Walsh appointed Rugby Australia Women's High Performance Director after SVNS World Championship triumph

Tim Walsh has been appointed Rugby Australia’s Director of Women’s High Performance, the governing body confirmed, with the 47-year-old set to begin the role on 1 July. The announcement comes less than a month after Walsh led Australia Women’s Sevens to the HSBC SVNS World Championship, a three-tournament series that also included wins in Valladolid and Bordeaux after a runners-up finish in Hong Kong.

Walsh, who also coached the Australian women’s sevens side to Olympic gold at the 2016 Rio Games, will oversee both the Wallaroos and Women’s Sevens programmes in his new position. Among his primary responsibilities is transitioning the Wallaroos to a full-time programme in 2026, to be based in Sydney and modelled on the Women’s Sevens environment established in 2014 — the same structure that delivered that Rio gold medal.

Walsh will also lead the appointment of the next head coaches for both the Women’s Sevens and the Wallaroos.

“I am thrilled to continue my career at Rugby Australia,” Walsh said. “The opportunity to harness Australia’s elite rugby talent and align the Sevens and XVs formats into one successful system moving forward is a huge step for the organisation. We want to retain, recruit and develop players for sustained success in the global game — and the upcoming LA Olympics in 2028 and Rugby World Cup on home soil in 2029 are benchmark events I strongly believe we can achieve great results in.”

Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh framed the appointment as central to a broader professional framework for the women’s game. “Tim has a strong track record of driving high standards, building cohesive squads and achieving success on the field,” Waugh said. “With a home Rugby World Cup in 2029 and Olympic Games in 2032 on the horizon, it is an exciting time to bring a leader of his calibre into a role that will accelerate the growth of Australian Women’s Rugby at both the Sevens and XVs levels.”

Rugby Australia has already announced plans to launch a women’s Next Gen XVs programme and High Performance Player Agreements in 2026, inspired in part by England’s Red Roses hosting the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2025. The governing body also confirmed a collaboration with Premiership Women’s Rugby that will allow top Australian talent to spend blocks of the season in England.

Waugh noted the significance of the timing, describing 2025 as a milestone year for Australian women’s rugby — marking a decade since the 2016 Olympic gold and the 100th Test cap for the Wallaroos programme.