June 6, 2026 — 7:55pmLes Kiss’ time at the helm of the Queensland Reds has come to an end, but the signs of fight his outfit showed in their qualifying final defeat to the Chiefs offers a glimmer of hope the Wallabies will soon become a world rugby juggernaut once again.It took a second-half double from All Blacks superstar Damian McKenzie to seal a 46-24 Chiefs triumph in Hamilton, whose game management after a quiet opening 40 minutes ultimately proved the difference.Damian McKenzie in action for the Chiefs.Getty ImagesNo Australian side has won a Super Rugby Pacific final on New Zealand soil, and that theme continued as the Reds suffered a fourth-straight qualifying final defeat to draw the curtain on Kiss’ Ballymore tenure before taking over the Australian Test side.This was a far cry from the hammering the Brumbies suffered at the hands of the Hurricanes, however, and the Wallabies faithful can take solace that Kiss will bring more than his philosophy of encouraging players to back their skill sets, but a determined resolve to match it with the globe’s best.Despite sending the opening kick-off of the game out on the full, gifting their Kiwi rivals and early three points, it was Lukhan Salakaia-Loto who crossed for the opening try of the night after a break from Fraser McReight created the territory.It took less than a minute for the Chiefs to strike back, however, through Kyren Taumoefolau, and they were quick to score again off a rolling maul through Samisoni Taukei’aho shortly after Salakaia-Loto was issued a yellow card when his shoulder made contact with Wallace Sitili’s head.Lukhan Salakaia-Loto is tackled.Getty ImagesEven with the Reds lock on the sidelines, his side continued to fight – a McReight turnover leading to Aidan Ross scoring against his former club, with a penalty goal handing the Queenslanders the lead.It took Taumoefolau scoring his second after the half-time siren sounded, on the back of an onslaught of phase pressure, to hand the hosts the ascendancy, with a second-half double to All Blacks superstar Damian McKenzie all but sealing the result.There was little more McReight could have done to inspire history, with the Reds skipper forcing another turnover to earn the opportunity for Matt Faessler to cut the margin down.A late try to Chiefs fullback Isaac Hutchinson blew the scoreboard out to a deficit that did not do justice to the efforts Queensland put out in torrential conditions. They will be left to rue a moment in the second half, when the Chiefs countered more than 20 phases on their line, before a scrum play shortly after led to winger Treyvon Pritchard being dragged into touch.“We put in a great shift there and went into half-time full of confidence. They were probably able to execute a lot better than we were … we did throw everything into it, and the fight from our group all year has been outstanding,” McReight said.What now for Kiss – and who garners Wallabies jumpers?Kiss will now begin preparations to succeed Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt, with the latter confirming his former Ireland assistant would be brought into the fold for his final three Tests in charge.Schmidt will officially vacate the role in July and hand Kiss the baton, and he said in May the plan was for the outgoing Reds honcho to be actively involved in preparations for clashes against Ireland, France and Italy.At the time, Schmidt said Kiss would be heavily involved in selection discussions for those international clashes, while stressing those decisions had always been a collective approach between the entire coaching staff.“I’ll definitely involve Les in anything selection-wise. I’ll always run things past Les, and there’s a little bit of influence he can have in those first three Tests for selection right from the start,” Schmidt said.“The way we play, we kind of have to hit the ground running. You’re playing two of the team teams in the world first up – Ireland and France – it’s not like we can afford to change a huge amount in terms of the language we use or the performances behaviours.”McReight and incumbent captain Harry Wilson are all but certain to feature in Australia’s first Test on July 4, while Carter Gordon appears the frontrunner to clinch the Wallabies’ five-eighth duties.Salakaia-Loto has spoken previously of his disappointment to miss out on selection for the British and Irish Lions tour in 2025, but his form should ensure he is at the forefront of considerations in the tight five, with his aggression either side of the ball palpable throughout the campaign.Flanker Joe Brial is another who produced a career-best year under Kiss, managing 14 starting appearances, while the versatile Filipo Daugunu – who finished the regular season inside the competition’s top 10 for metres gained (654) and offloads (19) – a top contender to feature in the backline.Fullback Jock Campbell has reshaped himself in 2026, leading the competition for metres gained (987) while offering a composed head at the back, and is every chance of adding to his four Test caps earned in 2022.Zane Nonggorr, Massimo De Lutiis and Faessler will come into front-row consideration, while the sight of Tate McDermott in full flight was a promising one.The Queensland halfback managed just three Super Rugby games after undergoing surgery on a severely torn hamstring suffered against the All Blacks last year, but has been sharp around the ruck and probed threatening often – as he did against the Chiefs, with one run laying the foundation for Salakaia-Loto’s try.“I would have loved to have done more for the side, but it’s good to be back,” McDermott told Stan Sport.“We’re all pretty gutted and lost for words a little bit because we had that game, and we just let go of the rope a little bit too many times.”From our partners