Japan Fall Just Short to Australia in Tokyo
The Brave Blossoms came up agonisingly short against the Wallabies, going down by just four points at a wet and drizzly National Stadium in Tokyo. Having kept the seventh ranked Australians in site on the scoreboard for the entire match, Australia held on for a gritty 15-19 win. While the players and coaching team would have been bitterly disappointed with the result, the four-point margin is the closest ever between the two sides across the seven test matches contested to date.
Both teams came into the match looking to play fast, attacking rugby, however the Tokyo weather gods had other ideas. With drizzling rain falling throughout the match, and across the previous day, the pitch was slow and heavy. While it forced the teams to adapt accordingly, handling from both sides was first-rate considering the greasy ball and slippery conditions.
Australia looked to stamp their authority early, controlling the ball and dominating in attack. The Brave Blossoms, while struggling to impose their own attack, put in a solid defensive effort, blunting numerous Aussie raids with their blanket defence, two-up tackles and several bone-crunching hits. This took its toll on the visitors with starting lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, and his replacement, Josh Canham both going off injured in the first half.
While Australia had injuries to contend with, Japan had to manage two first half yellow cards. Adding to an already heavy defensive workload due to the heavy conditions, the Brave Blossoms moved past both cards relatively unscathed, keeping the scoreboard close throughout the match.
Trailing 3-14 at halftime, Japan would have gone into the sheds with the knowledge that there was still everything to play for. They stood a strong chance of taking the match if they could match the quality of their attack in the second half with the level of their first half defensive effort.
The first ten minutes of the second stanza saw an arm wrestle with both sides launching attacking raids, yet being unable to come up with points. The deadlock was broken in the 52nd minute with Japanese tighthead Shuhei Takeuchi crashing over from close range for the Brave Blossoms first try.
Five minutes later, Australia replied with a try to number seven Carlo Tizzano. It was just reward for the tireless Western Force backrower who had been denied twice by the TMO in the first half. Missing the subsequent conversion, Australia led Japan 8-19.
Japan responded minutes later with a try to blindside flanker Ben Gunter, with the ensuing conversion bringing the score to 15-19. With a full 20 minutes left to play and Japan starting to take more control over proceedings, things were looking tense for the Wallabies, and the smattering of gold clad supporters among a sizeable National Stadium crowd, just shy of 42,000.
With Australia holding on to their slim lead, Japan Head Coach Eddie Jones looked to have pulled off a potential masterstroke. Having kept the majority of his bench in place, with ten minutes remaining on the clock he emptied the pine, flooding the field with fresh Japanese legs.
Smelling an upset and bolstered by their reserves, the Brave Blossoms mounted wave after wave of attack against the Wallabies, yet the visitors managed to hold firm. When they regained possession with three minutes remaining on the clock, the Aussies held onto the ball, keeping it bunched in the forwards as they wound down the clock to secure the win.
Commenting after the match, a visibly disappointed Brave Blossoms Head Coach Eddie Jones said:
“We’re disappointed that we weren’t able to find the best versions of ourselves, within the first 30 minutes particularly. We struggled to do the simple things well, through a number of factors – a bit of nerves and Australia paying a lot of attention to certain areas to put pressure on the ball, which they did particularly well. But what I am super pleased about is that now we’re a team that stays in the fight. We don’t go away, we stay in there and we get going. We could have won the game in the end, but we weren’t quite good enough. For a young team we can take a lot of positives from it.”
The Brave Blossoms now set their sights on their four-match Autumn tour to Europe where they will face World Champions South Africa at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday, November 1. The then go to Dublin to play Ireland, followed by matches against Wales in Cardiff and Georgia in Tbilisi.
Japan National Team Autumn Match Schedule
Saturday 18 October
JAPAN XV vs Australia A (Uncapped)
7-71 (L)
Asahi Super Dry CHALLENGE MATCH 2025
YODOKO Sakura Stadium, Osaka
Friday 24 October
Hong Kong China vs JAPAN XV (Uncapped)
14-59 (W)
Kai Tak Stadium, Hong Kong
Saturday 25 October
Japan vs Australia
14-19 (L)
Lipovitan D Challenge Cup 2025
National Stadium, Tokyo
Saturday 1 November
Japan vs South Africa
Lipovitan D Tour 2025
London
Saturday 8 November
Ireland vs Japan
Autumn Nations Series
Dublin
Saturday 15 November
Wales vs Japan
Autumn Nations Series
Cardiff
Saturday 22 November
Georgia vs Japan
Tbilisi