A Daunting 2026 Schedule for the Wallabies
The Wallabies return home licking their wounds after a disastrous 2025 season that saw them lose seven of their last eight Tests and complete the first winless tour of Europe since 1958. The recently unveiled 2026 fixture list offers little immediate relief, promising to prolong the team's considerable hangover.
Fans who endured a year characterised by yellow cards, unstable lineouts, and disorganised play will be dismayed to learn that Australia will host just six of their 14 Tests at home next year. To make matters worse, the first three of these home fixtures are against nations – Ireland, France, and Italy – who all defeated the Wallabies in the recent November internationals.
The Self-Inflicted Coaching Headache
Perhaps the most significant challenge is one of their own making: an awkward handover of coaching duties between incumbent Joe Schmidt and his successor, Les Kiss. The transition is scheduled to occur midway through the new Nations Championship, following home Tests against Ireland in Sydney, France in Brisbane, and Italy at a location yet to be confirmed.
Rugby Australia has marketed the plan as an "orderly transfer", designed to cause minimal disruption. The arrangement hinges on Kiss completing his contract with the Queensland Reds in July before joining the national setup. This plan gives the 60-year-old coach a mere 11 Tests with the squad before the 2027 Rugby World Cup begins on home soil.
RA boss Phil Waugh has expressed confidence, stating, "It’s certainly a good plan. We’ve just got to execute." However, this complex handover evokes uncomfortable memories of the failed 2023 "smash and grab" operation that saw Dave Rennie sacked and Eddie Jones parachuted in, resulting in a catastrophic World Cup campaign.
A Baptism of Fire for Les Kiss
Kiss's initiation as Wallabies coach could hardly be tougher. His first assignment in August 2026 is a two-Test series against Eddie Jones's Japan, a team Schmidt's men only narrowly defeated 19-15 in October. He will have just three weeks to prepare the side for the first Test away, with the return fixture in Townsville.
The challenges compound from there, with away Tests against world number six Argentina. Schmidt's own encounters with Los Pumas in 2024 were a rollercoaster, featuring a narrow 20-19 victory followed by a historic 67-27 collapse after leading 20-3.
Kiss, a former league winger famed for his speed and ferocious defence, must quickly imprint his philosophy on a side recently guilty of the deadliest sin in Australian sport: being boring. His primary mission will be to unlock the potential of key players like centre Len Ikitau, the high-profile Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, and livewire fullback Tom Wright.
Crucially, he must solve the playmaker conundrum, identifying a reliable fly-half at number 10 and a general at scrum-half. Reds players Carter Gordon and Tate McDermott will be under his watchful eye all season, but both need to set Super Rugby alight to earn the nod.
Glimmers of Hope in a Tough Calendar
The centrepiece of Australia's 2026 season will be a one-off shootout against South Africa on 27 September. This match represents Kiss's biggest test. Schmidt's men showed what is possible in August, fighting back from a 0-22 deficit to beat the world's top side 38-22. A home victory over the Springboks would be a monumental achievement.
Such a result could make the All Blacks seem beatable, even in New Zealand, where no Wallabies side has won since John Eales's team in 2001. With the Bledisloe Cup lost for over two decades, and another two-Test duel scheduled for 2026, Rugby Australia desperately needs the second game in Sydney to be more than a pride-salvaging mission.
The year concludes with a demanding tour against England, Scotland, and Wales. The collapse at the end of 2025, where a promising season disintegrated into a 25-7 drubbing by England and subsequent losses to Italy, Ireland, and France, consigned the Wallabies to a record 10 defeats in a single year for the first time in their history.
While a new year and a new coach bring fresh hope, the dawn of 2026 might yet deliver fresh challenges for a talented but troubled side. The hangover from 2025 is severe, and the path to recovery looks long and arduous.
