logo
Kiss to coach Australia-New Zealand combined XV against Lions

Kiss to coach Australia-New Zealand combined XV against Lions

France 2419-05-2025

Kiss, who will succeed Joe Schmidt at the Wallabies next year, will have former All Blacks head coach Ian Foster as an assistant for the clash which takes place a week before Australia's first Test against the Lions in Brisbane.
Kiss said it would be an honour to be in charge when Australia and New Zealand field a combined side for the first time since 1989.
"It's a privilege to be able to lead the coaching group for the combined AUNZ Invitational XV. The British and Irish Lions are one of world sport's most renowned teams," said Kiss, the current Queensland Reds coach.
"I'm looking forward to working with a coach like Ian."
Wallabies great and former Tonga head coach Toutai Kefu will take charge of a First Nations and Pasifika XV against the Lions in Melbourne on July 22, it was also announced Monday.
"I feel honoured," said Kefu, who is currently coaching in Japan and spent seven years previously working with Tonga.
"I'm looking forward to getting together as a group in July and representing our people with a strong performance."
The British and Irish Lions begin their nine-match Australia tour against Western Force in Perth on June 28.
They will play three Tests against Australia in Brisbane on July 19, at the MCG in Melbourne on July 26 and in Sydney on August 3.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Jones tells Japan to run wounded Wales 'off their feet' in the heat
Jones tells Japan to run wounded Wales 'off their feet' in the heat

France 24

time4 hours ago

  • France 24

Jones tells Japan to run wounded Wales 'off their feet' in the heat

A wounded Wales head to Japan having lost their last 17 Tests -- a record for a Tier One country in the professional era -- including a humiliating 68-14 thrashing by England in Cardiff. The pugnacious Australian Jones is also looking for a morale-boosting win after mixed results since he returned to lead Japan at the start of last year. The former Wallabies and England head coach said it was "a good time and a bad time" to face Wales, who will be missing Tomos Williams and Jac Morgan to British and Irish Lions duty. "Obviously having 17 losses in a row dents the confidence of the team and as a result they've only got two Lions players," Jones said after announcing his squad for a training camp ahead of the games. "Normally on a tour like this you'd expect eight or nine players to be out, so they'll be basically full-strength." Wales will again be led by caretaker coach Matt Sherratt, who took over midway through the Six Nations following Warren Gatland's unsuccessful second stint in charge. Jones predicted that the "law of averages" meant Wales's losing streak would end soon. But he said the heat and humidity in Kitakyushu and Kobe could give Japan an advantage. "We're hoping that it's a nice hot day, the sun comes out and we can really run Wales off their feet," said Jones, who first led Japan in 2012-2015. Japan have won four games and lost seven since Jones came back, and were beaten by 40 points or more by New Zealand, France and England last year. The 65-year-old admitted that he had made mistakes. "Coming back to Japan, I didn't understand how much Japanese rugby had changed, how the players' thinking had changed," he said. "Did I coach well last year? No, I don't think I coached very well last year, 100 percent. So I've taken that on board."

Larkham says Brumbies peaking at right time ahead of Super Rugby semi
Larkham says Brumbies peaking at right time ahead of Super Rugby semi

France 24

timea day ago

  • France 24

Larkham says Brumbies peaking at right time ahead of Super Rugby semi

The Canberra-based side travel to Hamilton for the bumper clash on Saturday with an unchanged squad for the first time this season, spearheaded by a slew of Wallabies including Allan Alaalatoa and James Slipper. But they are battling the odds, having exited in the semi-finals to New Zealand clubs in the last three years, while the Chiefs are unbeaten against them in four games. Larkham said he was optimistic they can make the final, which will be in Canberra if they beat the Chiefs and the Auckland Blues topple the Canterbury Crusaders in the other last-four clash. "The boys are peaking at the right time. I thought they played really well on the weekend," he said, referring to their 35-28 takedown of the in-form Wellington Hurricanes in their elimination final. "The selection is based on performance, but we also certainly want continuity going into the finals. And it's nice to have at this stage of the season. "We'll make sure that we keep our emotions in check this week. The boys can get a lot of confidence out of the way that we're playing. "There's a lot of stats that show that we're playing very good footy and we've also shown consistency throughout the season." The Chiefs have been the standout club all season and are looking to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time this year after a 20-19 defeat to the defending champion Blues last weekend. Larkham said the Brumbies would not be "copying" the Blues' playbook, with his team "in a pretty good space in terms of our routine". "We've got a plan this week in terms of some of the stuff that we've been building on through the year, and then some specific stuff for the Chiefs," he said. "There's a few challenges. The Chiefs are different to the Hurricanes.

Hope recalled for West Indies Test series against Australia
Hope recalled for West Indies Test series against Australia

France 24

time2 days ago

  • France 24

Hope recalled for West Indies Test series against Australia

The white-ball captain has been rewarded for his strong form in limited-overs cricket and could play his first Test since 2021 when the opening game gets underway on June 25 in Bridgetown. Guyana batter Kevlon Anderson could make his international debut after being included courtesy of a strong domestic season. "I'm excited about the inclusion of young prospect Kevlon Anderson, who comes in after solid seasons in our domestic competitions to help provide stability in the top order, while the return of Shai Hope is welcomed given his consistency in white ball cricket," said West Indies coach Daren Sammy. Hope has made 1,726 runs in 38 Tests, with two hundreds and five fifties. There is no place for veteran seamer Kemar Roach, who has 284 Test wickets. Shamar Joseph, who inspired the Caribbean team to a famous victory in the second Test against Australia in Brisbane last year, is part of the squad. The second Test will be played in St George's and the third in Kingston. The series is part of the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle. Squad

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store