mostly played at 10. Used to be a kicker as well when I played rugby.
“There was a time when rugby was probably my number one, but then they were seasonal. Rugby was during the winter and you could manage the two of them.
“There was a time when rugby was my first sport and if I was training, I would probably have went to rugby training [rather than hurling].
“2008 was probably when I chose to go more so with hurling, Richie Mulrooney gave me a phone call to go in with Kilkenny [minors].
“There was these Leinster trial things going on and I remember I went with the hurling one or two nights, I didn't make the rugby then and I made the hurling.
“I was delighted at the time because I'd never represented Kilkenny underage before minor, I was 17 going in there. Hurling then for me was great, we won the All-Ireland and I haven't looked back since.”
Among his rugby teammates was current Ireland prop Tadhg Furlong.
“The last game of rugby I played under-age, we had won the under-19 Leinster club, won the league that year.
“Beat Enniscorthy in that, myself and Tadhg were playing and we had a great team at the time.”
“It’s not bad being in an All-Ireland final but certainly Tadhg has made strides and it is great to see, great for New Ross as well.
“Tadhg is a big supporter of the GAA as well, he would be at all the Wexford games.”
The pair are involved in a racehorse syndicate for the Joseph O’Brien-trained Cerebus, who ran in Galway recently.
Walsh added: “I would see him [Furlong] every now and then. I wouldn’t be overly in touch with him.
“I haven’t been able to go to any of those race meetings yet. Don’t think Tadhg has, either. But the rest of the lads are going to them.”
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