Japan U23 Secure Second Straight Win Down Under
Japan U23 remain undefeated on their four-match tour of Australia, notching up a 31–43 victory over the Australian Stockmen in Kempsey on the New South Wales North Coast. The win follows their 39–43 victory over Fiji U20 four days earlier in Grafton.
The visitors started strongly, racing to a 12-point half-time lead (7–19), with their agility and slick backline play proving a challenge for their hosts. Made up of the best country players from across the region, the Stockmen represented a significant step up in both size and physicality compared to Japan’s earlier match against Fiji.
While Japan were able to use their speed to good effect early on, running around an opposition that held a noticeable size advantage across the park, the second half saw the Stockmen draw closer as the visitors began to tire. Having played two matches in four days, the impact of travel, along with their training and match schedule, started to take its toll on Japan.
Commenting after the match, Japan Head Coach Eddie Jones said:
“It was a good, tough game. The Stockmen really lifted the physicality which was a good learning experience for our young players on how to battle through a difficult situation. Looking towards our next match, the level is going to increase significantly. Australia U20 are the best young players in the country and they’re looking sharp. It’s going to be a good challenge for us. We’ve got two days to get ready and we’re lucky in that we don’t have a lot of injuries, which is fantastic considering we’ve played two games in four days. We’ll now work on getting the boys ready and give it a red-hot go.”
Having won their first two matches, Japan now set their sights on the toughest fixture of the tour when they take on Australia U20 this Saturday, 11 April, in Coffs Harbour, a 90-minute drive north of Kempsey. With Australia U20 having defeated Fiji U20 55–21, there is no doubt the weekend’s match will represent a significant step up. With the squad relatively injury-free and having targeted this fixture from the outset, Japan will be ready to give it everything as they aim to complete the tour undefeated.
Japan U23 2026 Australian Tour
Saturday 4 April
Fiji U20 vs Japan U23
39-48 (W)
Grafton
Wednesday 8 April
Stockman, Australia vs Japan U23
31-43 (W)
Kempsey
Saturday 11 April
Australia U20 vs Japan U23
19:00 Kick-off (18:00 Japan Time)
Coffs Harbour
Tuesday 14 April
Randwick vs Japan U23
14:00 Kick-off (13:00 Japan Time)
Randwick Rugby Club, Sydney