Kevin Walters has one last assignment before joining St Helens – to deliver a fourth straight World Cup for Australia. But it won’t be easy for his unsettled Kangaroos. 

ST HELENS shocked the rugby league world in August by announcing Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters will join the decorated Super League club from 2027.

Spruiking his new gig, Walters described St Helens as a club that demands success. 

If that’s the standard at Saints, the burden of expectation weighs even more heavily when it comes to the Kangaroos. 

In his final assignment down under before heading to the UK to take charge of the Red Vee, Walters is tasked with keeping the World Cup on Australian soil. 

The hosts will certainly start warm favourites. But this isn’t the star-studded roster that enjoyed almost Harlem Globetrotters-like ascendency in years gone by. 

As the clock ticks down to the tournament kick-off on Thursday, 15th October, it’s not even clear who’ll run out for the Kangaroos against the Kiwis. Question marks cast a shadow over almost every position of Walters’ unsettled line-up. 

Let’s start at the top of the team sheet. Reece Walsh was arguably Australia’s best player in last year’s Ashes but an ankle injury ended his disappointing NRL campaign early. 

With Kalyn Ponga switching allegiance to New Zealand and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow declaring for Samoa, it leaves Walsh and James Tedesco – who has had three years out of the Test arena – to choose from.

In the halves, halfback Nathan Cleary would have been an automatc selection, but for the broken ankle sustained in Penrith’s semi-final defeat to Newcastle Knights.

Incumbent stand-off Cameron Munster hasn’t enjoyed his strongest year as Melbourne missed the finals for the first time since 2010 and Queensland failed to retain the Origin shield. 

Storm teammate Harry Grant is having a stronger campaign and slots straight into hooker. 

Elsewhere though Walters’ selection feels like a lottery. 

In the backline, Mark Nawaqanitawase is going back to rugby union, Gehamat Shibasaki lost his spot in the battling Broncos’ starting line-up and Josh Addo-Carr and Kotoni Staggs have suffered from their clubs’ quiet seasons, resulting in not a single regular club winger making the final squad.

Bradman Best and Jack Bostock could make an international debut while Latrell Mitchell has been recalled after four years out.

In the pack, Gold Coast captain Tino Fa’asuamaleaui has at least committed to the Aussies ahead of Samoa.

But injuries haven’t helped. Incumbent skipper Isaah Yeo has delayed surgery on his injured pectoral muscle in a bid to the fit for the World Cup, but fellow automatic selection Hudson Young was no chance due to his Achilles. 

Liam Martin, Cameron Murray, Patrick Carrigan and Lindsay Collins are all reliable options at least. 

The issue isn’t a lack of good players – Australia will always have the deepest reserves of talent. 

The problem is cohesion. The squad Walters ultimately picks simply won’t have played much together.

The Kangaroos have played just nine games since the last World Cup final, and the big names routinely sit out the post-season Tests. 

It means most players don’t have all that much experience at this level, nor playing with each other. 

There’s also a major question mark lingering over the coaches’ box. 

After eight years of the statesmanlike Mal Meninga, the Kangaroos appointed Walters for the 2025 tour of England. 

Walters’ CV as a player is surpassed by few rivals, scooping up trophy after trophy with Canberra, Brisbane, Queensland and Australia. His connection with Allan Langer will go down in the history books. 

But his resume as a coach is less accomplished. Two mixed years with Catalans Dragons. Four mixed Origin campaigns in charge of the Maroons. Four mixed seasons at the helm of the Broncos, making one Grand Final but missing every other finals series. 

Walters had no issues steering Australia to a 3-0 Ashes victory last October and November. But there are sterner tests waiting for Kevin’s Kangaroos this Australian spring at the World Cup. 

Of course, Australia has dominated this tournament for the past half-century. 

Since Great Britain took the silverware home from France in 1972, the Kangaroos have claimed nine of the last 10 titles. 

The only nation to have clawed the crown away was New Zealand in 2008 on Australian soil, upsetting the hosts 34-20 in the decider at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium. 

The Kiwis will be dreaming of a similar result at the same venue on 15th November this year. 

And they’re not the only team that will genuinely believe they have a chance of knocking out the heavyweights. 

Changes to international and State of Origin eligibility rules over the past decade have upgraded so-called tier-two nations Tonga and Samoa to the point they can genuinely challenge Australia, New Zealand and England.  

So laden with NRL guns are the two Pacific powerhouses that England may well have slipped down the pecking order behind them. 

International rugby league can struggle to capture the imagination of the Australian public, due to the Kangaroos’ lopsided dominance and media attention turning to cricket the moment the siren sounds on the NRL Grand Final. 

The steady stream of defections levelling the playing field helps give the Aussies some stiffer competition, while big expat communities down under ensure the stands will be full. 

As strong as Tonga and Samoa have become, and as much respect is always owed to perennial contenders New Zealand and England, anything less than an unbeaten run to World Cup glory would shock Australian supporters. 

That’s the job confronting Kevin Walters before he heads to Merseyside. No pressure, then.

First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 525 (October 2026)