One hundred and eighteen days on from when Rugby Australia [RA] first flagged having some clarity on the Wallabies coach for the run to Rugby World Cup 2027, Queensland Reds boss and former State of Origin winger Les Kiss has finally been anointed as Joe Schmidt's eventual successor.
But not before one last twist in a succession plan that has had more turns than a garden maze.
RA on Wednesday morning at last confirmed Kiss would replace Schmidt, but not until after the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season. The Kiwi has meanwhile agreed to another extension that will see him stay on as Wallabies coach until the same juncture, encompassing a further 14 Tests.
"My intention to finish at the end of this year's Rugby Championship has been adjusted to fit with Les' availability," Schmidt said via a media release on Wednesday morning.
"It has certainly been a privilege to be involved with the Wallabies - the staff and players have worked hard but we all know there's a lot more hard work ahead of us with the British and Irish Lions here in a few months' time.
"For my family, the extension until the end of next July means that they will spend more time with me in Sydney so we will hopefully find a good balance."
Kiss has meanwhile signed a deal with RA that begins in the middle of 2026 and will see him lead the Wallabies at Rugby World Cup 2027 and through to the end of 2028.
"It's an incredibly exciting time for Australian rugby and I am humbled by the opportunity to serve as Wallabies Head Coach from next year," Kiss said. "Joe and I have a strong relationship and a long history of working together, and I am looking forward to building upon the excellent foundations he has laid with the Wallabies.
"I am thrilled to continue with the Reds for the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season before transitioning into the Wallabies environment. To coach our national team through such an important period, highlighted by a home Rugby World Cup in 2027, is the honour of a lifetime and an opportunity I am truly grateful for.
"I look forward to contributing to the continued growth of Australian rugby."
The Reds had long hoped that Kiss would see out his original three-year contract, and he will now do so after weeks of back-and-forth between RA and the Queensland Rugby Union [QRU].
ESPN understands there have been some tense negotiations between the parties. Sources with knowledge of the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity said RA executives entered negotiations with a bullish attitude, having not perhaps understood why the QRU would not simply release its head coach.
The Reds, having identified and recruited Kiss after Brad Thorn's departure, and then built a successful coaching team around him, felt somewhat taken aback by RA's early advances, particularly given the team had taken significant strides in the past two years, playing a brand of rugby that was starting to bring the crowds back to Suncorp Stadium.
According to a source, RA had since tread a more cautious line and both parties are now satisfied with their respective outcomes, which will be formalised later this week. ESPN understands both sides eventually worked constructively to reach a resolution that has been described by on stakeholder as a genuinely positive result for both the QRU and RA.
It's understood that RA baulked at a compensation payout that would have secured Kiss' release after this year's Super Rugby season.
The fact that 16,924 people showed up to watch the Reds down the Blues on Friday night, in terrible conditions, reflects the growing affinity for the team in Brisbane. They also enjoyed a season-high crowd of 20,072 for the visit of the Waratahs earlier in the year.
Given the Queensland Rugby Union continues to operate the Reds' Super Rugby license, unlike the Waratahs and Brumbies who are now both operated by RA, it is no surprise that those at Ballymore were intent on achieving the best result possible for the organisation.
Still, RA boss Phil Waugh insisted recently that the RA was happy with the alignment it had across the Australian rugby ecosystem, describing it as being "very healthy".
Waugh said he had also wanted to manage the disruption across Australian rugby in the search for a new Wallabies coach, the chief executive adamant that goal had been achieved with the Kiss-Schmidt succession plan.
"We are delighted Joe will continue as Wallabies' head coach for an additional year before handing over to the vastly experienced and credentialed Les Kiss in 2026," Waugh said. "I have always been a big believer in the importance of team culture and, in Joe and Les, we have successive Wallabies head coaches who have built some of the strongest cultures in Australia and around the world.
"RA made clear from the outset our goal of achieving continuity with the Wallabies and minimal disruption to Super Rugby clubs. Joe remaining with the Wallabies for an additional year and Les taking over after completing his final year with the Reds means we have achieved both outcomes, which I'm sure will be welcomed by rugby fans across the country.
"We are confident we have landed on the best possible outcome which allows Australian rugby to enter its next, exciting chapter with confidence and clarity."
Kiss' eventual coronation to the top job in Australian rugby comes more than 20 years after he first ventured into rugby coaching as the Springboks' defence coach in 2001. He has since held assistant roles with the Waratahs, Australia Under 21, Australia A and eventually with Ireland, where he worked under Schmidt, before he became director of rugby at Irish province Ulster and then with London Irish in England.
London Irish's banishment from the Premiership in 2023 left Kiss a free agent, when the QRU then moved to bring him home as coach of the Reds on a three-year deal.
While acknowledging his interest in the role early in the piece, Kiss was loathe to speak on the subject even when it was confirmed Schmidt would be extending his tenure six games beyond the original contract he signed at the beginning of last year.
Kiss' time under Schmidt had always put him in pole position to replace the New Zealander, particularly given the former All Blacks assistant had flagged his interest in maintaining a relationship with the Wallabies in a consultancy role.
Attention will soon turn to who, if any, of his Queensland assistants Kiss decides to take with him to the Wallabies. Forwards coach Zane Hilton is highly rated at Ballymore, with the QRU potentially keen to have him succeed Kiss as Reds coach.
What that means for current Wallabies assistants Laurie Fisher, Geoff Parling and Mike Cron is also unknown, though famed Kiwi scrum coach Cron could potentially fulfil a consultancy role like the one Schmidt is expected to step into.
Whether Kiss spends some time with the Wallabies still in 2025 in a observatory role is also unknown, though one source said that was not part of the negotiations to this point.