If Wallabies coach Les Kiss was feeling the heat of his debut as coach, there was no sign on his face as he went over his team for Saturday in Osaka
The former Reds coach cut a relaxed figure as he embraced his arrival into the Test arena as a head coach, almost two decades on from his first taste in South Africa.
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There was a trademark peace sign to journalists online, almost 7,500 kilometres from the action, whilst he was classy as ever as he started his press conference by sending his best to injured Warringah hooker Wes Thomas after his neck injury.
The former Reds coach was in his typical chatty nature as he approached the high-pressure situation with a smile on his face.
“I feel pretty good actually. I'm really pleased with how the coaching team have come together, I've got to say,” he said to reporters.
“I'm really pleased with how people have accepted some new ways and the approaches that I've got and how the new coaching team want to do things.
“We're not changing a lot but we're certainly making a difference in certain areas so when I reflect on that I feel pretty good that that's gone in a really strong direction.”
The heat is impossible to avoid in Osaka as the country goes through a heatwave, with a typhoon warning also off the coast of Japan.
The air resembles a bowl of tonkotsu ramen such is its thickness, with players battling the humidity throughout training as trainers and S & C staff worked overtime to cool them.
Kiss referred to selection as a ‘horses for courses’ type situation and with the amount of Queenslanders picked, it’s easy to see how much the heat will play a factor.
There are eight Reds in the squad, not including Queensland natives Declan Meredith and Taniela Tupou.
Cairns-bred Meredith will be right at home, with water breaks and further heat policy levers set to be adopted for the match.
Prop Aidan Ross, set for his first start, is a naturalised Queenslander now after his arrival from New Zealand and likened conditions to a gruelling pre-season day at Ballymore.
Ross has played under Kiss for both the Reds and AUNZ, seeing little change from the former Irish assistant throughout his transition into the national set-up.
“It’s still him, just a different colour top on,” Ross said.
“He loves his job. He's passionate and what you see is what you get from him.
“…I really enjoyed Les as a coach. He's passionate and love how he cares about the family side of things but when it’s training time, it’s time to train. He really gets the whole picture right and I love playing for him.”
Kiss knows there’s added noise to come, whether that’s from opposition coach Eddie Jones across this two-Test series or from the wider Rugby public as next year’s World Cup nears.
But for Kiss, he remains steadfast in the moment, ready for the flames of battle to arise.
“On a personal level, it's cool. I'm really enjoying this process,” he reflects.
“I don't take this lightly at all. I'm loving it. Smooth waters at the moment, they can get rough at any time. I'm ready for the ride.”
