How a skinny rugby league winger became the Wallabies’ World Cup coach

A chance cross-code meeting at Brookvale Oval 25 years ago led to Les Kiss naming his first Wallabies squad at Allianz Stadium on Thursday.

After hanging up his boots, the former North Sydney Bears, Queensland and Kangaroos winger was starting a career as an assistant coach of the now defunct Northern Eagles.

Good mate Frank Ponissi - now the Melbourne Storm football boss - was a fellow Eagles assistant and had a relationship with then Springboks coach Harry Viljoen.

Kiss was invited into South Africa camp to provide a different perspective and walked away with a job as the team’s defence coach.

“It was an interesting one,” the 61-year-old deadpanned.

“I think it’s been a bit of a gift for me really. I learned rugby through the eyes of the Springboks really, through South African rugby and a very heavy attrition game, 10-man rugby, all those things. But learning the game through that was, I think a gift because when I came back to Australia about two years later, I had a meeting with Eddie (Jones, then Wallabies coach).

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“Next day I had a meeting with Bob Dwyer and suddenly, I’m with the Waratahs and immersed myself in Australian rugby there. But yeah, it was an interesting journey into it for sure, going over to South Africa and applying my trade there.

“I ended up in rugby and, slowly but surely, it’s ended in this space. I’ve been in the game of rugby longer than I’ve been in league, and I’m really proud of what I’ve done to get to this position. I’ve had a lot of good people along the way, in rugby league, in rugby union that have helped me get there.”

Kiss bounded out of the blocks at his first press conference since taking the reins from Joe Schmidt, enthusiastically shaking the hands of journalists who will cover his every move through to next year’s home Rugby World Cup.

Kitted out in a sharp sponsor’s suit - “mutton dressed as lamb,” he quipped - Kiss promised to have the Wallabies playing with verve, smarts and Australian spirit.

The Wallabies won just two of their last 11 Tests under Schmidt, Kiss’ former boss at Ireland.

“I’m an optimist, but I’m a realist as well, and I do believe that these players want more, and they’re prepared to work hard for it,” Kiss said.

“I think there is an Aussie spirit that comes through (in the way he hopes to play). When you’re kids you just play what’s in front of you, you’re free of all the things that can get in the way. I want to make sure we coach at the right level and unleash what we’re good at.

“We’re a good, innovative type of thinking player and team. Let’s play with our spirit, but the other thing that’s important that comes through when we’re in the backyard or on the beach as kids, as we grow up, we’re competitive.

“We will go very hard into contact, we’ll fight for every inch. We just want those qualities to come through. When it comes out in the 80 minutes, we want the country to be proud of what they see. When we’re on the try-line, these boys will defend it with their life, and we’ve seen good clues to date with that.

“And we just want to make sure we can do our bit as a new coaching team. To enhance that as much as possible, give them every chance to live their dreams and blaze their own trail.”

Kiss’ coaching team includes former All Blacks centre and defence coach Scott McLeod, who worked with Schmidt in New Zealand’s run to the 2023 World Cup final.

Englishman Jonny Fisher - an ex-backrower - will be another trusted lieutenant, having followed Kiss from London Irish to the Reds.

Lineout coach Tom Donnelly, analyst Eoin Toolan and scrum coach John Ulugia are holdovers from the Schmidt reign.

“We want to make sure that it (defence) becomes a weapon for us, that we can attack with it,” Kiss said.

“How that looks, we’ll find out, but we’re going to take smaller steps. We don’t want to go in and change everything or make massive change... he’s (McLeod) got a logical way that he’s looking at the defence, and I know the boys will buy in.”

The first challenge comes against Jones’ Japan in Osaka on August 8, before hosting the Brave Blossoms a week later in Townsville.

They are games that the Wallabies are expected to win but Kiss is massively wary of the man that got him his start in Australian rugby.

“He’s a sly operator,” Kiss noted.

“We’ll be all prepared for any mind games and all those sorts of things. He’s a savvy coach, he’s a good coach, and we know that, and he does have an impact in that Japanese psyche, so we have to be ready for that.

“When I came back from South Africa, I sat with him for three or four hours and next minute I’m in with the Waratahs, so he was part of kicking me off in Australian rugby for sure.”

Kiss has retained Harry Wilson as captain and name checked Jeremy Williams, Ryan Lonergan, Tate McDermott, Fraser McReight and Allan Alaalatoa as other players who would have leadership roles.

With Tom Hooper out injured, Kiss picked Taniela Tupou as his only overseas player in a squad of 34, but Jordan Petaia remained firmly on his watch list.

He finished with a rallying call to the Australian public.

“What I’ve seen in the last three matches (all sellouts) is unbelievable in terms of what this gold jersey does,” he said.

“It’s special... the playing group was inspired, but there’s a lot of good people who worked hard to get that right. I’m really motivated and inspired by what I’ve seen in RA head office here and what I’ve seen in the players.

“We’re going to do what we can to make that 80 minutes in that rectangle look so good for people that they keep coming out and wanting to support us.

“It’s an important period in terms of generating that interest in that gold jersey to keep growing. When you see the stadium and the pictures and the gold everywhere, it’s fantastic, and we want to make sure we continue that.”

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