Ex-London Irish boss the ‘favourite’ to land top Super Rugby Pacific job – report

Former London Irish head coach Les Kiss is reportedly the favourite to replace Brad Thorn at Australian Super Rugby Pacific team, the Reds.

The 58-year-old has yet to land a new job following London Irish’s demise but looks set to return to his native Australia after stints at Ulster and the Exiles.

Kiss set for Queensland return

According to a report by?Roar, the Queensland Reds received approximately 40 applications to replace Thorn and have narrowed the list down to 10 applicants.

The Reds confirmed in April that Thorn would step down as head coach for the side at the end of the 2023 Super Rugby Pacific season.

The 48-year-old was in charge of the Reds for six seasons, their longest-serving head coach in more than two decades.

He guided the side to three straight Super Rugby Finals appearances (2020, 2021, 2022), including claiming the 2021 Super Rugby AU Championship.

Now, former Reds and Wallabies captain James Horwill and Rugby Australia chairman Paul McLean are part of the hiring process to find Thorn’s replacement.

The report adds that Kiss is understood to be the favourite to land the job after a successful season with London Irish in the Premiership last season – finishing fifth overall.

The former rugby league winger has also been lined up to replace Mike Blair as head coach of Edinburgh.

Current Junior Wallabies head coach Nathan Grey is also in the running for the job, as is Thorn’s assistant Mick Heenan.

Outside bets include Tonga head coach Toutai Kefu who could join as an assistant, while former Sale Sharks and Worcester coach Steve Diamond is a bolter for the role.

However, Diamond and former All Blacks coach Brad Mooar were considered for the role before the Reds opted for a local coach for the job instead. Finally, Scott Johnson is another outside bet.

Kiss’ coaching CV

Following his retirement from league, Kiss moved into coaching, working as an assistant for the London Broncos before switching to union in the early 2000s.

He joined the Springboks coaching staff as a defence coach in 2001 before returning to Australia with the Waratahs in 2002.

He helped the Waratahs reach two Super Rugby finals during his time with the side before heading north to join Declan Kidney’s Ireland coaching team in 2008. Kiss remained in the role until 2015 and helped Joe Schmidt win back-to-back Six Nations titles with Ireland in his last two years with the national team.

After the 2015 Rugby World Cup, Kiss joined Ulster as director of rugby and helped the side reach the 2016 PRO12 semi-finals before departing the Irish province in early 2018.

He was named as London Irish head coach in March 2018 and held that role until the side’s demise during the 2022/23 season.

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