2026 Australia–Japan rugby union test series
Football match
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Australia and Japan national rugby teams toured each other in a two-Test, home-and-away series in August 2026. The tour was known as the 2026 Lipovitan-D Challenge Cup in Japan (Japanese: リポビタンDチャレンジカップ2026),[1] and the 2026 Flight Centre Series in Australia for sponsorship reasons.[2] The matches were confirmed by Rugby Australia (RA) in November 2025[3][4] following the restructuring of the annual Rugby Championship into a revised cycle,[5][6] under which the competition is held in three consecutive years (2027, 2028, 2029) before being postponed in the fourth (2030, to make way for the 2026 and 2030 New Zealand/South Africa tours.[7]
| |||||||
| First Test | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Match details | |||||||
| Date | 8 August | ||||||
| Venue | Hanazono Rugby Stadium, Higashiōsaka | ||||||
| Second Test | |||||||
| |||||||
| Match details | |||||||
| Date | 15 August | ||||||
| Venue | North Queensland Stadium, Townsville | ||||||
Australia won the series 2–0 after defeating Japan in a tight match in Osaka,[8] before sealing the series the following Test on home soil, winning by 39 points.[9]
Background
Prior to 2017, encounters between Australia and Japan were sparse. The two nations met only four times in test matches: twice during Japan's 1975 tour of Australia, and twice in the Rugby World Cup (RWC). From 2017 onward,[10] fixtures between the sides became more regular, and domestic teams from both countries began engaging in pre-season and post-season tours, most notably the Queensland Reds,[11][12] New South Wales Waratahs,[13] Saitama Wild Knights,[11][12] and Kubota Spears.[13][14]
The Australia–Japan rugby relationship intensified significantly during 2023–2024, following revelations by The Sydney Morning Herald that Wallabies head coach Eddie Jones had been in discussions regarding a return to the Japan national coaching role while still in charge of Australia during the 2023 Rugby World Cup.[15] The episode attracted significant scrutiny in the Australian media (Eddie Jones § JRFU controversy).[16]
Schedule
| Date | Venue | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 August | Hanazono Rugby Stadium, Higashiōsaka | Japan  |
32–35 |  Australia |
| 15 August | North Queensland Stadium, Townsville | Australia |
56–17 | Japan |
Venues
Australia's venue was confirmed on 26 November 2025, following Rugby Australia's release of their 2026 schedule.[17] The venue, known as North Queensland Stadium and located in Townsville, had only hosted three Test matches at the time of the announcement. In February 2026, the Japan Rugby Football Union released their 2026 schedule, and revealed their home Test would be played at Hanazono Rugby Stadium in Higashiōsaka.[18] Both teams were yet to face one another at each other's designated home venues,[19] with Japan having not played Australia on Australian soil since the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987.[20]
| Japan |
Location of the Australia–Japan Test Series venues:
| ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Higashiōsaka | |||
| Hanazono Rugby Stadium | |||
| Capacity: 30,000[21] | |||
 | |||
| Australia | |||
| Townsville | |||
| North Queensland Stadium | |||
| Capacity: 25,455[22] | |||
.jpg) |
Squads
Caps and ages are as of the first match of the series (8 August 2026).
Australia
On 23 July 2026, new coach Les Kiss named a 34-man squad ahead of the two-test series against Japan.[23][24] Only three new players were named in the team from Australia's previous squad that took part in the 2026 Nations Championship Southern Hemisphere Series in June.[23]
On 5 August, Massimo de Lutiis was added to the Wallabies squad as training cover for Zane Nonggorr who suffered a minor calf strain.[25]
On 10 August, Tom Hooper was added to the Wallabies squad.[26] On 11 August Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i was ruled out of the second Test due to injury and was replaced by Josh Flook.[27]
Head Coach: Les Kiss
| Player | Position | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Club/province |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Nasser | Hooker | 23 June 1999 (aged 27) | 13 | Reds |
| Brandon Paenga-Amosa | Hooker | 25 December 1995 (aged 30) | 28 | Force |
| Billy Pollard | Hooker | 9 December 2001 (aged 24) | 21 | Brumbies |
| Isaac Aedo Kailea | Prop | 13 July 2000 (aged 26) | 8 | Waratahs |
| Allan Alaalatoa | Prop | 28 January 1994 (aged 32) | 91 | Brumbies |
| Angus Bell | Prop | 4 October 2000 (aged 25) | 53 | Waratahs |
| Massimo de Lutiis | Prop | 18 November 2003 (aged 22) | 0 | Reds |
| Zane Nonggorr | Prop | 30 March 2001 (aged 25) | 20 | Reds |
| Aidan Ross | Prop | 25 October 1995 (aged 30) | 3 | Reds |
| Taniela Tupou | Prop | 10 May 1996 (aged 30) | 70 |  Racing 92 |
| Miles Amatosero | Lock | 15 June 2002 (aged 24) | 1 | Waratahs |
| Josh Canham | Lock | 1 February 2001 (aged 25) | 5 | Reds |
| Lukhan Salakaia-Loto | Lock | 19 September 1996 (aged 29) | 45 | Reds |
| Lachlan Shaw | Lock | 15 May 2003 (aged 23) | 2 | Brumbies |
| Jeremy Williams | Lock | 2 December 2000 (aged 25) | 28 | Force |
| Charlie Cale | Back row | 6 October 2000 (aged 25) | 2 | Brumbies |
| Tom Hooper | Back row | 29 January 2001 (aged 25) | 23 |  Exeter Chiefs |
| Fraser McReight | Back row | 19 February 1999 (aged 27) | 42 | Reds |
| Carlo Tizzano | Back row | 2 February 2000 (aged 26) | 15 | Force |
| Rob Valetini | Back row | 3 September 1998 (aged 27) | 65 | Brumbies |
| Harry Wilson (c) | Back row | 22 November 1999 (aged 26) | 39 | Reds |
| Ryan Lonergan | Scrum-half | 6 April 1998 (aged 28) | 8 | Brumbies |
| Tate McDermott | Scrum-half | 18 September 1998 (aged 27) | 53 | Reds |
| Kalani Thomas | Scrum-half | 18 April 2002 (aged 24) | 1 | Reds |
| Ben Donaldson | Fly-half | 4 April 1999 (aged 27) | 21 | Force |
| Carter Gordon | Fly-half | 29 January 2001 (aged 25) | 10 | Reds |
| Declan Meredith | Fly-half | 28 June 1999 (aged 27) | 2 | Brumbies |
| Josh Flook | Centre | 22 September 2001 (aged 24) | 6 | Reds |
| Isaac Henry | Centre | 8 March 1999 (aged 27) | 0 | Reds |
| Hunter Paisami | Centre | 10 April 1999 (aged 27) | 35 | Reds |
| Joseph Sua'ali'i | Centre | 1 August 2003 (aged 23) | 21 | Waratahs |
| Filipo Daugunu | Wing | 4 March 1995 (aged 31) | 22 | Reds |
| Max Jorgensen | Wing | 2 September 2004 (aged 21) | 23 | Waratahs |
| Dylan Pietsch | Wing | 23 April 1998 (aged 28) | 11 | Force |
| Harry Potter | Wing | 15 December 1997 (aged 28) | 12 | Waratahs |
| Jock Campbell | Fullback | 17 May 1995 (aged 31) | 6 | Reds |
| Tom Wright | Fullback | 21 July 1997 (aged 29) | 46 | Brumbies |
Japan
On 23 July 2026, Japan announced a 34-man training camp ahead of the two test series.[28]
On 10 August, Keijiro Tamefusa, Haruto Watanabe, Shota Taira, and Kippei Ishida were dropped for the second Test. Takumi Inaba, Yuki Ikeda, and Sam Greene came in as replacements.[29]
Head Coach: Eddie Jones
| Player | Position | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Club/province |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hayate Era | Hooker | 18 September 2001 (aged 24) | 9 | Kubota Spears |
| Mamoru Harada | Hooker | 15 April 1999 (aged 27) | 14 | Toshiba Brave Lupus |
| Kenji Sato | Hooker | 4 January 2003 (aged 23) | 10 | Saitama Wild Knights |
| Kanato Hirano | Prop | 8 February 2000 (aged 26) | 0 | Tochigi Honda Heat |
| Takumi Inaba | Prop | 24 July 2002 (aged 24) | 0 | Shizuoka Blue Revs |
| Takato Okabe | Prop | 19 February 1995 (aged 31) | 11 | Yokohama Canon Eagles |
| Sojiro Otsuka | Prop | 5 July 2004 (aged 22) | 3 | Kwansei Gakuin University |
| Izi Sword | Prop | 7 June 2001 (aged 25) | 1 | Kubota Spears |
| Shuhei Takeuchi | Prop | 9 December 1997 (aged 28) | 26 | Tokyo Sungoliath |
| Keijiro Tamefusa | Prop | 3 September 2001 (aged 24) | 23 | Kubota Spears |
| Jack Cornelsen | Lock | 13 October 1994 (aged 31) | 32 | Saitama Wild Knights |
| Warner Dearns | Lock | 11 April 2002 (aged 24) | 35 | Toshiba Brave Lupus |
| Harry Hockings | Lock | 28 July 1998 (aged 28) | 5 | Tokyo Sungoliath |
| Michael Stolberg | Lock | 27 March 1992 (aged 34) | 3 | Toshiba Brave Lupus |
| Tiennan Costley | Back row | 14 June 2000 (aged 26) | 14 | Kobe Steelers |
| Ben Gunter | Back row | 24 October 1997 (aged 28) | 20 | Saitama Wild Knights |
| Esei Ha'angana | Back row | 21 April 1999 (aged 27) | 1 | Urayasu D-Rocks |
| Michael Leitch | Back row | 7 October 1988 (aged 37) | 95 | Toshiba Brave Lupus |
| Faulua Makisi | Back row | 20 February 1997 (aged 29) | 23 | Kubota Spears |
| Kanji Shimokawa | Back row | 17 January 1999 (aged 27) | 25 | Tokyo Sungoliath |
| Itsuki Kamimura | Scrum-half | 13 December 2002 (aged 23) | 2 | Kobe Steelers |
| Naoto Saitō | Scrum-half | 26 August 1997 (aged 28) | 31 | Tokyo Sungoliath |
| Haruto Watanabe | Scrum-half | 10 December 2004 (aged 21) | 0 | Kindai University |
| Ryūnosuke Itō | Fly-half | 10 November 2004 (aged 21) | 3 | Meiji University |
| Samisoni Tua | Fly-half | 24 May 1995 (aged 31) | 4 | Urayasu D-Rocks |
| Yuki Ikeda | Centre | 21 May 1995 (aged 31) | 2 | Black Rams Tokyo |
| Dylan Riley | Centre | 2 May 1997 (aged 29) | 41 | Saitama Wild Knights |
| Shota Taira | Centre | 18 December 2003 (aged 22) | 0 | Sagamihara DynaBoars |
| Inoke Burua | Wing | 30 May 1999 (aged 27) | 0 | Kobe Steelers |
| Kippei Ishida | Wing | 28 April 2000 (aged 26) | 11 | Yokohama Canon Eagles |
| Haruto Kida | Wing | 9 April 1999 (aged 27) | 2 | Kubota Spears |
| Taira Main | Wing | 5 September 2000 (aged 25) | 3 | Black Rams Tokyo |
| Kazuma Ueda | Wing | 4 December 2002 (aged 23) | 5 | Kobe Steelers |
| Sam Greene | Fullback | 16 August 1994 (aged 31) | 7 | Shizuoka Blue Revs |
| Takurō Matsunaga | Fullback | 13 August 1998 (aged 27) | 8 | Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo |
| Shunsuke Uenobo | Fullback | 29 September 2003 (aged 22) | 1 | Kobe Steelers |
| Yoshitaka Yazaki | Fullback | 12 May 2004 (aged 22) | 9 | Waseda University |
Test series
First Test
| 8 August 2026 19:05 JST (UTC+9) |
| Japan | 32–35 | Australia |
| Try: Itō 12' c Makisi 34' c Ueda 45' m Dearns 78' c Con: Matsunaga (3/4) 13', 35', 79' Pen: Matsunaga (2/2) 53', 59' | Report | Try: Potter 15' c Wright 26' c Jorgensen 42' c McReight 49' c Tupou 70' m Con: Lonergan (4/4) 16', 27', 43', 50' Donaldson (1/1) 71' |
| Hanazono Rugby Stadium, Higashiōsaka[18] Attendance: 21,322 Referee: Eoghan Cross (Ireland) |
|
Assistant referees:
|
Notes:
- Isaac Henry (Australia) made his international debut.[30]
- Japan's 32 points was the most they had scored against Australia in a Test match, surpassing their previous record of 30 set in 2017.[31]
Second Test
| 15 August 2026 15:15 AEST (UTC+10) |
| Australia | 56–17 | Japan |
| Try: Nasser 7' c Tupou (2) 17' c, 39' c Bell 51' c de Lutiis 58' c Cale 73' c Wilson 75' c Paenga-Amosa 81' c Con: Lonergan (5/5) 8', 18', 40', 52', 60' Donaldson (3/3) 74', 76', 82' | Report | Try: Hockings 5' m Saitō 26' c Riley 34' m Con: Matsunaga (1/3) 27' |
| North Queensland Stadium, Townsville[32] Attendance: 18,076 Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand) |
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Assistant referees:
|
Notes:
- Massimo de Lutiis (Australia) made his international debut, becoming Wallaby No. 1000.[33]
- In three Test matches, this was Australia's largest score at North Queensland Stadium, surpassing their previous high of 28 points in 2025.[34]
Statistics
Points scorers
|
Try scorers
|