Japan 32 - 35 Australia

Full time

08 Aug 2026

International Friendlies

Stage: Regular Season Round 1

Hanazono Rugby Stadium

Japan vs Australia head to head

🎉 1

👏 1

🔥 2

Australia narrowly defeated Japan 35-32 in an electrifying friendly match at Hanazono Rugby Stadium. Japan opened the scoring with a try from Ito, followed quickly by Australia's Potter leveling the game. Despite Australia losing Amatosero to a red card, Jorgensen and McReight extended their lead early in the second half. Japan responded with strong performances from Ueda and Makisi, drawing the match level again. However, Tupou's late try sealed the victory for Australia. Takuro Matsunaga's kicking was pivotal for Japan, as he converted three tries and added two penalties. The match showcased both teams' attacking prowess and resilience throughout.

Broadcasters

Where to watch in: Australia, New Zealand

Weather

Temperature: 30.1°C (Feels like 31.1°C) Condition: MostlyCloudy Wind: 8.1 km/h, gusting to 26.7 km/h Humidity: 65% Cloud Cover: 74%

Events

Kickoff
11'

Try

Ryunosuke Ito · Japan

5 - 0
12'

Conversion

Takuro Matsunaga · Japan

7 - 0
14'

Try

Harry Potter · Australia

7 - 5
15'

Conversion

Ryan Lonergan · Australia

7 - 7
25'

Try

Tom Wright · Australia

7 - 12
26'

Conversion

Ryan Lonergan · Australia

7 - 14
31'

Red Card

Miles Amatosero · Australia
33'

Try

Faulua Makisi · Japan

12 - 14
34'

Conversion

Takuro Matsunaga · Japan

14 - 14
40'

Substitution

Angus Bell on for Aidan Ross · Australia
Halftime 14 - 14
Second Half
41'

Try

Max Jorgensen · Australia

14 - 19
42'

Conversion

Ryan Lonergan · Australia

14 - 21
44'

Try

Kazuma Ueda · Japan

19 - 21
48'

Try

Fraser McReight · Australia

19 - 26
49'

Conversion

Ryan Lonergan · Australia

19 - 28
52'

Penalty

Takuro Matsunaga · Japan

22 - 28
53'

Substitution

Taniela Tupou on for Allan Alaalatoa · Australia
53'

Substitution

Billy Pollard on for Josh Nasser · Australia
53'

Substitution

Jeremy Williams on for Taira Main · Australia
56'

Substitution

Yoshitaka Yazaki on for Hayate Era · Japan
58'

Penalty

Takuro Matsunaga · Japan

25 - 28
59'

Substitution

Michael Leitch on for Kanji Shimokawa · Japan
62'

Substitution

Tiennan Costley on for Faulua Makisi · Japan
62'

Substitution

Charlie Cale on for Rob Valetini · Australia
62'

Substitution

Ben Donaldson on for Harry Potter · Australia
62'

Substitution

Tate McDermott on for Ryan Lonergan · Australia
62'

Substitution

Sojiro Otsuka on for Takato Okabe · Japan
64'

Substitution

Harry Hockings on for Jack Cornelsen · Japan
65'

Substitution

Shunsuke Uenobo on for Dylan Riley · Japan
65'

Substitution

Keijiro Tamefusa on for Shuhei Takeuchi · Japan
69'

Try

Taniela Tupou · Australia

25 - 33
70'

Conversion

Ben Donaldson · Australia

25 - 35
71'

Substitution

Isaac Henry on for Tom Wright · Australia
77'

Try

Warner Dearns · Japan

30 - 35
78'

Conversion

Takuro Matsunaga · Japan

32 - 35
Fulltime 32 - 35

Player ratings

Japan

15 Takuro Matsunaga 6.8
14 Kazuma Ueda 6.9
13 Dylan Riley 6.0
12 Samisoni Tua 7.0
11 Taira Main 7.0
10 Ryunosuke Ito 7.8
9 Naoto Saito 7.2
1 Takato Okabe 5.1
2 Hayate Era 7.4
3 Shuhei Takeuchi 6.8
4 Jack Cornelsen 8.0
5 Warner Dearns 6.8
6 Ben Gunter 7.0
7 Kanji Shimokawa 6.6
8 Faulua Makisi 6.8
16 Mamoru Harada –
17 Sojiro Otsuka 5.9
18 Keijiro Tamefusa 5.9
19 Harry Hockings 6.0
20 Michael Leitch 6.4
21 Tiennan Costley 5.7
22 Shunsuke Uenobo 6.1
23 Yoshitaka Yazaki 5.6

Australia

15 Tom Wright 7.4
14 Max Jorgensen 8.4
13 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii 7.0
12 Hunter Paisami 7.2
11 Harry Potter 8.9
10 Declan Meredith 7.1
9 Ryan Lonergan 6.2
1 Aidan Ross 7.5
2 Josh Nasser 7.1
3 Allan Alaalatoa 6.8
4 Josh Canham 6.8
5 Miles Amatosero 4.0
6 Rob Valetini 7.1
7 Fraser McReight 8.7
8 Harry Wilson 6.7
16 Billy Pollard 6.5
17 Angus Bell 7.1
18 Taniela Tupou 6.9
19 Jeremy Williams 6.6
20 Charlie Cale 6.7
21 Tate McDermott 6.6
22 Ben Donaldson 6.3
23 Isaac Henry –