Key events
Back to tonight’s match, with Jack Snape setting the scene as the Les Kiss era begins in sweltering Japanese heat.
The heat is on for new Wallabies coach Les Kiss – both physically and metaphorically – as he prepares for a sprint to next year’s World Cup, beginning in sweltering Osaka on Saturday.
The temperature for the clash against Japan is forecast to climb to a steamy 36C in the day before the evening kick-off. The only thing that would make the short runway to next year’s showpiece tournament more uncomfortable for Kiss would be an embarrassing first loss to the Brave Blossoms.
Les is the latest in a long line of sportspeople of Hungarian descent named Kiss.
Among them is Gergely, a legend of water polo, Kristina, a Canadian international footballer, Nicky, the former Great Britain rugby league hooker, and László, the scorer of the fastest hat-trick in FIFA World Cup history, and still the only one by a substitute.
Here’s some background on the Wallabies’ new head coach.
Kiss is an outlier. For starters, he’s a “leaguie” who’s never even played union. “It meant I really had to earn my stripes,” Kiss says. “I’ve learned it’s a player’s game and the locker room is every club’s heartbeat. Get standards right, create an environment which allows everyone to be their best, and the 80 minutes of game time takes care of itself. I’m not a copy-and-paste coach. I’m a big believer in values forged together.”
Kiss’s own values were shaped by his parents who fled the Hungarian Revolution to settle in Bundaberg in the 1950s, and his rapid rise as a flying winger in the 80s.
Preamble
Jonathan Howcroft
Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of Japan v Australia in the first of a two-Test bilateral series. Kick-off at Hanazono Rugby Stadium in Higashiōsaka is scheduled for 7.05pm local time (8.05pm AEST).
The dawning of a new era for Australian rugby begins, appropriately enough, in the land of the rising sun. Les Kiss is now the man responsible for the fortunes of the Wallabies, taking the head coaching reins from Joe Schmidt.
Although Schmidt won just two of his last 11 Tests (and 12/31 overall) he departed with his reputation undiminished for the job he did picking up the pieces from the 2023 World Cup fiasco, unearthing some serious talent, and proving that at their best the Wallabies are a match for anyone.
The problem Kiss has to solve is how to maintain top form for 80 minutes, consistently.
With so little preparation time before the 2027 World Cup on Australian soil Kiss needs to hit the ground running. His first squad indicates his approach will be one of continuity not wholesale changes.
As always seems to be the case with Australian rugby Eddie Jones is never far from centre stage and the 66 year old will be in the Japanese coaching box for Kiss’s debut. The pair go way back, but the wily veteran would love nothing more than embarrassing his former employers in such a high profile clash.
I’ll be back with final team lists and more shortly. Please send me your emails and keep me company throughout the evening. The address is jonathan.howcroft.freelance@theguardian.com.
