Former Ireland and Ulster coach Les Kiss returns to Australia with Queensland Reds

Former Ireland and Ulster coach Less Kiss has returned to Ausatralia, where he has been appointed as head coach of the Queensland Reds in Super Rugby.

Kiss has agreed a three-year deal with his native Queensland, replacing Brad Thorn, who stepped down at the end of the Super Rugby Pacific season after six years in charge.

At London Irish since 2018, Kiss was left looking for a new job after the debt-ridden Exiles were thrown out of the Premiership last month for failing to pay their players and prove they had a financially viable future.

Working alongside Declan Kidney, Kiss helped London Irish to a fifth place finish in last season's Premiership, their highest finish since 2009, despite their financial troubles.

The Reds finished eighth in 12-team Super Rugby Pacific this season, losing in the quarter-finals after barely scraping into the playoffs with a 5-9 losing record.

"It was an attractive option. The opportunity to return home to Queensland and coach at a successful club in a new world-class facility at Ballymore was something which appealed to me greatly," Kiss said in a statement.

"The Reds have an exciting roster which I am really looking forward to working with."

As well as working with Kidney at London Irish (below), Kiss previously served as assistant to both he and Joe Schmidt at Ireland, helping them win two Six Nations titles, before moving on to become head coach at Ulster between 2015 and 2018.

Meanwhile, teams from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina will compete in a new Under-20 Rugby Championship from 2024, the governing body of southern hemisphere rugby, SANZAAR, announced on Thursday.

The annual tournament, set to serve as a springboard for young players hoping to break into senior teams,