Rugby Australia’s new director of women’s high-performance Tim Walsh sets eyes on 2029 World Cup

Tim Walsh has a habit of finding ways to win.

He was not afraid to take matters into his own hands as a rugby player, such as when he represented Australia in an under-19 international against New Zealand in 1998.

With just five seconds left in the match and Australia trailing by one point, Walsh slotted a field goal off his left boot from 48 metres out to clinch a gripping 25-23 triumph in Christchurch.

As a coach, Walsh has a proven track record in plotting the downfall of rivals.

He enjoyed significant victories with the Australian women’s sevens squad, including Olympic and Commonwealth Games gold medals, and the recent World Championship.

As of next month, Walsh will be tasked with delivering more success when he begins the role of Rugby Australia’s (RA) director of women’s high-performance.

He will oversee the alignment of the Wallaroos (15-a-side) and sevens programs, which is considered crucial as it will allow Australia’s players to be used across both formats of the game.

Another key responsibility of this process will be facilitating the Wallaroos’ transition into a full-time program, which RA hopes to achieve later this year.

With Australia hosting the 2029 Women’s Rugby World Cup, RA is desperate for the Wallaroos to be competitive against the fully professional England and New Zealand squads.

They are ranked ninth in the world and bowed out in the quarterfinals of last year’s tournament, hosted by eventual champions England.

The Wallaroos are also without a permanent coach, with Walsh to be heavily involved in finding the best candidate to fill the vacant position.

RA chief executive Phil Waugh acknowledges it “will be a sprint” to get the Wallaroos up to speed by 2029.

But Walsh is not concerned time may be running out.

“When you have a program where you’re full-time, you can do that at an accelerated rate,” said Walsh, who is stepping down as women’s sevens coach.

“I think once the Wallaroos get into that environment, their ability to take on new challenges will increase exponentially.”

Given the priority placed on making the Wallaroos program full-time, Walsh is an ideal choice for the newly created role.

He was coaching the Australian women’s sevens squad when it went through the same process of becoming fully professional in 2014.

While the sevens players had already achieved success on the global stage, RA’s decision to introduce full-time contracts was regarded as a major stepping stone on the way to winning gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Walsh is confident the Wallaroos can make similar progress in the build-up to the World Cup.

“The next three years will be pretty critical and there will be different benchmarks and measurements along the way to make sure we are hitting targets and that we are on target to perform,” Walsh said.

Rugby faces stiff competition

When it comes to attracting talent, rugby has no shortage of competition in Australia.

The popularity of Women’s State of Origin and NRLW makes rugby league a constant threat.

The NRLW has made no secret it admires players in the rival code, as illustrated last month when the Gold Coast Titans announced sevens star Teagan Levi would join the club in the upcoming season.

Levi and her older sister Maddison have been targets of the NRLW for some time, although the younger sibling is only activating a sabbatical clause in her RA contract.

Both have signed with RA until the end of 2028.

Walsh is not resentful of the NRLW, as he welcomes the opportunities it provides women to play sport at a high level.

But he believes rugby is a more attractive offer to players in both codes, given Australia is staging the World Cup and the 2032 Olympics.

“When you have a product that we have and the benchmark events that the world are going to be watching, I think it’s a real positive,” Walsh said.

Hosting the World Cup and Olympics will give RA an opportunity to enjoy its ‘Matildas moment’.

Football took grip of the nation when the Matildas advanced to the semifinals of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which was co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

Interest in football reached new heights, especially among girls who were drawn to the game.

This did not go unnoticed by RA president Kristy Giteau, who is hopeful the Wallaroos will attract a fresh crop of fans.

“You can’t be what you can’t see, and visibility is going to become our best friend come 2029,” Giteau said.

“I envision packed stadiums, girls screaming [as they wait] after a game to get an autograph by one of our Wallaroos players.”

Giteau’s ambition is not a pipe dream and it is now up to Walsh and others to help make it a reality.

For someone who has a knack for finding ways to win, it is not surprising Walsh is setting the bar high.

“I think it (winning the World Cup) is possible,” Walsh said.

“There’s a lot of things that go into winning and a lot of it comes down to that day, but it’s all the work done prior.”