Australian rugby coach Les Kiss has confirmed his starting lineup for his inaugural Test match against Japan in Osaka this Saturday. In a move signaling a focus on continuity, Kiss has opted to start the inexperienced halves pairing of Ryan Lonergan and Declan Meredith.

Lonergan, a scrum-half for the Brumbies, previously started in the final three matches of the Wallabies' recent campaign. Meredith, his club teammate, joined him at fly-half for the last two of those fixtures, a pairing necessitated at the time by an injury crisis within the squad.

This selection marks the beginning of the Les Kiss era, as he looks to build upon the work of former coach Joe Schmidt. Schmidt concluded his two-year tenure with a record of 12 wins from 31 Tests. By retaining the Lonergan-Meredith combination, Kiss appears to be prioritizing familiarity between the two players, despite their relatively limited experience at the international level. The upcoming match against Eddie Jones’s Japan side will serve as the first test of this strategy under the new coaching staff.