Who is Tim Walsh: Ten things you should know about the Australia sevens head coach

There is little Tim Walsh has not done in his Australia Sevens career.

The former fly-half has captained his country, coached the men’s and women’s teams, and delivered Olympic glory.

Ten things you should know about Tim Walsh

1. Tim Walsh was born on 10 April 1979 in Sydney. He spent much of his childhood further north in Queensland and attended Brisbane’s Anglican Church Grammar School.

2. He played fly-half during his XVs days and represented Australia at age-group level. Walsh then began playing professionally with the Queensland Reds in 1999.

3. He made his Super Rugby debut for the Reds in 2004 and also played in the English Premiership with Leeds Tykes.

Walsh in action for Leeds in 2003 (Getty Images)

4. Walsh first played for Australia Sevens in 2002 and memorably won the Brisbane Sevens during his first season. He would also captain the side during his seven-year career.

5. He was appointed coach of the Australia women’s sevens team in 2013 and led them to World Sevens Series titles in 2016 and 2018.

6. His side won gold at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics, defeating New Zealand in the final.

7. Australia Women made history again at the 2018 Sydney Sevens, becoming the first team to win a Sevens Series tournament without conceding a point.

8. Walsh before the 2018 Commonwealth Games that the tournament would be his last as Australia Women head coach. They had to settle for silver during his swansong, after losing to New Zealand in the gold medal game.

9. He temporarily coached Australia’s men’s sevens team in 2015, before taking on the role permanently in 2018. He could not repeat his Olympic success with the men, though, losing to eventual winners Fiji in the Tokyo 2020 quarter-finals.

Walsh coached Australia men at Tokyo 2020 (Getty Images)

10. Walsh was re-appointed Australia Women head coach in December 2021, swapping roles with John Manenti. He oversaw tournament wins in Seville and Langford to secure a third Sevens Series title in 2022.

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