Wallabies coaching great John Connolly reveals concerns with 2027 Rugby World Cup preparation

“That doesn’t mean he’s not going to be successful, but he should’ve taken over immediately in January, February, and put his own assistant coaches in place. We need them preparing the whole year.”

Kiss said this week he had not found the juggling act of preparing for his Wallabies ascent while spearheading the Reds too daunting, declaring the “operational principles” in place and staff around him would ensure the transition was smooth.

But Connolly believed there were harsh realities awaiting him, as he himself had to address.

Beginning his 12-year tenure with the Reds in 1989, around the same time as Wayne Bennett took charge of the inaugural Brisbane Broncos, Connolly shared similar philosophies to the NRL coaching great.

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The pair still keep in touch, Connolly confirmed, and their success came by developing an individual rapport with their players.

Connolly oversaw Queensland rugby’s most successful era – winning a Super Six title, two Super 10 premierships, and two additional minor premierships, while ushering in a generation of talent including John Eales, Tom Horan and Michael Lynagh.

He also steered Stade Francais to glory, before becoming the Wallabies’ fourth-most-successful mentor, with 16 wins and a draw from 25 Tests. Such was his influence, Eales said if not for Connolly, he would not have achieved everything that he did – including two World Cup triumphs.

“All players are different and have private lives,” Connolly said. “Unless you understand a player and what makes them tick and how you can help them, it’s very hard for him to enjoy his game completely.”

Players under Connolly’s tutelage had given him their loyalty, and he agonised when it came time to drop players or move them on. That was especially difficult when he became an Australian selector in 1991, and is an obstacle he said Kiss will have to navigate.

“It puts him at odds with the Queensland players. I found it hard as an Australian selector – I’m trying to coach Queensland players to get them in the Queensland and Australian side, then not picking them,” Connolly said.

“The worst thing was dropping players who had been loyal to you; you tried to give them the heads-up, but that gave me sleepless nights. You’re there when their babies are born, you’re a massive part of their lives, and it can make them feel betrayed.”

Since his coaching days, Connolly has fought for better healthcare for spinal injury sufferers – partaking in charity initiatives, with proceeds from his book Bare Knuckles also going to The Perry Cross Foundation. 

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In 2021, while climbing a post on his father’s property, Connolly fell and was paralysed from below the chest. He’s now confined to a wheelchair.

“I landed face first in the dirt. I couldn’t move anything, things flashed before my eyes,” he recalled.

He spent 11 weeks in hospital, and regularly returns when complications arise. Connolly said there were not enough hospital beds and specialised staff to meet the demand of patients, particularly in regional areas, from which sufferers need to venture to bigger cities once they advance off waiting lists.

“I can’t speak highly enough about the way the staff treated me,” Connolly said.

“But I had beds that didn’t suit my injuries, staff weren’t trained in what they were doing – and it’s not the staff’s fault. The treatment you get in the first year depends how much recovery you get.

“By understaffing and the lack of facilities, it prevents people’s treatment in the first year. Your longevity depends on your care, and the care was poor, and it wasn’t the staff’s problem, it was the ratios to nurses problem.”

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