OSAKA, JAPAN – New Australia coach Les Kiss began his tenure with a narrow 35-32 victory over Japan in a thrilling Test match on Saturday 8 August.

The Wallabies now lead the two-test series 1-0 after surviving a late fightback from the hosts.

Australia scored five tries through Harry Potter, Tom Wright, Max Jorgensen, Fraser McReight and Taniela Tupou. Ryan Lonergan added four conversions, while Ben Donaldson kicked another.

Japan crossed the line four times through Ryunosuke Ito, Faulua Makisi, Kazuma Ueda and Warner Dearns. Takuro Matsunaga contributed three conversions and two penalties.

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The sides were evenly matched throughout the first half, going into the break level at 14-14.

Australia appeared to have secured the result when it moved 35-25 ahead late in the match, but Japan refused to surrender. Dearns scored in the 78th minute to reduce the deficit to three points and set up a tense finish.

The Wallabies held their nerve in the final minutes to secure the win.

Kiss acknowledged the challenge posed by Japan and said Australia would need to improve its tactical execution ahead of the second Test. “We certainly knew they would be tough; they put the Irish under heaps of pressure,” Kiss said.

“The main thing is just to certainly control field position better; we could have probably kicked a little more. “They’re fast and quick; I’m pleased our defence held up in the end,” Kiss said.

Source: Kick Off

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