The Wallabies have emerged as genuine contenders for next year’s Rugby World Cup as they prepare to extend a five-match unbeaten run against the All Blacks, with lock Jeremy Williams declaring Australia can end a 27-year wait and claim the Webb Ellis Cup on home soil.
Final tickets for the global tournament went on sale Thursday, marking one year until the opening match between the Wallabies and Hong Kong in Perth. More than half of the 2.5 million tickets have already been sold, with 43 percent purchased by overseas buyers.
Australia now sits sixth in the world rankings, a significant climb from the historic low of 10th recorded three years ago following their pool-stage exit at the 2023 World Cup. Williams played a key role in helping the Wallabies defeat the world champion Springboks — albeit an experimental line-up — in Perth on Sunday.
“The team we’ve got, the players, coaching staff, and the drive, the care that we have for each other and playing for that Wallaby jersey … I’d back us in every day of the week,” Williams said.
Former Wallaby Tim Horan, a World Cup winner in both 1991 and 1999, believes the tournament is wide open, with any of the top 10 sides capable of lifting the trophy.
“The Wallabies, the way that they’ve got some momentum with Les [Kiss]. I think what Les is doing, the style and the brand of the Wallabies are tracking pretty well for the World Cup in a year’s time,” he said.
Kiss himself insists he and the players remain focused on the short term, though he acknowledged the team’s positive trajectory, which includes a first series victory in Argentina and Sunday’s dramatic 42-38 triumph over the Springboks.
“The way that they’ve gone about their business is very impressive,” he said. “Even after the game on the weekend, there was a sense of dissatisfaction, you know, some of the things they let go with the game, getting down to 11 men, but some great qualities came through with that.”
Kiss’s side faces a formidable challenge against the All Blacks in two weeks at Eden Park, where New Zealand has not lost since 1994 — a streak spanning 53 Tests. Following a winless series against South Africa, the All Blacks are desperate to avoid four consecutive defeats for the first time since 1998.
The Wallabies have not beaten their trans-Tasman rivals in six years and will be without suspended centre Hunter Paisami, while lock Josh Canham and centre Len Ikitau are in doubt due to injury. Prop Taniela Tupou and flanker Tom Hooper are also unavailable after returning to their European clubs. Uncapped 22-year-old Toby Macpherson has been called into the squad as cover for both lock and back row.
Ahead of the NRL grand final — the rugby league farewell for Roosters duo Mark Nawaqanitawase and Angus Crichton before their switches to union — Kiss emphasised that no player has been guaranteed a Wallabies spot.
“Even the players that everyone says they’re nailed on, I know that they’re driven now just to make sure they don’t drop their guard in any way,” he said. “For guys like Angus and Marky Mark, they’ve got to come in and they’ve got to do the work.”