Opinion
Bad cop, good cop: How the Schmidt-Kiss combination could remake the Wallabies
Paul Cully
Rugby columnistThere is a plausible scenario in which Les Kiss could successfully follow Joe Schmidt as Wallabies coach.
The outline is as follows, with apologies sought in advance for the degree of bluntness used to convey the point: Schmidt, who is famously intense, rides the Wallabies hard for the next 17 Tests, builds a proper Test team, and then gets out just as his hard taskmaster ways are beginning to grate on the playing group, with good cop Kiss bringing a more relaxed vibe into the squad at precisely the point at which they need it.
That is effectively a cut-and-paste of what happened in Ireland, when Andy Farrell showed that replacing Schmidt is hard but not impossible, and should be in fact, viewed as an opportunity to enhance the team Schmidt leaves behind.
You’ll note the lack of the word “continuity” in the above argument, for while Rugby Australia leaned heavily into that jargon-esque term in selling the transition plan this week, it’s actually what separates Kiss from Schmidt that will dictate whether the Wallabies progress under his watch towards the Rugby World Cup in 2027.
None of this is intended as a criticism of Schmidt, even in the slightest. The Wallabies need Schmidt now, and the fact that he has extended his tenure through to the first three Tests of 2026 is a godsend.
The Wallabies need every ounce of his intensity and drive in that period, his relentless focus on the fundamentals and his rugby IQ. But even if Schmidt succeeds over the next 17 Tests, it doesn’t preclude Kiss from coming in and elevating the Wallabies again.
Les Kiss will be the next Wallabies coach.Credit: Getty Images
Schmidt’s intensity can come at a cost. The Herald has spoken to one former Ireland international who reeled off anecdotes about some players almost living in fear of the coach. While alpha males such as Johnny Sexton could tell Schmidt where to go if necessary, other members of the squad were less well-equipped to deal with his demanding style.
He might have mellowed a touch since then, but the Herald has also been told that Schmidt was embittered by the All Blacks’ Rugby World Cup final loss, and found it hard to move on from the performance of referee Wayne Barnes and TMO Tom Foley.
Kiss, by contrast, comes across as so mild-mannered as almost to be deferential, and questions asked about the Reds’ qualities are viewed as an opportunity to deflect praise onto his coaching assistants and senior players.
Of course, a bloke who played rugby league in the 1980s has a bit of steel about him, but the point is that Kiss is a very different character to Schmidt, no matter how they see the game of rugby. There is another key factor involved in holding together this entire premise of Kiss succeeding, and one that relies on Schmidt.
Joe Schmidt’s hard ways are just what the Wallabies need right now.Credit: AP
Over the next 17 Tests, the Wallabies need to develop a leadership group of players who can effectively run the show up to the Rugby World Cup.
Here, we’re talking about blokes such as Harry Wilson, Fraser McReight, Len Ikitau, Rob Valetini, Nick Frost et al - and I would include Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii in this as well.
By next year, they need to be in a position where they can problem-solve issues at halftime of games, and then, away from the contest, be able to say to Kiss, “Mate, this is what we need from your coaching this week.”
Perhaps this is why Schmidt has been so determined to primarily reward players who have committed to Australian rugby for the longer term: it will help to build a group of leaders.
In effect, it’s a selfless gesture as a coach because the dividends will only really come in after Schmidt is gone.
The importance of those senior players was also recognised by Kiss earlier this year. When the Reds came back from a 17-12 halftime deficit to beat the Highlanders in Dunedin, the Herald asked Kiss what a Reds dressing room looked like when things were not going to plan.
His answer provided plenty of insights into not only that game but also the way he will run the Wallabies.
“Every game we’ll make a decision whether we go team-first, or we go unit-first, or we go ‘D’ [defence] if it’s a big thing for us,” Kiss said.
“We just change that around as we feel. So, the voices needed to be nice and calm in our units, and we just started from that point, and that’s where the leaders come into the groups there and then.
“And we finished with a little bit of a plan to go into that second half to make sure we were on track because we were down to 14 men, and I thought the guys managed that exceptionally well. The voices were the right voices in the groups.”
Kiss isn’t going to reinvent the wheel when he takes over, but that doesn’t mean he won’t represent change.