JAPAN XV Pipped by Māori All Blacks in Nagoya Thriller

The JAPAN XV came agonisingly close to defeating the Māori All Blacks for just the second time ever on Saturday, falling 31-38 after surrendering the lead for the first time in the match with just five minutes remaining on the clock. Played in front of a packed house at Nagoya’s beautiful Paloma Mizuho Stadium, the Lipovitan D Challenge Cup 2026 was a thrilling affair from start to finish.

Japan started strongly, scoring the first of their five tries in the eighth minute. The visitors responded shortly thereafter with a converted try of their own, however for the rest of the first half, the JAPAN XV took control, running in another three unanswered tries to go into the sheds at halftime with a well-earned 24-7 lead.

Captained by hooker Mamoru Harada, the JAPAN XV came into the match looking to play fast, attacking ‘chosoku rugby’. Throughout the first half, their relentless ball movement and attacking raids out wide paid dividends. Having played last season for Moana Pasifika in Super Rubby Pacific, Harada would have been familiar with many of the Māori All Blacks who all play for New Zealand Super Rugby franchises. He would no doubt have expected a response from them in the second half, and that proved to be the case.

Following the break, the visitors opened the scoring through a well worked try, before Japan responded five minutes later to bring the scores to 31-14 with 25 minutes left on the clock. From then on, the Māori showed their class and cunning by playing a more direct and physical game, blunting the Japanese attack and applying attacking pressure of their own.

In the final 17 minutes, the Māori All Blacks took control, running in four unanswered tries to secure a seven-point win. While the Japanese players were clearly disappointed to let such a strong lead slip away, there were some undeniable positives to take from the match.

Firstly, Japan rotated their entire bench onto the field, so all 23 players got the opportunity to experience this top-level environment, including the 11 uncapped players, four of which still play in Japan’s university competition. Additionally, Meiji University flyhalf Ryunosuke Ito played the entire match at number 10. A star at university level, he made a solid transition into the national team setup and will no doubt have caught the eye of the Brave Blossom’s coaching team.

Aside from blooding a core of inexperienced players, the match also gave the opportunity for several senior players to get some welcome game time, while also providing ballast and experience to this young team. Harada at hooker was solid throughout, while Kanji Shimokawa at blindside was a dynamo and seemed to be in everything, both in attack and defence.

Veteran Brave Blossoms centre Dylan Riley also had a solid match before being replaced by Sam Greene late in the second half. Greene, who last year made his Brave Blossom’s debut immediately made his presence felt, rallying the backline despite the resurgent fightback by the Māori.

Following the match, JAPAN XV Head Coach Neal Hatley said:
“I was disappointed for the players out there today. I thought we put in a lot of effort, but we just needed to execute better in the second half. But there is also a lot there to be positive about and for us to build on. At the end of the day, we want to play like Japan. We’ve set out how we want to play and we’ve been pretty consistent with that over the last two years. We want to attack. That’s part of our DNA, but we just need to execute better.”

All eyes now turn towards Tokyo where Japan take on Italy this Saturday, July 4 at Prince Chichibunomiya Stadium in the first round of the Nations Championship. Kicking off at 17:40 JST, limited tickets are still available via the JRFU’s English-language ticketing website at: https://quick.pia.jp/japan-rugby_en/. Fans can also use the site to pick up tickets for the Brave Blossoms’ test against France on Saturday, July 18 at Tokyo’s National Stadium.

Japan XV vs Māori All Blacks (non-test matches)

7 matches, 1 win, 6 losses
27 June 2026: 31-38 (L) Nagoya
28 June 2025: 20-53 (L) Tokyo
6 July 2024: 26-14 (W) Toyota City
29 June 2024: 36-10 (L) Tokyo
8 November 2014: 18-20 (L) Tokyo
1 November 2014: 21-61 (L) Hyogo
28 June 2008: 65-22 (L) Napier, New Zealand)