Wales hooker Scott Baldwin has retired from playing to take up a coaching role with English Premiership outfit Newcastle Falcons.
The 34-year-old made 183 appearances for the Ospreys since making his debut in 2008, while he also spent time playing for Harlequins and Worcester Warriors. Baldwin won 37 caps for Wales after making his debut against Japan in 2013, and also represented his country at the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
He was recalled to the national set-up earlier this year and was part of Warren Gatland's Six Nations squad.
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“It was an honour to represent and play for the Ospreys and Wales, and I'm incredibly grateful for the friendships, memories and experiences that will stay with me forever," said Baldwin.
“The opportunity to represent my country at rugby was a dream come true. However, every great adventure must come to an end, and it is time for me to retire and pursue the next phase of my life. I've been playing rugby for a long time and going to the next level of my life is the right decision for me.
“It was tough to make the choice, but the time is right. It's not an easy decision because playing rugby is my passion, but I feel it's time to step back and focus on my coaching career. I would like to thank everyone that supported me throughout my rugby career, from my teammates, coaches, fans and most of all, my family.
"It was an honour to play for Bridgend, Ospreys, Harlequins, Worcester Warriors and represent my country. Thank you for everything." Baldwin has now been added to Newcastle's coaching team where he will work alongside their new head coach Alex Codling, along with his assistants Micky Ward, and Mark Laycock.
Newcastle have struggled in the Premiership for a number of years, and finished bottom this season, saved by the fact there is no longer relegation. And Baldwin believes he can help the Falcons move up the English rugby ladder.
“Coaching is something I’ve been really interested in since 2017 when I started doing it at semi-pro level with Bridgend, and I just fell in love with that side of the game," he said.
“That’s grown more and more as time has gone on, and it’s a fascinating area in terms of the different styles of play and not just being one mould for everyone. It’s broadened my horizons while I’ve been combining it with playing, and I can’t wait to get started with Newcastle.
“It’s been tough in a way because I know I can still play at this level, but this felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to start my professional coaching career. I’ve spent a lot of time in Newcastle because my sister lived there for 20 years so we used to go up every six weeks to see her, my nieces and my brother in law.
"They’re full-on Geordies, and I already feel like I’ve got a good connection with the area through the time I’ve spent up there with them. It’s very similar to Wales in many respects with hard-working people and good values, and professionally for me it’s a really exciting opportunity which was too good to turn down.
“It’s a talented squad with a relatively new coaching group, and I worked with Alex Codling during our time together at Harlequins. We got on really well, and we’re both very much into the game in terms of talking about rugby a lot and looking into everything around it.”
