Australia edge Japan 19-15 in tense Tokyo Test

Australia managed to hold off a spirited fightback from Japan to secure a narrow 19–15 victory at the National Stadium in Tokyo.

The Wallabies made the stronger start, but discipline and handling issues allowed the Brave Blossoms to stay in touch right until the final whistle.

The Wallabies opened the scoring in the 12th minute when back-rower Nick Champion de Crespigny powered over the line from close range after sustained forward pressure. Fly-half Tane Edmed calmly slotted the conversion to give Australia a 7–0 lead.

Japan’s problems deepened six minutes later when Charlie Lawrence was shown a yellow card for repeated infringements at the breakdown, leaving the hosts temporarily down to 14 men. Even so, Japan clawed three points back in the 27th minute through a Lee Seung-sin penalty.

Australia, however, reasserted their control almost immediately. In the 29th minute, centre Josh Flook finished off a well-worked move following scrum dominance inside Japan’s 22. The conversion stretched the lead to 14–3.

Another blow came for the Brave Blossoms in the 36th minute when lock Shuhei Takeuchi was sent to the sin bin for collapsing a maul, as Australia applied pressure inside the red zone.

Despite trailing at half-time, Japan refused to fold. 11 minutes into the second half, Shuhei Takeuchi atoned for his earlier yellow card by crashing over for an unconverted try in the 51st minute. The score brought the crowd to life and narrowed the gap to 14–8.

Australia hit back quickly, however, when Carlo Tizzano latched onto the back of a driving maul from a lineout in the 57th minute. While the conversion attempt went wide, the Wallabies restored their buffer at 19–8.

The Brave Blossoms struck again on the hour mark. Loose forward Ben Gunter powered his way through Australia’s defence to score, with Lee Seung-sin adding the extras to make it 19–15 and set up a tense final quarter.

Japan pressed hard in the closing minutes, buoyed by home support and momentum, but the Wallabies’ defence stood firm. Australia controlled the breakdown better in the final stages, forcing turnovers and preventing Japan from building a decisive final attack.