The Wallabies’ Autumn Tour Kicks Off
The Wallabies begin their autumn tour with a warm-up match against Japan. Normally, this fixture wouldn’t draw too much attention, but this year is different — Japan are coached by two-time Wallabies boss Lord Voldemort Maaate. That alone makes this one worth watching, and I’m definitely more invested than usual, hoping for a big win from the men in gold.
The Match
Conditions were damp at Tokyo’s Japan National Stadium. The Wallabies lost Lukan Solakaia-Loto early to what looked like a rib injury, while Japan’s inside centre, Shogo Nakano, departed soon after for a Head Injury Assessment.
Australia struck first through Nick Champion de Crespigny, who powered over from close range. Edmed added the extras to make it 7–0. The Wallabies disrupted Japan’s lineout and kept the pressure on, spending extended time near the try line. When Japan’s Charlie Lawrence was shown a yellow card, it looked like Australia might run away with it — but they couldn’t quite convert their numerical advantage into more points.
Not long after, Josh Canham went off for a head knock, forcing Champion de Crespigny into the second row and shifting Harry Wilson to #8. Despite the reshuffle, the Wallabies’ patched-up scrum held strong, giving the backs a solid platform. A slick set play saw Andrew Kellaway break the line before offloading to Josh Flook, who dotted down under the posts. The Wallabies extended their lead to 14–3.
Nakano returned to the field after passing his HIA, while Canham remained sidelined. Japan’s loosehead prop Shuhei Takeuchi was shown yellow for obstruction after preventing Carlo Tizzano from scoring. Moments later, Tizzano was again denied when tighthead prop Zane Nongoor was pinged for running a blocking line off a lineout maul.
At halftime, Australia led 14–3 — though it easily could have been double that given their dominance.
Second Half
The rain returned after the break, and with it confirmation that Canham had failed his HIA. The slippery conditions levelled the playing field, and Japan capitalised with a well-worked try from a lineout to close the gap to 14–8. Australia adjusted by tightening their attack, keeping things close and physical. The approach paid off when Tizzano finally got his reward, crashing over from a lineout maul — one of his trademark finishes. Edmed missed the conversion but, the Wallabies were up 19–8 around the 60-minute mark.
Japan was able to strike back immediately, narrowing the score to 19-15. The Wallabies are struggling to put this one away. The last 15 minutes of the game were intense, but Australia managed to hold on and finally ran down the clock to win 19-15.
