Ireland run in seven tries to beat Japan again in Cork
Ireland beat Japan 43-19 at Virgin Media Park in Cork on Saturday 3 October 2026. The home side scored seven tries to back up last weekend's win over the same opponents.
Japan struck first. Sakurako Korai crossed after five minutes to silence the home crowd. Ireland answered quickly and never looked back, leading 22-7 at half-time, according to BBC Sport.
Eilis Cahill, Brittany Hogan, Neve Jones and Anna McGann all scored in that first surge. A try, worth five points, is scored by touching the ball down over the opposition line. Japan stayed in the fight through Nami Asari and Nijiho Nagata, who both crossed in Cork alongside Korai's early effort.
The second half belonged to Ireland's finishers. Beibhinn Parsons added her name to the scoresheet to stretch her all-time Ireland record to 25 tries. Then replacements Alana McInerney and Sophie Barrett both marked their debuts with a try apiece, coming off the bench to score.
The kicking kept the scoreboard ticking over. A conversion, the kick at goal after a try worth two extra points, was shared around for Ireland, with Dannah O'Brien landing two and Enya Breen landing two. Maiko Nishi kicked two conversions for Japan.
It was Scott Bemand's side's second win over Japan in eight days. Ireland had edged the first meeting 31-24 in Galway the previous weekend. That Galway game had followed a 40-36 defeat by the USA at Tallaght Stadium earlier in the autumn series.
The Cork meeting was listed as a Women's Internationals 2026 fixture kicking off at 14:00 local time by World Rugby, and formed part of Ireland's autumn campaign, as noted by Irish Rugby.
What makes this stand out is the spread of the scoring. Seven different players crossed. Two did it on debut. And Parsons keeps edging her own record further out of reach. For a squad building depth, that is exactly the afternoon you want.
