Les Kiss has been waiting patiently in the wings since being announced as Joe Schmidt’s successor for the Wallabies top job in April last year. The diminutive Bundaberg-born league winger for the North Sydney Bears has never played rugby union. But he is now the man with the game’s toughest gig: resurrecting the Wallabies from No 8 in the world to win the World Cup in just 15 months time.
Now, as the stardust settles on Schmidt’s final game – a 56-10 shellacking of Italy in Perth on Sunday – the Kiss era has officially begun. A new-look Wallabies squad was unveiled on Thursday by the new head coach and a fresh brains trust charged with leading Australian rugby to the promised land – a World Cup on home soil in 2027.
“I’ve enjoyed what I’ve seen,” Kiss said of the playing cohort. “There’s guys with an appetite to work hard and get better and that gives me a lot of confidence. These players want more and it starts with our Test in two weeks.
“I’m an optimist but I’m a realist as well. There’s an Aussie spirit that comes through in a game. You play what’s in front of you, free of all the things that can get in the way. We’re good innovative thinkers but we’ll fight for every inch.”
The 61-year-old’s first test is against Japan in Higashi-Osaka on 8 August. There he will face off against former Wallabies coach Eddie Jones, the man who delivered this side to the doldrums during a disastrous 2023 World Cup tilt.
“We saw how Japan beat Italy and how they pushed Ireland to the limit so we need to bring our best and be ready,” Kiss said. “Eddie is a sly operator and a savvy coach and we’ll be prepared for his mind games and his impact on the Japanese psyche.”
He has Jones to partly thank for his incredible rise in the 15-man game: “Eddie and I go way back. After I got home from South Africa I sat with him for three, four hours and next minute I’m with the Waratahs. So he’s a big part of kicking me off in Australian rugby.”
Where once Schmidt took what Kiss built with Ireland and added three more Six Nations titles, now Kiss inherits Schmidt’s legacy with Australia: a brilliant yet infuriating team with a 12-19 win-loss record since 2024.
“There will be change,” he confirmed. “I’m a different personality and there will be ways I operate that are different to Joe’s leadership. I want players to be themselves, bring their personality to the fore and to know our strength is in our diversity.”
That said, his 34-man squad stays true to the “evolution not revolution” credo he preached in April, with Reds lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Waratahs prop Isaac Kailea and Brisbane bolter Isaac Henry the only new faces. Henry, 27, will be back-up for John Eales medallist Len Ikitau who is out with an ankle injury
Test match record-holder James Slipper, who Schmidt wooed out of retirement for the recent home Tests, won’t be travelling to Japan. Instead, Kailea dons gold for the first time since 2024 while Salakaia-Loto, a surprise omission during Schmidt’s reign, returns to the frontline, bringing 45 Tests experience and 124kg of heft to the pack.
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“The group is pretty much the same – it’s only right they get a feel for us [coaches] first. But I will be exploring other options as we go along and I’ll be making that clear to all the players. No one’s guaranteed a position and I make promises to no one.”
As a player, Kiss was renowned for his speed, fierce tackling and courage under fire. This squad of hard-hitters, gritty stayers and smart cookies is built in his image. He also brings in fresh thinking: Scott McLeod, an ex-All Blacks staffer, 2IC Jonny Fisher, analyst Eoin Toolan and setpiece gurus Tom Donnelly and John Ulugia.
They have 19 Tests before the World Cup. After playing the Brave Blossoms in Osaka (8 August) and Townsville (15 August) before the Rugby Championship reckoning: a two-Test tour of Argentina, then home-and-away Tests with world champions South Africa and New Zealand, now coached by another ex-Wallabies coach Dave Rennie.
Kiss knows winning matters most. He’s got to keep stadiums sold out and hope high.
“I’ve seen in the last three matches what this gold jersey does to the Australian public,” he said. “It’s special. We’re going to do everything we can to make that 80 minutes look so good for people so they keep coming out wanting to support us.”
Wallabies squad: Allan Alaalatoa, Miles Amatosero, Angus Bell, Charlie Cale, Josh Canham, Isaac Kailea, Fraser McReight, Josh Nasser, Zane Nonggorr, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Billy Pollard, Aidan Ross, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Lachlan Shaw, Carlo Tizzano, Taniela Tupou, Rob Valetini, Jeremy Williams, Harry Wilson (capt), Jock Campbell, Filipo Daugunu, Ben Donaldson, Carter Gordon, Isaac Henry, Max Jorgensen, Ryan Lonergan, Tate McDermott, Declan Meredith, Hunter Paisami, Dylan Pietsch, Harry Potter, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Kalani Thomas, Tom Wright.
