Les Kiss to stay on with Queensland Reds while making Wallabies coaching transition

Les Kiss will remain Reds coach in 2026 as part of an elongated Wallabies transition period, with current coach Joe Schmidt to extend his reign beyond October, JAMIE PANDARAM reports.

LES Kiss will continue coaching the Queensland Reds in 2026 as part of an elongated transition to the Wallabies coaching job that will see Joe Schmidt remain as national boss until the middle of next year.

It has emerged that Schmidt, who announced at the start of the year that he would be stepping down from the role at the end of The Rugby Championship in October, has been convinced to stay on for several more months.

This means that Rugby Australia will not have to pay a release fee to Queensland Rugby Union, who have Kiss contracted until the end of the 2026 Super Rugby season.

The unusual agreement means Kiss will only have 16 months in the top job before leading the Wallabies’ 2027 World Cup campaign in Australia.

Les Kiss will stay Reds coach in 2026. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

It’s understood he will have some part to play in the Wallabies’ preparation while Schmidt retains the head coaching job before the Kiwi steps back into an advisory role when Kiss assumes the throne.

RA and the QRU have been negotiating back and forth for some time, and Queensland wanted significant compensation if Kiss were to be poached from them while under contract.

In the background, RA have worked away on Schmidt to stay on, despite challenging personal circumstances where his son, who suffers from epilepsy and requires constant care in New Zealand, had led him to initially call time at the end of the British & Irish Lions series finishing in August.

Initially, RA convinced Schmidt to extend his tenure until the end of TRC in October, after which Kiss was expected to take over.

But when Schmidt indicated he could once again extend his term, RA decided it would be wiser to continue on that path rather than pay out a significant sum to Queensland, and force the Reds to seek another coach.

Joe Schmidt will extend his reign as Wallabies coach. Picture: Michael Steele/Getty Images

It means Schmidt will oversee the Wallabies’ spring tour, including a game in Tokyo against Japan on October 25, followed by Tests against England, Italy, Ireland and France.

The Wallabies’ 2026 Test schedule remains unclear, after New Zealand and South Africa organised their own breakaway series that will see the All Blacks play the Springboks in four Tests, cancelling The Rugby Championship.

The Wallabies expect to play the All Blacks and Springboks at least once each, but will be forced to look at additional games against Argentina, and possibly Japan and Fiji as well as northern nations, to make up the shortfall in games.

The announcement on Kiss will be formally made at a press conference in Sydney on Wednesday morning.

Kiss, the former North Sydney Bears rugby league player, worked with Schmidt in Ireland.

Kiss will become the fifth Wallabies coach in the past seven years as failure, boardroom power plays and personal circumstances have seen Michael Cheika, Dave Rennie, Jones, Schmidt and now Kiss earmarked for the role.

Kiss has the Reds in fourth on the Super Rugby table with five rounds remaining, with six wins and three losses – the least of any Australian team.

Originally published as Les Kiss to stay on with Queensland Reds while making Wallabies coaching transition