Reds coach Les Kiss says a host of ‘good leaders’ will ensure the right choice for the Wallabies captaincy is made

Reds boss Les Kiss says it will be “fantastic” if Queensland No.8 Harry Wilson retains the Wallabies captaincy but will back any leadership choice made by national coach Joe Schmidt. A 40-man Wallabies squad will be named on Thursday ahead of Australia’s opening Test of the year against Fiji in Newcastle on July 5. However, a captain reportedly won’t be named until the 23-man match-day squad is named two days before the game. Wilson is the incumbent skipper; however, in what’s a competitive battle for back-row spots in the Wallabies’ top 15, he’s no guarantee to be a starter. Other mooted candidates for the captaincy role include NSW Waratahs halfback Jake Gordon, ACT Brumbies prop Allan Alaalatoa, France-based lock Will Skelton and Wilson’s Reds teammate, star flanker Fraser McReight. Who should captain the Wallabies against the Lions? “There are some good leaders from across the states, so I don’t think you can get it wrong,” Kiss said in reflecting on the captaincy contenders. “He (Schmidt) is going to have some good options, and if Harry’s got it, fantastic. “He’s done it before, so that’s part of the positive side for him to go there again, but that’s for Joe to work out. “Joe’s got his plan for that and we’ll support whoever Joe selects.” Kiss will take over from Schmidt as Wallabies coach in July next year, but for now he’s focused ON his next two coaching tasks, both against the British and Irish Lions next month. The Reds host the Lions at Suncorp Stadium on July 2, and Kiss will also coach the AUNZ Invitational XV meeting tourists at Adelaide Oval on July 12. “It’s a nice little process that I’ve got ahead of me,” Kiss said. “There are processes in place about the type of personnel we’ll have in that (AUNZ) team, and those things will be sorted out over the next week. “There are going to be some exciting names that come into play, that’s for sure.” The Reds team to meet the Lions could also include some of the Queensland players named in the Wallabies’ 40-man squad on Thursday who are in need of football and might miss the final 23 for the Test against Fiji. They include flanker Seru Uru and lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, who missed latter stages of Queensland’s 2025 Super Rugby Pacific campaign with respective knee and shoulder injuries as well as centre Josh Flook, who missed several matches with a hamstring injury. “We’ll have a good understanding about the bulk of our side probably by Friday,” Kiss said. An upset win over the Lions would ease the Reds’ pain over being knocked out in the first week of the Super Rugby Pacific finals series for the fourth successive year. “We’ll definitely take some learnings forward. It was an unsatisfying end,” Kiss said. “The boys are … hungry, they’re focused, they’re committed, and those are the ingredients for us to get out on the training paddock, do what we do well, build a plan and back ourselves. “Our game is still strong, and it’s going to have to be even stronger against the British and Irish Lions.”