For rugby fans, Steve will not need an introduction. A Rugby World Cup medal winner with England in 2003, this flanker turned hooker will go down in history as a sports legend. More on his sporting accolades later because these days, Steve is more interested in shining the spotlight on the effects of contact sport on the brain following his diagnosis of early onset dementia caused by chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
I first met Steve when I was a reporter on the Northampton Chronicle & Echo. Back then, he was known as Steve Walter and was a young up-and-coming player for Northampton Saints. He was Northampton bred, so local interest in him was always high. I went on to become communications manager for Saints at the same time ‘Wally’ reverted to his birth name as Thompson and I then spent a fair bit of time in the first few months of my new job answering fan’s questions, such as: “What ever happened to that talented player Steve Walter?” Well, he never went away. He just got even better.
I was fond of Wally. He was a rough diamond from a tough background who rose to become a world champion. Yes, he had the swagger that all the England players had at that time; a trait I believe was encouraged by the then England coach Sir Clive Woodward to give them the confidence to go on to beat teams like the All Blacks in their own backyard. Most of the time though, he was as good as gold. Would turn up to media sessions, might moan a bit, but did the job with a twinkle in his eye and a ready smile.
On the pitch, Steve was immense. He bucked the trend for short hookers. He was tall, hefty, strong, but mobile. His skills in roller skating, basketball and football gave him an edge on the rugby field while his upbringing on one of Northampton’s most impoverished estates and a spell as a doorman meant he was fearless.
When former Saints director of rugby Sir Ian McGeechan swapped him from flanker to hooker, he ended up creating the beast that his Scotland squad would end up facing when Steve won his first cap for England in 2002. The Sun newspaper celebrated his debut with a photo of Steve wrapped in a snake from the reptile shop that was over the road from Saints’ ground Franklin’s Gardens. You see…fearless!
He went onto win 73 caps for England and was part of the beefiest front row that had taken to the field for the British & Irish Lions on their tour to New Zealand in 2005. It is worth noting that Steve had only played for England for 18 months before he won the World Cup. While other players retired after 2003, he went on to play in the 2011 World Cup too despite having broken his neck in 2007.
Steve’s professional career spanned 13 years until another neck break brought it to a close in 2011. I could go on waxing lyrical about Steve’s career. I watched the majority of his games for Saints as his tenure with the club ran at the same time as mine, but there is more to life than rugby.
Rugby though has had a devastating effect on Steve’s life. Now married to Steph, and dad to Seren, Slone, Saskia and Saxon, Steve is living a quieter life in Cheshire having been diagnosed with dementia in 2021. He had become tired, irritable and forgetful to the point of not being able to remember the rugby moments that fans want to talk to him about. His autobiography, Unforgettable, is a sobering read and details his condition and the history of CTE in other sports, but also his determination to fight for change in the sport and the treatment of concussion while he still can.
More than that though, Unforgettable is also a celebration of his love for his family. I am glad he is finally got to create a lovely family of his own. His concern for their future is both heart-warming and heart-wrenching in equal measure.
But Steve is fighting on for them. He juggles work with being a director of the Powder Monkey Brewing Co., plus regular red-light and cold-water therapy and plenty of fresh air while fishing in the Manchester canals to try to slow dementia’s progress. As an aside, he also accepted my invite to follow the Herring Shoes page on LinkedIn and that connection has grown into a supportive relationship between Herring and Steve, not least to help him find shoes for is wide feet!
He said: “I struggle with having really wide feet. So, it’s been great that Herring have been able to find types that fit.”
When I was told Steve had taken delivery of the Murlo II moccasins, I was not surprised. Wally was wearing sliders with his tracksuits before it became cool. The Murlos are perfect for Steve! He also likes the Ensign trainer, our Kirkby Chelsea boots, the Aigle Sonricker walking boots, and our super-smart Sturgate brogues.
When Steve dresses sharp, he likes to look sharp! When we went to Twickenham for a Premiership launch, he turned out in a black Eden Park suit, pink shirt, and Church’s brogues, while the rest of the captains were in training kit. As an aside, we also drove home up the M1 in his convertible car…it took a long time to rake the knots out of my hair!
Steve is also a believer in slow fashion or at least, he used to like to hang onto his boots. Despite being given plenty of free rugby boots in his time, Steve kept wearing his until they fell apart. Herring applies the same theory to our shoes with many of them designed to be repairable, but rest assured we do not use gaffer tape!
Brought up in the Northampton heartland of shoemaking, Steve is a welcome sole mate to the Herring clan. While this has been a rather personal account from someone who used to know him and is saddened to read about his diagnosis, I am pleased to see he has forged a relationship with Herring and is battling on to keep life as normal as possible for as long as possible.
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