ANALYSIS: The unveiling of Les Kiss as Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies successor in 2026 brings a host of questions upon a private man.
Who is Les Kiss? What’s he like? When and where has he coached? And how?
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Some of these questions are easy enough to answer.
A former North Sydney, Queensland and Australian rugby league representative by way of Bundaberg, Kiss first ventured into coaching with NRL’s Northern Eagles merger before taking up an opportunity with South African rugby union in 2001.
Since then, he’s forged a 25-year career with assistant duties at NSW Waratahs and Ireland leading to head coaching roles with Ulster, London Irish and the Queensland Reds.
What he’s like as a person and coach? Well, that’s a little trickier to answer.
We can start with the two distinct sides to Kiss spotted on camera.
There’s the soft-spoken confidence of Kiss in a press pack – a man comfortable taking his time to answer a question or crack a wry joke with journalists.
He’s rarely prickly when pushed but protective of his players and tends to silently chew through his initial response before letting the comment pass, as if almost testing the words around his mouth.
During fan engagements or post-game signings, Kiss cuts a relaxed figure and his “peace” salute in photos has become a trademark.
Yet Kiss’ media and fan-facing profile is vastly different to the Energiser Bunny sighted in the coaching box and or training paddock.
That Kiss is laser-focused, animated, and rides every moment with his side. Go and check out Stan Sport’s 2024 "Kiss Cam" from Queensland's Round 1 win over New South Wales for this full rollercoaster.
We know Kiss’ players are pushed to learn multiple positions, particularly across the backline, and develop a holistic sense of the game while a host of current and former charges have spoken publicly of his energy and ability to galvanise a locker room.
But how does Les Kiss coach? What's his style and what sets him apart?
It’s best to hear from the man himself, who recently spoke at length about his coaching philosophies and ethos on ABC Sport Daily.
“I just want to open up a way for people to think about the game without fear,” Kiss told host Patrick Stack.
“Let's explore how good we can be, try different things and at the same time appreciate the tenets of the game, things that are rock solid.
“There's an order and a way the game has to be played, for sure, but within that … I want people to be curious, not stuck in convention and tradition.”
There’s more than a little Ted Lasso in that final line but it's clear Kiss’ mindset is player-centric and flexible, one that enables his side to operate within a system that gets them around the paddock and into positions where the individual skills can shine.
“Your systems have to have that growth mindset,” Kiss continued.
“If you get that right and allow young men and women to be themselves as much as possible, you can start to create some magic and things that push the game along.
“I prefer a system whereby people can be empowered to make the decision they need to in the 80 minutes on the pitch and it’s important to me that people can make those decisions, read the picture and pull the trigger.”
It would be remiss to ignore the strong ties between Kiss’ coaching ethos and that of his long-time senior coaching partner, Joe Schmidt, who has himself inked another extension that will see him almost double his initial tenure of 17 Tests.
Only time will tell whether the duo can replicate their Northern Hemisphere success south of the equator, but Kiss is well placed to succeed Schmidt after sharing an Irish coaching box for over 40 Tests and three Six Nations titles.
It's taken time to get there, but an extended Schmidt tenure and handover to Kiss post-Super Rugby Pacific 2026 through a home Rugby World Cup in 2027 and through 2028 is the best possible scenario for by Rugby Australia and the Queensland Rugby Union.
