Japan Defeated in Dublin Following Second Half Irish Blitz
Japan fell to Ireland 41-10 in Dublin over the weekend in the second fixture of their four-match Lipovitan D Tour 2025 to Europe. In what was a tale of two halves, Japan were well in the match at half time, trailing by just seven points with the score at 17-10. But a last quarter surge by the Irish saw the home side post four second half tries as the Brave Blossoms’ defence started to lose its shape, allowing the men in green more space to attack.
As with their match against Australia two weeks back in Tokyo, Japan’s defence was solid in the first half. Their sound defensive structures and never-say-die attitude kept them well and truly in the fight, disrupting the Irish attack and opening up attacking opportunities of their own. Aside from a late first half try to hooker Kenji Sato off the back of a driving maul, Japan would have been frustrated not to have converted more of their opportunities into points.
The first 20 minutes of the second half saw a subtle shift in Japan’s defensive posture as it moved from the control and composure of the first half, to holding out what looked to be an oncoming Irish storm. Opportunities for Ireland came in the last 20 and they didn’t let them go to waste, scoring three tries in a dominant ten-minute burst.
While the Irish were deserved winners, the final score was not entirely demonstrative of how the game was played and the quality of what was at times, a solid Japanese performance. Eddie Jones and his team will surely be pleased with the increasing starch and strength of the Brave Blossoms’ defence, a growing feature of their game in 2025.
In further positives, fullback Yoshitaka Yazaki put in another standout performance. The young Waseda University back, who is still to play a professional club match, yet has eight test caps to his name, continues to repay Jones’ vision and faith in bringing him into the national team setup.
Yazaki was joined by Epineri Uluiviti as another of Japan’s best. The towering lock put in a powerful shift, emptying the tank in both attack and defence before being replaced 15 minutes into the second half. Flyhalf Seungsin Lee also had a solid game, directing his backline well before being replaced by debutant Shinya Komura with 22 minutes left on the clock. While Lee had a strong match, Jones would have been keen to give an opportunity to the young Toyota Verblitz playmaker as he looks to grow depth across his backline and in the playmaker role.
Commenting directly after the match, Brave Blossoms Head Coach Eddie Jones said:
“We were pretty disappointed with the second half where we couldn’t exert any pressure on Ireland. We were in a good position to win the game at half time, with a bit of momentum, but the second half was a disappointing performance for us.
“Test match rugby is about 80 minutes, doing the simple things well, over and over again. We let ourselves down today in that area. In that first half we were able to move the ball and put the Irish team under pressure. What we weren’t able to do was to turn those opportunities into points.”
The Brave Blossoms will now dust themselves off as they head to Cardiff to face Wales for the third time this year. With one win a piece from Wales’ summer tour to Japan earlier in the season, this weekend in Cardiff will be a decider of sorts for both teams as they look for a much-needed win.
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
15-19 (L)
Lipovitan D Challenge Cup 2025
National Stadium, Tokyo
Saturday 1 November
Japan vs South Africa
7-61 (L)
Lipovitan D Tour 2025
Wembley Stadium, London
Saturday 8 November
Ireland vs Japan
41-10 (L)
Lipovitan D Tour 2025
Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Saturday 15 November
Kick-off 17:40 local time (02:40 JST – Sunday, November 16)
Wales vs Japan
Lipovitan D Tour 2025
Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Saturday 22 November
Kick-off 16:00 local time (21:00 JST)
Georgia vs Japan
Lipovitan D Tour 2025
Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, Tbilisi