Kiss relishing his Irish adventure

WHEN Declan Kidney was thinking of appointing Les Kiss as Ireland defence coach, he was immediately impressed by the attitude shown by the former Waratahs head coach.

Kiss flew in from Japan at short notice to talk to Kidney, for instance, which marked him down as a serious prospect; if the Ireland head coach wanted a character reference, he only had to consult former Australia coach Bob Dwyer, not a man to sprinkle compliments freely.

“Les works easily, in a relaxed but authoritative manner,” said Dwyer. “He has excellent man management skills and work ethic. His ability to present his thought process to players is equally excellent.