Wallabies v Japan: The gap closes as Eddie Jones’ men prepare to turn the tables on history

The Wallabies and Japan are set to face each other in a historic two-test series in August, starting at Hanazono Rugby Stadium before culminating at Queensland Country Bank Stadium.

These Tests will mark just the eighth and ninth matches between the two sides since they were first intertwined in 1975.

Despite their last meeting resulting in a narrow four-point victory to the Wallabies, the two sides have been on very different journeys since their first meeting.

Wallabies’ fall, Japan’s rise

Australia went on to win the Rugby World Cup twice, first in 1991 thanks to the likes of David Campese, Michael Lynagh and John Eales, and again in 1999 when Eales captained a side that included George Gregan, Matt Burke and Stephen Larkham.

Australia remained a powerhouse in the international game over the next two decades, only suffering a major dip in form in recent years due to the lack of interest in the club game.

Japan, on the other hand, remained in lower-tier limbo for many years, and only started to challenge the rugby elites in the mid-2010s after decades of struggling to gain a foothold in the international game.

Eddie Jones’ 2015 team famously beat South Africa in their opening match of the pool stage, but failed to qualify for the knockout rounds after losing to Scotland and failing to secure enough bonus points to make the top two.

Four years later, they hosted the famous competition and reached the quarter-finals for the first time in their history, beating Russia, Ireland, Samoa and Scotland in the pool stages to top their table. Unfortunately, their former conquests, South Africa, awaited them in the next round, and they failed to repeat their heroics of the previous campaign.

Although Japan’s light has slightly lost its shine at the international level since, their club game has flourished, attracting all sorts of quality international-level players from around the world, including Cheslin Kolbe, James Lowe, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Ardie Savea.

With Jones back at the helm, and the World Cup just over a year away, time will tell if the increased level of competition in their domestic leagues will translate to their international team.

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A short but one-sided history

The first two meetings between the two sides occurred during the same month in 1975. The first, at Sydney Cricket Ground in August 1975 in front of 9,533 fans, resulted in a 37-7 victory for the hosts. The second, a week later, saw Australia again run out winners at Ballymore Stadium in front of even fewer supporters, putting 50 on the visitors, who returned a more modest 25.

The two sides would rarely see each other over the next three decades. In fact, 1987 was the only time in that 30-year period, meeting at the inaugural World Cup. But even then, interest was low, with just 8,785 flocking to the Concord Oval in Sydney, despite its 20,000 capacity at the time. Again, it was a victory for the Wallabies, sending the Japanese home with a 42-23 victory.

It would be 20 years before they would see each other again, this time in France at the 2007 World Cup. The interest was infinitely higher as 40,043 fans took their seats at the Stade de Gerland in Lyon to see the former world champions put 91 points on a demoralised Japanese squad.

It would take time for Japan to recover, and during the next 10 years they would invest heavily into their rugby programme. Following their relative success in the 2015 World Cup, Japan looked confident heading into their 2017 clash with the Wallabies at the Nissan Stadium in Yokohama, but again, in front of 43,621 people, the hosts crashed and burned, falling 63 points to 30 in front of their hopeful fans.

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Four years on, and it was the same result at the Oita Bank Dome, but Japan were getting closer, losing by just nine points to a Wallabies squad that were starting to show cracks two years before their worst-ever World Cup campaign.

Which brings us to last year, the tightest of all matches. Australia won, but only by a margin of four points. The National Stadium in Tokyo was witness to a nervy Test match in which Japan pushed the Wallabies all the way. Although Australia were ahead on the scoreboard for most of the match, Japan’s perseverance was impressive, never letting their opponents get out of reach. The match ended 15-19, which could switch in August.

Current form

The Wallabies have won just two out of their last 11 Test matches, but have shown huge promise against some of the stronger nations, such as France, Ireland and New Zealand. But this lack of success, and the recent coaching changes, must fill the Japanese with hope.

Japan have had great success against Tier 2 opposition in recent years, but have failed to extend their winning ways against Tier 1 opposition, a point that Les Kiss will no doubt be aware of.

The Wallabies boast a positive 208-point difference in their seven matches against Japan, who enjoy playing an expansive game, so expect the upcoming games to be high scoring.

Upcoming Tests

8th August 2026: Australia v Japan – Hanazono Rugby Stadium, Higashiōsaka
15th August 2026: Australia–Japan – North Queensland Stadium, Townsville, Australia

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