The three things Wallabies coach Les Kiss needs to focus on now

July 24, 2026 — 11:30am

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New Wallabies coach Les Kiss struck the right balance after unveiling his first Wallabies squad on Thursday.

He showed respect to the work Joe Schmidt and Laurie Fisher had done to build the Wallabies’ “foundations”, but there was also an unmistakable eagerness to get his hands on the players to put his stamp on the role.

It is a little concerning that there are only two Australian coaches in the six-man Wallabies set-up - perhaps a topic for another day - but Kiss has identified areas he needs to improve.

Thankfully, there was little talk about building towards the World Cup - winning now is the priority. And Kiss is no fool - he will know Japan coach Eddie Jones has assembled a giant group of second-rowers and back-rowers: Warner Dearns, Harry Hockings and Ben Gunter will provide a stern physical challenge in Tokyo on August 8.

So, what should Kiss’ priorities be?

The most important clue that........

© The Sydney Morning Herald