Australia held on to beat Japan 35-32 in Osaka on 8 August 2026, giving new head coach Les Kiss a victory in his first Test in charge — though the Wallabies made it far harder than the record books will suggest.

Kiss, who came to rugby union from a league background and never played the 15-a-side code himself, made nine changes to the side that thumped Italy 57-10 in July. That Italy win had snapped a six-match losing streak for Australia (Reuters). Against Japan, with temperatures forecast to hit 36 degrees Celsius and the Brave Blossoms coached by former Wallabies mentor Eddie Jones, Kiss's reshuffled side needed every ounce of resolve (The Guardian).

Japan struck first. Scrum-half Naoto Saito's tactical kicks pinned Australia deep in their own half, and Ryunosuke Ito crossed to give the Brave Blossoms an early lead. The Wallabies hit back through Harry Potter, who finished after centre Hunter Paisami broke the Japanese defensive line. Tom Wright's 27th-minute try then looked to have settled the visitors — until the match swung on a single tackle.

Miles Amatosero, winning his first Test start, was shown a yellow card for a high shot near the try line. The sin-bin punishment was then upgraded to a red, leaving Australia to play the remainder of the match a man short. Japan capitalised almost immediately: Shuhei Takeuchi's surging run downfield put Faulua Makisi under the posts for a converted try that levelled the scores at 14-14 by half-time (The Guardian).

The second half was where Kiss's side found their composure. Prop Angus Bell split the Japan defence to get Australia rolling forward, and the backs began to click. Max Jorgensen crossed after a flick-pass from Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and a looped delivery from Ryan Lonergan — a move that would have graced any backline in world rugby. Fraser McReight then barged over on a pick-and-drive (a close-range forward surge from the base of a ruck — the contest for the ball on the ground after a tackle), with Angus Bell winning a turnover and fly-half Declan Meredith finally drilling a kick to set up the platform.

Meredith, Australia's three-Test playmaker, had struggled with his kicking and passing for much of the afternoon. That he steadied himself to deliver the kick before McReight's try said something about a side finding its feet under a brand-new coaching regime.

Japan refused to fold. Kazuma Ueda scored shortly after Australia retook the lead, and the Brave Blossoms kept the margin razor-thin until the final whistle. Australia had never lost to Japan in seven previous meetings (Reuters), and that record survived — but only by three points.

For Kiss, the win is a start rather than a statement. His side played the best part of 60 minutes with 14 men, in sweltering heat, against a Japan team that had already beaten Italy comfortably in Round 1 of the Nations Championship. The Wallabies showed character. Whether they show consistency is the question Kiss now faces.

The Nations Championship, which debuted in July 2026, splits teams into Northern and Southern Hemisphere groups across six rounds. Both Australia and Japan will take plenty from this encounter into the remainder of the tournament — the Brave Blossoms for the audacity of their comeback, the Wallabies for surviving it.