Walsh lands top Rugby Australia high performance role after World Championship success

Tim Walsh has been named Rugby Australia’s Director of Women’s High Performance less than a month after he led Australia Women’s Sevens to HSBC SVNS World Championship success.

The 47-year-old, who also coached Australia Women’s Sevens to Olympic gold in 2016, will take up the role on Wednesday 1 July and oversee the Wallaroos and Women’s Sevens programmes.

In their statement, Rugby Australia outlined that one of Walsh’s responsibilities will be transitioning the Wallaroos programme to full-time in 2026, as well as the appointment of the next head coaches of the Women’s Sevens and Wallaroos.

It was also revealed that the new full-time Wallaroos programme will be based in Sydney and will be modelled on the Women’s Sevens environment first established in 2014. That programme saw instant success as Walsh’s team topped the podium in Rio de Janeiro.

Walsh said: “I am thrilled to continue my career at Rugby Australia and thank Phil and the Board for entrusting me with steering the future direction of our women’s High Performance programmes.

“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.”

Walsh’s Australia Women’s Sevens team were winners of the three-tournament SVNS World Championship in June. After a runners-up finish against the Black Ferns Sevens in Hong Kong, the side rallied in Valladolid and Bordeaux to claim back-to-back tournament wins.

Inspired by the success of England’s Red Roses at their home Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2o25, Rugby Australia have already announced that they will launch a women’s Next Gen XVs programme and High Performance Player Agreements in 2026.

Earlier in June, Rugby Australia confirmed that in collaboration with its players and Premiership Women’s Rugby, top talent will be able to spend blocks of the season in England themselves.

Phil Waugh, Rugby Australia CEO, said: “In a milestone year for Australian Women’s Rugby, marking a decade since our historic Olympic Gold in Rio and the 100th Test for the Wallaroos, we are delighted to appoint Tim to the position of Director of Women’s High Performance.

“Tim has a strong track record of driving high standards, building cohesive squads and achieving success on the field. And with a home Rugby World Cup (2029) and Olympic Games (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.

“Tim’s appointment is a critical component of a broader plan to ensure our future professional framework is athlete-centred and built for success and sustainability.”