Overview
- Laurie Fisher confirmed on Tuesday that he will step down from the Wallabies coaching staff after the three Nations Championship Tests in July and expects to move into a consultancy role or step away for family reasons.
- Rugby Australia has named Les Kiss as the incoming head coach with former All Blacks assistant Scott McLeod taking charge of defence and Jonny Fisher joining Kiss’s staff.
- Fisher warned Australia must fix defensive problems after the side conceded an average of 34 points per game on last November’s European tour, a shortfall McLeod is being hired to address.
- An expanded training squad is in camp in Sydney this week as selectors trim to a final Ireland Test squad, but injuries and club commitments have left midfield depth thin with Hunter Paisami ruled out and Len Ikitau and Tom Hooper unlikely for the first Test.
- The July Tests at home against Ireland, France and Italy will be treated as building blocks for 2027, with results expected to show whether new coaching ideas and improved defence can close the gap on top rivals like New Zealand and South Africa.