Two of those blossoming prospects will go head-to-head on Saturday night when the Reds clash with the Waratahs at Suncorp Stadium, with Queensland speedster Tim Ryan eager to stand out above Wallabies sensation Max Jorgensen.
It was Jorgensen who masterminded New South Walesโ 36-12 triumph of the Reds in round one โ scoring twice and running for 99 metres, in what has been an eye-catching launch to his campaign.
The 21-year-old boasts six tries this season (second in the competition), and has made more clean breaks than any Australian rugby player in 2026.
Kiss stressed the kicking game of Reds five-eighth Carter Gordon would be a key to limiting Jorgensenโs influence, suggesting it would take a combination of kicking away from him and pinning him deep into his own corner.
โWeโre going to have to make sure we keep space at a minimum for him. You give him space, and heโs dangerous, so weโre going to have to be strong in our defence around the edges, and if our kicking game is loose, heโll use that space very well,โ Kiss said.
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โHeโs a dangerous proposition for sure, so we need to be very accurate with what we do with our kicking game, our chase needs to be strong, our one-on-one tackles in the middle of the field need to be strong so we can load our defence and not offer him the space he does revel in.โ
But Kiss also backed Ryan, who was rested from last weekโs 34-31 defeat of the Brumbies in Canberra, to rise to the occasion of matching it with Australiaโs leading winger.
After the 22-year-old burst out of the blocks in his 2024 debut season, scoring two hat-tricks, he was brought back to earth last year, but produced one of his most complete performances against the Highlanders two weeks ago โ scoring a try, setting up another, and laying the foundation for a third through a scything run.
โTimmyโs in a good space for sure. Every session I see something grow out of him โฆ I think heโs just going to come out of the ground even further over the next few weeks,โ Kiss said.
The Reds will still be without Wallabies duo Hunter Paisami (lower limb) and Tom Lynagh (hamstring), while 11-Test Wallaby Josh Nasser will also start at hooker, fresh from announcing a two-year contract extension with Queensland and declaring he never entertained other offers.
โIโm a Queenslander through and through, with the lads weโve got here, weโre brewing something pretty special,โ Nasser said.
โThere was no real other option for me.โ
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