SYDNEY, Australia - Australian international lock Rob Simmons has signed for the New South Wales Waratahs from their fierce Super Rugby rivals the Queensland Reds for the next two seasons, the team said Thursday.
Simmons, 28, who has played for the Reds since 2009, was released by Queensland at the end of the last Super Rugby season and went on the market.
"I gave the decision to come to NSW a lot of careful consideration and decided the move was right," said Simmons, who played for the Wallabies in last weekend's 35-29 Bledisloe Cup loss to New Zealand.
"Now I'm really looking forward to the challenge of helping the Waratahs to win another Super Rugby title," he told the Waratahs website.
Simmons has played 73 times for Australia after making his Test rugby debut in 2010 and has 114 Super Rugby caps.
“What stood out was that even with 73 Test caps to his credit, Rob is still hungry to play at the highest possible level and his determination to get there will drive our whole pack forward,” Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson said.
“Our younger locks like Ryan McCauley and Tom Staniforth will benefit from having Rob working with them and teaching them from his years of experience as a Test player.
“We’re still a young team and what Rob will bring is that edge that comes from his 100 plus Super Rugby caps and his vast Test experience. Rob adds a great dimension to our lineout and a real strength in our scrums.”