An extra year under Schmidt is gold for the Wallabies. But will Kiss be ready for the World Cup?

Sydney Morning Herald

30-04-2025

After too many periods of 'starting again' with a new Wallabies coaching team, the bedrock theme for RA was continuity. Kiss emerged as the leading candidate, ahead of Stephen Larkham and Dan McKellar, based on his background with Schmidt at Ireland, and a similar 'boring', process-driven style that would see him best suited to picking up the same ball and running with it.
Michael Cheika was spoken to, and so was Stuart Lancaster. The latter was interviewed several times, and a coaching team of Kiss and Lancaster was considered. But that combination fell away when it became clear Queensland were still keen for Kiss to coach the Reds next year, as per his contract. Rugby Australia were also keen to not have the Reds have to start over, and potentially affect the strong form of many Wallabies in the squad. So there wasn't as much tension as people assume between RA and the QRU.
The prospect of Kiss juggling both roles was discussed, but he didn't feel comfortable with it, so a different solution was put back on the table by high-performance boss Peter Horne: would Schmidt hold the fort for another eight Tests?
'It's funny, it seemed like a long time, but then, by the time I'd already agreed to do TRC, it didn't seem that much further into the future,' Schmidt said.
'So I suppose, as you stack them up, it didn't seem like an extra year. It seemed like an extra sort of six months or eight months.'
Does this help the Wallabies chances at the World Cup?
Given the Wallabies' trajectory in 2024 - from a post-World Cup basket case to beating England and almost beating Ireland on the road - the public verdict is in: more Joe is good Schmidt.
Another year's development under Schmidt, with his focus on high standards and detail, will unquestionably make the Wallabies a stronger team come July 2026.
Winning as many Tests as possible in 2025 is vital, too, given that seedings for the 2027 Rugby World Cup will be based on the world rankings at the end of this year. Australia need to climb from eighth to sixth or above to be one of the top seeds for the six pools, and avoid the playoff-path lottery faced by second seeds (teams 7-12).
But amid the good vibes about Schmidt staying longer, the uncomfortable part that can't be ignored is that Kiss will still - eventually - end up holding the baby on his own.
And now he has even less time to find his feet. Between August 2026 and the Rugby World Cup, Kiss will only have 14 months, and 18-19 Tests, with the Wallabies.
Kiss has spent many years in Test rugby, with Ireland, and has even coached at two World Cups. But being a head coach is different gravy, and being a head coach under the pressure of a home Rugby World Cup is wildly different gravy.
As seen with the Matildas, RA need the Wallabies to be successful at the 2027 Rugby World Cup to win hearts and minds. Particularly with the NRL expanding in 2028.
That's undeniable pressure on Kiss, regardless of whether the baton handover was smooth or not.
Will Kiss bring his own staff? Is there a chance Schmidt will stay?
Schmidt said he plans to be fishing and golfing in Lake Taupo in 2027, although people close to the Kiwi point out his fishing rod and golf clubs have been getting a mention for at least a decade, in which he's taken on several major roles.
Schmidt said he would be an informal sounding board, but Kiss appears to still have hope about wrangling something more. Schmidt is an all-in head coach, though, and floating above Kiss wouldn't be his style.
Kiss was adamant on Wednesday that he won't use the next year to simultaneously coach the Reds and serve an apprenticeship at the Wallabies. He doesn't want feet in both camps, which will help placate his Super Rugby rivals. But Schmidt will undoubtedly consult Kiss on all planning and future contracting and serve as a like-minded proxy.
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The 'dovetail' transition mentioned by Kiss is likely to see most of the current Wallabies coaching staff through to the 2027 World Cup, bar scrum coach Mike Cron, who is due to finish after the Lions series.
Kiss is keen to bring up some Reds staff as well, though. Forwards coach Zane Hilton and defence coach Brad Davis have been mentioned, although Hilton is the likely successor for Kiss at the Reds.