Why Wallabies coach Les Kiss was laughing as Japan Test hung in the balance

August 10, 2026 — 11:32am

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A quick flash of the Australian coaching box in the 68th minute of the Wallabies-Japan clash on Saturday caught an interesting moment: there was Les Kiss, laughing.

For context, Australia led 28-25 and were in a real fight. Players were out on their feet, Japan had belief and an historic/disastrous first win by the Brave Blossoms over the Wallabies was very much in the offing.

But if Kiss was feeling the tension, he wasn’t showing it.

“It wasn’t a frivolous laugh,” Kiss explained later. “Internally we’re learning about each other in the [coaches] box. At one moment where someone said something, one of the coaches looked at me [and said] is that all right to say that?

“So we’re just seeing how we sit in the coaches box and how we communicate. They’re a good bunch. We’re getting on well.”

Kiss did not elaborate, but the laugh came after Declan Meredith put a disappointing night with the boot behind him and kicked deep into a corner after a penalty. Taniela Tupou scored a crucial try soon after.

“It was just a nice little moment where we had a bit of humour in it,” Kiss said. “I know it was tight, but it’s got to be fun doing this too, eh?”

In keeping with the “evolution, not revolution” line often rolled out about the Joe Schmidt-Kiss transition, one of the shifts in the new........

© Brisbane Times