he was a member of the squad that qualified for the 1982 fifa world cup finals in spain, his sole appearance in qualifying a substitute appearance in the tie-breaking play-off match against china in singapore, and he did not make the field in spain. including friendlies and unofficial games against club sides, simonson played 28 times for new zealand, ending his international playing career with 11 official a-international caps to his credit, his final cap an appearance in a 2-0 win over fiji on 7 june 1985.