As a replica of the 1989 Anzac jersey was unveiled in Adelaide by Rugby Australia’s hierarchy, AUNZ coach Les Kiss says he wants to “bash up” and “soften” the Lions on the eve of their series against the famed touring side.

Wallabies-coach-in-waiting Kiss was on hand in Adelaide alongside RA boss Phil Waugh as the duo showed off the AUNZ jersey on Friday.

While the classic cotton jersey is no longer, the jersey reprises the design from 36 years ago, when the Lions edged an Anzac side 19-15.

The much-anticipated jersey has gold at the top, white and green in the middle, and black at the bottom.

Les Kiss (R) and Phil Waugh (C) show off the AUNZ jersey in Adelaide ahead of the Invitational clash against the Lions. Photo: Rugby Australia, Julius Dimataga

Kiss will be joined in the coaching ranks by former All Blacks boss Ian Foster, Force coach Simon Cron and Reds assistant Zane Hilton.

Although just three New Zealanders – Franco Botica, Steve McDowell and Kieran Crowley – ended up taking the field for the Anzac side in 1989, Kiss gave hope that at least double that number could take the field at Adelaide Oval on July 12.

“I’d imagine anywhere from six to ten New Zealanders at least and the rest will be open,” Kiss said on Stan’s Rugby Heaven on Thursday.

Just who they are remains to be seen, with current All Blacks to miss the match because the three-time world champions will meet France in their own series.

Japan-based star Richie Mo’unga continues to be linked to the side, but whether he takes the field will likely be determined by how he recovers from hand surgery.

The quest to lure top-tier players to Adelaide has been made harder by the fact that insuring players, especially those over 32, doesn’t come cheap.

Kiss said the make-up of the side likely wouldn’t be known until a few days out because the Wallabies will play Fiji on July 6, while all four Super Rugby sides would play the Lions in the coming weeks, including the Brumbies on July 9 in Canberra.

Although many thought the game would be an opportunity to roll out some household names and give some big-name Wallabies a farewell, RA has made it known in recent weeks that they view the match as an opportunity to test their depth and provide opportunities for the next generation of Test stars.

“There’s talk about probably making sure we have enough avenue for Wallabies players to have access to that game, particularly as it’s the last major match before the Test series starts,” Kiss said.

“No doubt there’s going to be some moves in that area to get some players in there, to be able to give them more game time, and [give] Joe [Schmidt] and the coaching team at the Wallabies more insight to what they’re looking at in terms of their players.

“Make no mistake, we want to try and get that quality in, for sure, [but] in the right positions that allow us to expose the players that we want to. We don’t want to close out any opportunities for our [Australian] guys in certain positions. So, those discussions will be ongoing, and we need to be fluid right to the last minutes.”

The British and Irish Lions will be led down under by Andy Farrell and Maro Itoje (L). (Photo By Ben McShane/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Although Lions officials requested that an Australian A side be left off the heavy fixture list to ensure they aren’t playing effectively a ‘fourth’ Test, Kiss said his side weren’t approaching the match as a Barbarians clash and wanted to roughen up their opponents and set the tone for the series to come.

“I think if you look at what the possibilities could be in terms of personalities in that squad, there’s going to be a lot of competitive people there. They’ll want to do something special themselves,” Kiss said.

“I can’t see anything but a super competitive battle, really. They’re going to be loaded. They’re very physical, very talented right across the squad. We’ll do our best to get out there and bash them, for sure.”

He added: “We want to make sure we make it an enjoyable experience, but get out there and make sure we do a job that can soften the Lions up a bit for us.”

Meanwhile, Kiss, whose Reds side bowed out in the first week of finals for the fourth straight year, said no stone would be left unturned as they try to work out what’s needed to go to the next step.

“We’ve started our bunker reviews, coaches diving into some detail in terms of what we feel are the areas that we can continue to strengthen but make sure we understand to go to that next level,” he said.

“We’ll go into that quite deeply over the next two to three months.”