Japan U23 Kick Off Aussie Tour With Solid Win Over Fiji U20

Japan U23 started their four-match tour of Australia in the best possible fashion following their hard-fought, 48-39 win over Fiji U20 in Grafton, on the New South Wales North Coast, six hundred kilometres north of Sydney. 

Trailing 24-27 at halftime, Japan had enough in the tank to pull ahead of the Flying Fijians with a solid second half performance. Both sides played with an attacking mindset ensuring a highly entertaining, high-scoring match for the locals who turned out to cheer on these two young teams. 

Played at the town’s local rugby grounds, the international match, featuring many players who will go on to earn full national team honours, had the unique atmosphere of what Australians call ‘country footy’. High quality rugby, played in the relaxed, unassuming and welcoming environment of a small, country town rugby club.

Commenting after the match, Japan Head Coach Eddie Jones said:
“I was really pleased the way we stuck to our attacking game. While we made a lot of errors, we kept attacking and our work off the ball was good. Attacking wise, we were able to execute our game plan, but not as well as we probably could have. Defensively, by and large we were pretty good. I was pleased with how the player’s performed. They’ve been training really hard and went into the game probably a little bit fatigued. We want to peak for the Australia match, so overall I was pleased with today’s performance.”

Japan U23 Captain Rikuto Nakaya added:
 “Getting that first win was important, so first and foremost, I’m delighted that we managed to secure the victory, despite the quality of our performance. Fiji competed really well at the ruck which was also an area we wanted to be strong in. We were caught out there a bit but we managed to adjust, and in the end, we were able to play in a way that was true to Japanese style.”

The team now have four days to prepare for their next match against the Stockmen in Kempsey, two hours’ drive south of Grafton. It will be another country footy experience for the men from Japan, with the Stockmen side made up of the best country players from across the region.  

Japan U23 2026 Australian Tour

Saturday 4 April 
Japan U23 vs Fiji U20 
48-39 (W)
Grafton

Wednesday 8 April
Stockman, Australia vs Japan U23
15:00 Kick-off (14:00 Japan Time)
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