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'Small steps': The ex-All Blacks coach in charge of reshaping Wallabies defence
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Incoming Wallabies head coach Less Kiss has brought in former All Blacks assistant Scott McLeod from the Kubota Spears with his first coaching group.
McLeod, a former All Black himself, was an understated member of the All Blacks under former coaches Steve Hansen and Ian Foster from 2017 to 2023, widely regarded as the defence coach.
During the Hansen years and under McLeod, the All Blacks were a strong counter-attacking side using defence to fuel their attack from forced turnovers and errors.
Kiss hinted that they want to turn the Wallabies defence “into a weapon” to attack from indicating McLeod will shape the Wallabies in the same way.
“Over the last for the last six months, I’ve talked to Scotty about defence and where he wants to take that, and obviously there’s going to be some focus on that area,” Kiss told media at Allianz Stadium in Sydney.
“It’s [McLeod] a new voice. In the last week, we’ve just dug down deeper into what that’s going to look like, smell like, feel like.
“So those things will be presented to the players very early in the piece.
“You know, one thing’s for certain that we want to make sure that it becomes a weapon for us that we can attack with it. How that looks, we’ll find out.”
Joe Schmidt finished as Wallabies head coach against Italy with 12 wins from 31 matches during his three-year run, a return of 38.7 per cent.
Kiss has had an observing handover period from Schmidt and will resist changing the structures too fast, instead making “small steps” to evolve the Wallabies into the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
He insisted it’s an evolution not a revolution for the Wallabies, building on the foundation established by Schmidt.
“But we we’re going to take small steps. You know, we don’t want to go in and change everything, or or make or make massive change,” he said.
“We want to make sure he went the right steps. And he’s [McLeod] got a logical way that he’s looking at the defence.
“And I know the boys will buy into it. And of course, ultimately, you need you need strong defence for any campaign.”
The Wallabies will kick-off the Kiss era with two Tests home-and-away against Japan next month.
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