Brave Blossoms Fall to Fiji in Centenary Clash in Tokyo
The Brave Blossoms fell to a narrow 28-34 defeat against Fiji on Saturday, October 24, in an entertaining and fiercely contested encounter at Tokyo’s Chichibunomiya stadium. The Lipovitan D Challenge Cup 2026 match formed part of an historic double header celebrating the Japan Rugby Football Union’s 100th anniversary. With driving rain falling all day, the match was played in tough, slippery conditions in front of a crowd just shy of 16,000.
Wearing specially designed commemorative jerseys, Japan crossed for four converted tries to match their visitors, however two second half penalties to Fiji’s replacement flyhalf Ben Volavola at the 60th and 69th minute mark proved the difference. The six-point advantage was enough to give the Flying Fijians the victory and avenge their 20-15 defeat in last month’s Asahi Super Dry Pacific Nations Cup Final at the same venue.
The match was a closely fought affair from the outset, with both sides scoring three converted tries in an action-packed opening half. Japan made the perfect start when co-captain Naoto Saito crossed from a driving maul in the sixth minute, with fullback Takuro Matsunaga adding the conversion. Fiji responded almost immediately with two tries of their own to take a 7-14 advantage.
Japan hit back through co-captain Warner Dearns, who powered through the Fijian defence to level the scores at 14-14 in the 22nd minute. However, the visitors regained the initiative just minutes later, capitalising on a loose Japanese pass to score their third try.
With the rain making handling increasingly challenging, Japan continued to press forward, making good use of their driving maul. Fiji were reduced to 14 men in the 34th minute following a yellow card for a dangerous tackle, which was subsequently upgraded to a red. The Brave Blossoms immediately capitalised, with number eight Faulua Makisi crossing from another powerful maul to bring the scores level at 21-21 heading into halftime.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, Fiji struck first after the restart before Japan responded once again through Dearns, with the towering lock forcing his way over from close range for his second try of the afternoon. Matsunaga maintained his perfect record from the tee, converting all four Japanese tries to level the scores at 28-28 with just over 25 minutes remaining.
Fiji’s strength at the breakdown and ability to disrupt Japan’s attacking momentum proved decisive in the final quarter. Following Volavola’s two penalty goals, Fiji had done enough to secure a hard-fought victory.
Speaking after the match, Japan Head Coach Eddie Jones said:
“Firstly, congratulations to Jake and the Fiji team. I’m glad to see Jake back coaching at international level.
“Today we were beaten in the air, beaten on the ground. We lost those two areas of the game and Fiji were better, much better at contesting the breakdown and we weren’t able to get the advantage in the scrum that we had in the previous game.”
While the result was disappointing, the Brave Blossoms will take positives from their four tries, including two from Dearns, and the effectiveness of their driving maul. The match also provided valuable experience ahead of a challenging November campaign against three tough European opponents.
Japan will now turn their attention to the Nations Championship, travelling to Europe to face Wales in Cardiff on November 7, followed by England and Scotland over the subsequent two weekends. With Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia now just one year away, the upcoming matches will provide another important opportunity for Jones and his squad to build consistency and test themselves against some of the world’s leading rugby nations.