Joe Schmidt will stay on as Wallabies coach for the Spring Tour and until the middle of 2026 as part of a coaching transition that will see Les Kiss only step up at the end of his contract with Queensland next year. The drawn-out appointment of Kiss as the man to succeed Schmidt as next Wallabies coach will be finally confirmed on Wednesday, with the Queensland coach becoming the fifth man to hold the role in seven years. But as part of a complex handover plan, Kiss won’t begin the role until July 2026, after the Reds finish up their Super Rugby season. Schmidt, who announced in February he will depart of the Rugby Championship in October, has agreed to stay on a further eight months, and will oversee the Wallabies’ Spring Tour.