Sevens star Piper Simons embraces XVs crossover as Wallaroos target full 80-minute performance

Piper Simons had never played a game of XVs rugby 12 months ago. Now the 21-year-old is chasing selection across both codes, named on the bench for the Wallaroos’ second Test against Scotland at Accor Stadium in Sydney.

Simons arrived on the Australian Women’s Sevens circuit in 2024 after helping Australia’s U18s Girls Sevens side claim the Global Youth Sevens title and Youth Commonwealth Games gold medal in 2023. The short format was her world — until the crossover success of Charlotte Caslick and Tia Hinds in 2025 opened a new door.

“If you asked me a year ago, XVs wouldn’t even be in the picture for me,” Simons told RugbyPass. “I’d never stepped into a game of XVs. But I think now, [I’m] just trying to become the best rugby player I can be across both codes, make myself available for selection, [and] looking into the future, being able to be someone who can jump across.”

Her XVs debut came against Fijiana earlier in 2026, and she has since toured Europe with the Wallaroos on the WXV Global Series, an experience she credits as formative. She has leaned heavily on halfback Samantha Wood throughout the transition.

“I’m still very new to XVs, so I’m just grateful to be learning and around the group,” Simons said. “I’ve just been like a massive sponge to especially Sammy [Wood]. I had no experience with XVs, so I was really starting from nothing. I owe a lot to Sammy to where I am today and where I want to be in the future. She’s a pretty damn good half.”

The broader Wallaroos squad is also finding its footing under new Director of Women’s High Performance Tim Walsh — Simons’ former sevens coach — after encouraging performances against England and France on the European tour. Their first Test against Scotland produced a strong second half, a reversal of the pattern that had hampered them in earlier matches, and the squad is now focused on stringing together a complete 80-minute display.

“One of the main messages [from that game] is can we put on a performance for the full 80 minutes,” Simons said. “We’ve seen in other games we’ve started really well, but then haven’t quite performed in that second half. In the Scotland game, it was the opposite way.”

With one Test remaining in the three-match series, the Wallaroos have a clear target: consistency across the full game, and for Simons personally, continued growth in a code she is still learning to call her own.