Incoming Wallabies coach Les Kiss says a short coaching runway to the World Cup won’t be an excuse

Incoming Wallabies coach Les Kiss has declared his short runway to the World Cup no excuse for a poor performance, as he was officially unveiled in the top job.

WALLABIES coach-in-waiting Les Kiss says there will be no excuse for a poor World Cup performance in 2027, despite an agreement to take over the job just 15 months out from the tournament.

Kiss was officially unveiled as the successor to Joe Schmidt, stepping up in July 2026 after Schmidt extended his tenure yet again by 18 Test matches.

Originally signed until the end of the British & Irish Lions tour in August, Schmidt was first convinced to stay on until October, and now until next July before Kiss takes over after his contract with Queensland Reds expires.

That will leave Kiss with less than a dozen Test matches – in his first international head coaching role – before the World Cup kicks off in October 2027.

Incoming Wallabies Head Coach Les Kiss says the short World Cup runway will be no excuse. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

While Kiss won’t be travelling with the Wallabies this year or at the start of 2026, he says his close working relationship with Schmidt will ensure he is equipped to deliver a strong Cup campaign despite his short lead-in.

“I think the things that we do well together, the things that we see in the game together, the way we see how culture should be built, they’re all underpinning this so there’s not going to be any excuses,” Kiss said.

“There’s going to be strong things in place that I can tap into and dovetail and bring my points of difference to that continuation … in terms of making sure when I step in there people are still certain about how they work and how they do their job.

“Maybe the difference will be my jokes are better than Joe, that might be the only difference.

“I’m not trying to be flippant there, but I’m just saying it’s massively important that the players know it’s not a rip and tear. It’s come in there, and how do I dovetail and make that work better in the continuation process that we’ve had here from day one when we first chatted about this with Phil (Waugh), Peter (Horne) and Dan (Herbert).

“That’s what I’m really confident about, that that’s going to work well and we’ll keep our conversations going along nicely and when that tipping point comes where it does transfer, I feel pretty good that we’ll be able to just move quickly.

Outgoing head coach Joe Schmidt will extend his time in the top role before handing over. Picture: Saeed KHAN / AFP

“There may be some points of difference, that’s going to be natural, but I do feel confident that the players will buy in pretty quickly into how I do things.”

The delayed transition, which saves Rugby Australia having to pay out Queensland Rugby Union an early release fee given Kiss is contracted until the end of the 2026 Super Rugby season, in essence leaves Schmidt in charge of Kiss’ World Cup draw.

The world rankings at the end of this year will determine the pools for the 2027 World Cup, and if the Wallabies - now eighth – don’t climb into the top six they will face a horror pool draw that could include heavyweights South Africa, New Zealand or Ireland.

RA chief executive Phil Waugh rejected the idea the QRU had hampered the Wallabies’ World Cup plans by insisting Kiss see out his Reds contract.

“I think we’ve ended up in our desired solution in terms of that continuation of growth at the Reds under Les’ leadership, and then Joe spending more time with the group for a longer period of time through to the end of July 2026 and then a seamless transition,” Waugh said.

Les Kiss will stay on with the Reds in 2026. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

“We think that the transition and the solutions are really elegant and really neat, and Joe will finish up as head coach at the end of the three tests of the Nations Cup in July 2026, and Les transitions across to lead the program, and we think we’ve got the best solution.”

Horne, RA’s director of high performance, said Schmidt may still have a role to play as an advisor during the World Cup.

“What we landed here is the best solution for Australian rugby,” Horne said. “Joe and I have been mates for a long period of time, and we’ll always have that ability to pick up the phone and have a chat.

“He’s only ever a phone call away. We’ve got a job to do now, we’ve got 18 Test matches, you’ve got a Lions series, TRC, a Bledisloe, a really important spring tour, which actually if we don’t get to top six, puts isn’t a difficult frame for a pool draw for 27.

“So we’ve got such a heavy plan ahead that we’ve got to deliver on.”

Originally published as Incoming Wallabies coach Les Kiss says a short coaching runway to the World Cup won’t be an excuse