Walsh vows to build full-time Wallaroos environment after record 66-19 loss to Black Ferns

Australia’s Director of Women’s High Performance Tim Walsh has called the Wallaroos’ future “bright” despite a 66-19 defeat to the Black Ferns — the second-heaviest loss in the programme’s history — that marked the team’s 100th Test match. The result hardened Walsh’s determination to bring the full XVs squad into a permanent, full-time high-performance environment modelled on the one that has produced Australia’s world-class sevens athletes.

The match offered isolated moments of encouragement. The half-back pairing of Tia Hinds and Waiaria Ellis showed considerable promise, while Maddison Levi, making her XVs debut, claimed several restart steals and repeatedly tested a composed Black Ferns defence. Walsh pointed directly to those contributions as evidence of what consistent, full-time training produces.

“They’re full-time athletes, some of them have been for seven years. That’s why they’re able to do what they do,” Walsh said after the match. “That’s what we have to provide for every athlete. That’s where the future is bright: we give them the opportunity, give them the environment to be able to perform at a high level. Then they will perform at a high level.”

Walsh acknowledged the frustration of watching players leave the field “disappointed and broken” but framed the run of defeats as part of a longer arc. “Every loss is one closer to a win,” he said. “It’s going to happen” — referring to a maiden victory over New Zealand.

Wallaroos captain Siokapesi Palu Sekona echoed that measured optimism, pointing to the sevens players as an immediate cultural and competitive resource. “The injection of those sevens girls — you could see the likes of Maddi Levi getting that ball back. It’s exactly what we need,” Sekona said. “It’s about nitpicking their brains. That mindset piece — how can we overturn and rewrite history.”

The squad had already begun the alignment process with a week-long camp in Auckland ahead of the Test. Walsh indicated the programme will continue into the WXV Global Series, where Australia open against England in Salford on 12 September. However, the Wallaroos are expected to be without Levi and Bienne Terita for that tournament, with both players having committed to the inaugural season of Ultimate Sevens.