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ROB Simmons may have overtaken his Queensland teammate James Horwill as the Wallabies' best lock, but he can expect to play on the side of the scrum for the Reds this season.
Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie relieved Horwill of the Test captaincy during the Spring Tour of Europe, and now the same verdict has been reached by Reds boss Richard Graham.
Simmons will have little time to dwell on his top ranking, with Graham set to follow the Wallabies' lead by deploying him as a flanker this season.
"If you look at selection he probably cemented himself as the No.1 lock in Australia (last year),'' Graham said of Simmons.
"Rob and I have talked about (playing in the back row) at various levels and I know if the opportunity arises he'd be happy to play there for us.''
Simmons showed promise in his only start as a blindside flanker against Italy last year.
McKenzie instigated the experiment to squeeze more lineout jumpers into the pack, and because he wanted to make more of Simmons's efficiency in defence.
Simmons said he would be happy to play anywhere for the Reds.
Still, like most members of the tight five, he revels in the opportunity to take a gallop in open space.
"I got the ball in the hand a bit more (for the Wallabies), but at the end of the day I'm a second-rower and that's where my focus is,'' the 24-year-old said.
"It didn't change my game too much when I did play there.''
Graham will be flush with fit second-rowers and loose forwards when the Reds kick off their trials against the Chiefs in Toowoomba on February 8.
He already has a Test-quality backrow mixture, headed by Liam Gill, Jake Schatz and big improver Ed Quirk.
Curtis Browning will press for a starting spot at No.8 or blindside flanker but there could also be a role there for Simmons.
"There's an opportunity for us because we've got some good depth in the second row,'' Graham said.
"A shift from second row to blindside flanker isn't a big stretch for him.''
Meanwhile, research has revealed Queensland last year overtook New South Wales as the leading state for rugby participation.
The Australian Rugby Union's Annual Participation Census revealed playing numbers in Queensland grew by 37 per cent to 259,690 in 2013.
Sevens rugby has been a major driver of participation, while 35,000 women laced up boots last season to further increase the numbers.
"As rugby prepares to become an Olympic sport in Rio 2016, it is pleasing that a significant number of young male and female Queenslanders are getting their first experiences of rugby through our rugby sevens programs," Queensland Rugby Union chief executive Jim Carmichael said in a statement.
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