Shock waves as Wallaroos confirmed new head coach

Just eight days after leaving Scotland Women’s team on compassionate grounds, Sione Fukofuka has been appointed as the head coach of the Wallaroos by Rugby Australia.

Fukofuka’s deal with Wallaroos will run through to the end of the home Rugby World Cup in 2029.

Fukofuka, 47, has amassed an extensive international coaching portfolio across more than a decade in Australia, the USA and Scotland, including three years as Wallaroos Assistant Coach from 2021 which included the 2022 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

A dedicated teacher and mentor, Fukofuka began his coaching journey in the Queensland schools system before taking the Australian Youth Women’s Sevens teams to the Youth Commonwealth Games in 2015 in Samoa as Development Coach.

He was appointed Head Coach of the Queensland Women’s Sevens team before transitioning to XVs as Head Coach of Sunnybank Rugby Club in Brisbane and Attack Coach with the Queensland Reds Women’s team.

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Following a three-year stint as Assistant Coach with the Wallaroos, Fukofuka was named Head Coach of the United States Women’s side in 2023 and led the Eagles to the 2025 Rugby World Cup in England.

Fukofuka has since led the Scottish Women’s squad for five Tests and was last week granted a release to return to his family in Australia.

He will commence with Rugby Australia in 2027 and report to Tim Walsh, Rugby Australia’s Director of Women’s High Performance, after the transition of the Wallaroos program to fulltime status.

Walsh, an Olympic gold medal-winning mentor, will oversee a highly-credentialled Wallaroos coaching transition team for the remainder of the 2026 season featuring Mike Ruthven and Duncan Chubb, who led the Waratahs to their third straight Super Rugby Women’s title last month, Ben Mowen, the former Wallabies captain and current Brumbies Assistant Coach, and Reg Tayler, Head Coach of Australia’s world champion Women’s Sevens squad.

With confirmation of Fukofuka’s appointment and the coaching transition team, Rugby Australia confirms the departures of interim coaching staff members Sam Needs and Gill Bourke and thanks them for their contribution and commitment to the Wallaroos.

Fukofuka said: “I would like to express my gratitude to Scottish Rugby for their understanding of my family situation and desire to return home to Australia.

“Although a difficult decision to leave the Scottish role, this opportunity allows me to be in Sydney closer to my family. I wish the players and staff all the best for the future.

“I know many of the players and coaches well from my time in the Queensland and Australian systems and, as we transition to a fulltime program this year, the opportunity for growth is enormous.

“The opportunity to align the 7s and 15s programs and work closely with Reg Tayler is an exciting prospect and one I am very much looking forward to.”

Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh said: “An enormous amount of planning and effort has gone into remodelling and invigorating the Wallaroos program as we look towards the home Rugby World Cup in Australia in 2029 and we are delighted Sione will lead the squad through this important phase in the position of Head Coach.

“Sione is a leader with a comprehensive knowledge of Australian and international systems and a reputation for creating world-class team environments and standards. He also has a strong relationship with recently-appointed Director of Women’s Rugby Tim Walsh and is respected across Australian Rugby for his previous work with Queensland, the Australian Sevens and Wallaroos programs.

“Tim has appointed a strong and experienced transition team to lead the Wallaroos until Sione’s commencement and I thank Sam and Gill for their commitment and contribution to the squad’s development for Tests against Fiji, Canada, USA and New Zealand this year.”

Rugby Australia Director of High Performance Tim Walsh said: “Sione’s appointment to the position of Wallaroos Head Coach comes at an exciting time for the game in Australia as the program transitions to fulltime status for the first time in its 32-year history.

“Sione is a pioneer among international coaches of Pasifika heritage and a proud product of the Australian Rugby coaching system. He is highly regarded by players and staff alike for his connection, team culture and driving high standards within the daily training environment and is well-positioned to lead the Wallaroos into a new era and a generational opportunity presented by the home Rugby World Cup in 2029.

“Sione’s deep passion for and knowledge of Australian Rugby, along with his outstanding international coaching resume, makes him the ideal person to take charge of the Wallaroos’ program as it transitions to fulltime status and schedules a minimum of ten Tests per year through this World Cup cycle.

“I look forward to leading a transition team of Mike, Duncan, Ben and Reg for the remainder of an exciting three-month program that includes the Wallaroos’ 100th Test match and the inaugural WXV Global Series.”

The squad for the Wallaroos Test match against New Zealand on August 22 will be announced on Wednesday.