Leeds Rhinos coach Chev Walker managing meaty matters on and off the pitch

In Chev Walker’s case, that has been literally true. but the Leeds Rhinos academy and reserves’ boss hasn’t been axed by his home-city club.

Walker is now combining his backroom role at Leeds with learning a new trade, as an apprentice butcher.

That puts him on the same side as Rhinos prop Tom Holroyd, who lives on a farm and has a sideline rearing pigs, but might not have gone down so well with former Leeds forward Anthony Mullally, the first vegan to play in Betfred Super League.

“During lockdown I was bored, going out of my mind, when I wasn’t coaching,” Walker recalled.

“I wasn’t with the first team, due to the bubbles; I couldn’t go in there, but I have got a mate who owns Bennetts Butchers and he asked me if I wanted to come in and do some work.

“I’ve started doing a butchery apprenticeship.

“I’ve taken a break at the moment, because I’m helping Jonesey [interim-coach Jamie Jones-Buchanan] with the first team, but I’ll go back to it.

“It is brilliant, I wish I had known about it when I was playing, I would probably have my own shop by now.”

Walker, 39, began his playing career at Leeds, making his debut in 1999.

Capped by England and Great Britain, he was a Grand Final winner five years later, but switched codes to play rugby union with Bath in 2006.

He returned to the 13-a-side game after a couple of seasons and played for Hull KR and Bradford Bulls before hanging up his boots at the end of 2015.

He then moved into coaching as an assistant to James Lowes and Rohan Smith at Bradford and returned to Leeds in 2017.

He is now an assistant with the first team as well as coach of the under-18s - who have a 100 per cent record three games into their season - and second string.

Walker, who was last week named as Yorkshire coach for this year’s academy Origin series, is keen to have another skill for when he faces life after rugby but, at the moment, is determined to continue his coaching education. He said: “At this time in my life, I don’t think I’d own a [butcher’s] shop but, if I had known when I was playing I’d enjoy it as much as I do ...

“There’s a skill and an art to it and a lot of learning in there.

“Its not just a matter of picking up a knife and cutting some meat; there’s a way of doing it.

“They’ve taught me how to do that, how to break a lamb down, take joints off cows - it has been a massive learning curve, but it’s something different and it really helped me take my mind off that period of lockdown - and also told me I really do want to coach!”

Walker worked some 14-hour days during lockdown and has fitted that work in with rugby commitments since the sport resumed.

“Butchers start early,” he said. “I generally get in there for about 5.30am and then I leave at two to go to training.

“Fitting in being a dad as well in and around that has been tough, but it has been good.

“We have an online business so I’ve been helping with the preparation and then getting the online stuff out there, getting it boxed up and sent out.”

On top of all that, Walker is training for a charity boxing bout at Hull’s MKM Stadium on Saturday, in aid of Life For A Kid and the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease appeal.