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Australia tempted the onryō, resting 13 stars and appointing the most inexperienced captain in 64 years. But the high-risk move paid off, as the Wallabies exorcised the demons of the Eddie Jones era and got their spring tour off to a winning start, defeating their former coach’s Japan side 19-15 victory in a rainswept Tokyo.
The narrow win snaps a three-game losing streak, preserves Australia’s perfect record over Japan intact and primes the Wallabies for a return next week to Twickenham, the home of rugby, where their frontline XV will try to reprise the last-gasp heroics that secured a famous 42-37 win over England in November.
Up against the world No 13, Australia had plenty to lose after a torrid home season. And yet, fearing fatigue over a tough five week, five Test tour, coach Joe Schmidt had given his younger stars the stage. It was a canny tactic loaded with risk. The last time a Wallabies coach had attempted such a stress-release was in 2022 when Dave Rennie played a second XV and lost to Italy for the first time in history.
Rennie, now coaching Japan’s Kobe Steelers, was in the stands to watch his former proteges. But it was the Japanese who started stronger, with hooker Hayate Era laying several monster hits to rattle the visitors early. But the Wallabies steadied, then sharpened. After concentrated pressure, Nick Champion de Crespigny, Australia’s least experienced captain since 1961, scored from short range in his third Test for 7-0.
Australia lost two locks to injury in the first 20 minutes, with Lukhan Salakaia-Loto taken off early with bruised ribs and his replacement, Josh Canham, then sidelined with concussion. It forced the already heavily revamped Wallabies to reshuffle their pack and rejig tactics on the run. Japan, despite losing Charlie Lawrence to a yellow card, kept defying Australia’s heavier pack with clever kicks and blitz tackling.
The Wallabies tried to turn possession into points by going through the middle. For long periods they perched on the Japanese line, launching one-inch punches into the defence. But for 32 rucks they tried and failed to break the Brave Blossoms’ wall.
Having tested the middle without success, Australia finally went wide from the scrum and Hunter Paisami, so impressive in the loss to Argentina in Sydney, broke the line with an angled charge and found Tane Edmed inside. Fullback Andrew Kellaway loomed on the angle and offloaded to Josh Flook who raced away to make it 14-3.
Australia looked to have scored again shortly afterward through Carlo Tizzano but after twice being dubiously adjudged to be held up over the line, the feisty flanker was denied again by teammate Zane Nonggorr’s interference. It summed up a frustrating half for the Wallabies in which narrow strategies, tiny errors, slippery conditions and courageous Japan blitz tackling kept the home side in the hunt.
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Detecting that lack of cohesion, Jones got out his infamous cattle prod and sent his men out with new vigour in the second half. It worked, with a clean lineout giving 90-Test legend Michael Leitch the chance to bend the line and set up a switchplay which saw Shuhei Takeuchi burrow over to make it 14-8. It shocked Australia into action, with Tizzano peeling off the maul to burrow over and restore an 11-point lead.
But Japan bit straight back as Kellaway fumbled a low kick, allowing fast hands to Australian-born Ben Hunter to cross the stripe. At 19-15, Schmidt must’ve felt a shiver of nausea. The Blossoms could smell the boilover and upped their momentum as they chased their first ever victory over Australia in seven Tests across 50 years. They dominated the second half, playing the conditions better by kicking for territory.
With four minutes to go and four points the difference, the Wallabies had to dig deep. They won a scrum on halfway, then a penalty. As they had all match, and Tizzano charged into the storm to lead a last stand that then became a great escape. As another union golden boy, Mark Nawaquinatawase, ran out for Australia’s rugby league Test against England at Wembley stadium, his former side vanquished their former coach and headed for Europe with a hard-won notch on their belt.
