Les Kiss: Wallabies Ready to Test Springboks

Les Kiss has set out how he sees the Wallabies' chances against the Springboks in Sydney next Sunday.

"We have the Springboks in front of us next Sunday."

South Africa arrive as world No 1 after three straight wins over the All Blacks, a team Australia have not beaten since 2020. The Wallabies sit seventh in the world rankings. Erasmus's side are rated heavy favourites for a third straight major tournament in 13 months.

Kiss has drawn on an unlikely reference for inspiration: a documentary about "Move 32", the play that let an AI program beat the world's best Go player by AlphaGo. He linked that idea to David Campese and what he called "the Wallaby Way" — playing without being bound by orthodox method.

Australia have not been shy about the scale of the task. Kiss framed Sunday's 80 minutes as a test not just of tactics but of identity, a chance to find out where his side stands against the game's dominant team. Speaking to reporters ahead of the fixture, he put the gap between the two sides in blunt terms.

"It’s a massive opportunity to challenge a fantastic team that is second to none in the world. An opportunity to challenge ourselves too. We won’t shy away; we’ll take it on. This 80 minutes will be a representation of where we’re at – and who we are. When you’re not constrained by conventions, anything is possible, isn’t it?"

Kiss did not stop at the comparison with Campese. He traced his coaching outlook back to Campese.

"Look at David Campese – unconventional, unconstrained, unpredictable. That’s ‘the Wallaby Way’. The beauty of those skills is you understand the moment, you feel the game, you sense what’s important now. It’s a sweet spot that seems mysteriously out of reach until there’s enough firepower or brain power."