Wallabies survive giant scare against Eddie’s Japan

The Wallabies have survived a gigantic scare in Osaka, hanging on to beat Eddie Jones’s Japan 35-32 to hand Les Kiss a win in his first Test in charge since taking over from Joe Schmidt.

In sweltering conditions, Japan captain Warner Dearns scored in the 79th minute to give the home side a glimmer of hope.

But a knock-on from veteran Michael Leitch as the Brave Blossoms tried to go coast-to-coast scuppered any hopes of the home side sealing one of their most famous wins.

For the Wallabies, it was a case of relief.

Not just because they extended their unbeaten streak to eight over Japan, but it ensured they didn’t slip up against Jones – the ultimate Australian villain.

It also ensured the Wallabies recorded back-to-back victories for the first time in 12 months, having smashed Italy 57-10 last month in Perth.

“We’re really happy with the win,” said Wilson, whose Wallabies side were forced to play with 14 men for 20 minutes after lock Miles Amatoseo copped an upgraded red card for a hit on Dearns just after the half-hour mark.

Read more

Wallabies vs Japan recap: Kiss era kicks off with tense win after red card drama

“They’re a good team. We saw what they did against Italy, they were in it until the end against France, and we knew it’d be a tough battle in some bloody tough conditions.

“We’re really happy with that, there’s plenty to work on, I thought we hurt ourselves way too much, but when we held on to the ball and went through them, I thought we looked good too.”

Josh Canham was the Wallabies’ best, with the second-rower excelling at the lineout and across the ground, while winger Harry Potter was elusive and scored an early try.

But 27-year-old fly-half Declan Meredith struggled, with the Brumbies playmaker, who debuted for the Wallabies last month against France and has now worn the No.10 jersey on three straight occasions, outplayed by 21-year-old rookie Ryunosuke Ito.

Kiss was by no means jumping up and down at full-time.

It was a case of job done and move onto the next one for the former State of Origin and Kangaroos winger.

“That was tough, wasn’t it?” Kiss told Stan Sport.

“Not just the conditions, they’re a good team: they play fast and hard, and at home in their backyard, they’re a tough team to play against.  

“We probably offered a few too many opportunities for them. Some kicking went astray, overplayed a couple of times, you want to be able to be ambitious, but at the same time temper that.

“We’ll have a look at it. But overall, it’s a Test win – well done, boys.”

His counterpart Jones, however, didn’t hide his disappointment.

“We let ourselves down with a few fundamental errors in the last 20 minutes, where we had an opportunity to probably put Australia away, so pretty disappointed,” said Jones, whose Japanese were level at half-time for the first time against the Wallabies after going into the sheds locked up at 14-14.

“But I’m really proud of how hard the players are playing and there’s a lot of development in this team.”

After a helter-skelter opening, Japan scored first through their livewire 21-year-old playmaker Ito, who made his Test debut before playing a professional match in the country’s domestic competitions.

But the home side’s early lead didn’t last long as Potter scored despite a loose pass from Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii.

Meredith’s nerves were once again on display when the Brumbies playmaker spilled a simple pass midway through the first half.

The home side however couldn’t put the Wallabies to the sword and that was once again the case in the 26th minute as Canham got on the ball to win a crucial penalty. A minute later the Wallabies had their second try after Wright finished off a fine set-piece play.

Canham was at it again soon after as he won a lineout against the throw in the 29th minute that turned defence into attack.

The Wallabies should have made the home side pay, but after turning down points on a couple of occasions, the visitors copped a blow when Amatosero was sent to the sin bin for collecting Dearns high when attempting a clean out.

The loss of the second-Test lock was a big one because it didn’t just hand over possession on the home side’s line, but it meant the Wallabies would ultimately be forced to go down for 14 men for 20 minutes in punishing conditions.

Japan made the most of it too, with No.8 Faulua Makisi scoring after some excellent lead up work from tight-head prop Shuhei Takeuchi and Australian-born lock Jack Cornelsen.

The Wallabies were spared some more pain when Wright then came up with a crucial steal after Dearns broke free on the stroke of half-time.

Told to be more direct in attack, the Wallabies heeded the coach’s orders and started the second half with a bang as Max Jorgensen scored after a couple of strong carries and offloads from Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and Potter.

But a mistake from halfback Ryan Lonergan gave the home side some field position and Japan made the most of it as Kazuma Ueda scored a fine try. Takuro Matsunaga’s miss from the kicking tee ensured the Wallabies held a narrow 21-19 lead.

A crucial penalty at the breakdown from replacement prop Angus Bell then gave the Wallabies the chance to kick for touch and Meredith stepped up well to give the visitors some fine field position. Seconds later, Fraser McReight scored to give the Wallabies some breathing space.

But the Brave Blossoms refused to go away and interestingly decided to keep the scoreboard ticking over by opting for consecutive penalties.

That decision looked like biting them in the backside when Japan failed to exit properly and then found themselves under the pump. But a silly decision to play on quickly from Meredith and a mistake a split second later relieved the pressure.

Eventually, the Wallabies would score through Taniela Tupou.

Japan scored one late try through Dearns to set up a nervy finish, but the Wallabies held on to secure an important win and ensure Kiss’ tenure got off to a positive start.

The Wallabies will meet Japan in Townsville next Saturday afternoon.