22 November 2025: G: Mikheil Meskhi Stadium (Georgia) ; R: Eoghan Cross (IRFU)
○Japan 25-23 Fiji●
Data:
22/11/2025, Challenge Tour 2025
Japan 25 – 23 Georgia
Mikheil Meskhi Stadium (Georgia)
Half-time 16 – 6
Refree: Eoghan Cross (IRFU)
Crowd:
JAPAN: 15 Sam Greene (22 Sinya Komura 27), 14 Kazuma Ueda, 13 Dylan Riley, 12 Charlie Lawrence (23 Yuki Ikeda 40), 11 Tomoki Osada, 10 Seungsin Lee, 9 Naoto Saito, 8 Jack Cornelsen, 7 Kanji Shimokawa, 6 Tyler Paul, 5 Warner Dearns (capt), 4 Epineri Uluiviti (19 Harry Hockings 48), 3 Shuhei Takeuchi (18 Keijiro Tamefusa 60), 2 Kenji Sato, 1 Kenta Kobayashi 77).
Reserves: 16 Shodai Hirao, 17 Sho Furuhata, 20 Shu Yamamoto.
HIA: 10 Seungsin Lee (77~80 Shinya Komura 22), (6 Gunter Ben (50~58 Michael Leitch 20)).
Coach: Eddie Jones.
Tries: Dylan Riley.; Conversions: Seungsin Lee; Penalty Goals: Seungsin Lee (6); Drop Goals: None.
Red Cards: None, Yellow Cards: None.
Georgia: 15 Davit Niniahsvili, 14 Akaki Tabutsadze, 13 Giorgi Kveseladze, 12 Tornike Kakhoidze, 11 Demur Tapladze, 10 Tedo Abzhandadze (23 Luka Matkava 80), 9 Vasil Lobzhanidze (22 Gela Aprasidze 56), 8 Beka Gorgadze (capt) (21 Sandro Mamamtavrishvili 67), 7 Beka Saginadze, 6 Tornike Jalaghonia (20 Luka Ivanishvili 61), 5 Vladimer Chachanidze (19 Giorgi Javakhia 51), 4 Mikheil Babunashvili, 3 Irakli Aptsiauri, 2 Irakli Kvatadze (16 Nikoloz Sutidze 66), 1 Giorgi AKHALADZE (17 Giorgi Mamaiashvili 29).
Reserves: 18 Kakhaber Darbaidze.
HIA:
Tries: Demur Tapladze, Tornike Kakhoidze.; Conversions: Tedo Abzhandadze (2); Penalty: Tedo Abzhandadze (3); Drop Goals: None.
Red Cards: None, Yellow Cards: Irakli Aptsiauri (19 Intentional off side).
Scoring sequence (Japan’s score shown first): 5min-pg Georgia, Tedo Abzhandadze-0-3, 8min-pg Japan, Seungsin Lee-3-3, 10min-try Japan, Dylan Riley-8-3; conv. Seungsin Lee-10-3, 26min-pg Japan, Seungsin Lee-13-3, 29min-pg Georgia, Tedo Abzhandadze-13-6, 32min-pg Japan, Seungsin Lee-16-6, 44min-pg Japan, Seungsin Lee-19-6, 45min-pg Georgia, Tedo Abzhandadze-19-9, 68min-try Georgia, Demur Tapladze-19-14; conv. Tedo Abzhandadze-19-16, 73min-pg Japan, Seungsin Lee-22-16, 77min-try Georgia, Tornike Kakhoidze-22-21; conv. Tedo Abzhandadze-22-23, 81min-pg Japan, Seungsin Lee-25-23.
Japan won a must-win match. Even after being overtaken with two minutes remaining, Lee scored a
35-meter penalty kick on the final play, capping off their European tour. This earned them a spot in Band 2 (one team ranked higher than Japan) in the RWC2027 Australia draw.
Georgia kicked off the first half. Contrary to their previous image of a strong forward, Georgia
aggressively deployed their backs to attack. Japan stubbornly defended against Georgia's mixed offense, preventing them from creating any chances. However, in the fifth minute, a Japanese not-rollaway play in the center of the Japanese 22-meter line earned a penalty kick, which Georgia's No. 10, Abshandadze, converted to score (0-3). After the restart, Lee effectively kicked Japan into Georgia's half and launched a lightning-fast attack. In the eighth minute, a Georgian high tackle earned a penalty kick, which Lee converted to score from a 30-meter penalty, tying the score (3-3). In the ninth minute, Georgia earned a penalty kick for a Japanese foul and kicked for touch. Georgia secured a lineout 5 meters to the right of their own half and formed a maul to push forward. Their backs finally got in but were unable to push through. Their forwards charged the ruck side several times before launching an open attack. In the 10th minute, a pass was misplaced, and Japan's No. 12, Lawrence, kicked the loose ball into Georgia's half. Riley, chasing with speed, kicked the ball into Georgia's try zone. Riley out-jumped the Georgia defender and secured the ball for a stunning try (Lee's goal made it 10-3). In the 17th minute, Georgia had possession of the first scrum. Attention was focused on how much Japan could do, but before they could form a scrum, a Japanese early bind resulted in a free kick, and the scrum was undecided. After a touch kick, Japan developed from a lineout to the left of the halfway line to the open right, weaving in loops and long passes to send Tyler Poll charging in, and then further to the right. Riley received a return pass from Lawrence and ran quickly along the line, but the pass failed to connect, allowing Georgia to steal the ball. In the 20th minute, Japan secured a high punt from Georgia and launched a series of attacks, but Georgia's No. 3 Apziauli was yellow-carded for intentional offside. With this touch kick, Japan earned a lineout 10 meters in front of Georgia's left goal, where Uluivaiti secured the ball and launched a series of attacks. A few phases later, Uluivaiti was isolated by a charge and lost the ball. With Japan now secured Georgia's no-touch kick , Japan launched a bold attack. However, a few phases later, Riley was awarded a penalty kick for not releasing the ball. In the 26th minute, as both teams continued to play offense and defense, Georgia committed a foul, allowing Lee to score a 30-meter penalty goal to extend the lead (13-3). After the restart, Georgia secured Japan's kick and launched a series of attacks. In the 29th minute, a Japanese offside foul led to a penalty goal by Georgia's Abshandadze (13-6). In the 32nd minute, Japan continued their offensive play, but a Georgia offside foul led to Lee converting a penalty kick from 40 meters to the left of center, widening the gap to 16-6. In the 33rd minute, essentially the first scrum, Georgia earned a free kick and went on the offensive, but Warner's choke tackle allowed them to regain possession. Japan then earned a penalty kick (slip and fall down) from Georgia in this scrum. This was a major play. Georgia made noticeable mistakes in the first half, and Japan ended the first half with a 16-6 lead. No. 6 Tyler Paul, starting for the first time, was effective in handling high balls and in contact play. No. 14 Ueda, starting for the first time, also showed his youthful and bold play.
The second half began with a Japanese kickoff. Japan won the kickoff ball and launched a series of attacks into Georgia's half, but a knock-forward thwarted the chance. Then, at a scrum near their right 22-meter line, Georgia tried to turn the Japanese scrum over, but was penalized for going inside. In the 44th minute, Lee scored a penalty goal for Japan, steadily widening the lead (19-6). In the 45th minute, a not-roll-away foul by Japan's Uruivaiti led to a penalty goal for Georgia's Abshandadze, putting in the lead (19-9). In the 50th minute, Georgia's No. 14, Tavutsadze, intercepted a Japanese attack from the scrum, kicked it, caught it again, and ran smoothly. Just before the goal, Cornelsen made a successful ankle tap, forcing a knock-forward pass and preventing a loss. It was a truly significant play. Georgia's forwards launched a powerful vertical attack spanning over 10 phases, breaking through the 22m line and putting Japan in a pinch. However, in the 58th minute, No. 1 Kobayashi could steel it and earned a penalty kick (a crucial play that saved the team). In the 60th minute, Japan broke through the Georgia 22m line and launched a series of attacks, but Warner's final charge was isolated and resulted in a steal, giving a penalty kick. In the 62nd minute, Lee kicked from his own half, making the score 50-22, and earned a lineout near the Georgia 22m line on the left. In the 64th minute, Georgia broke through the 22m line with a series of attacks, but No. 23 Ikeda's final charge was isolated and resulted in a steal. In the 65th minute, Georgia earned a lineout on the 10m line to the left of Japan's own half with this penalty kick, and they formed a lineout maul and made a powerful push. Japan was unable to resist the maul and it collapses and conceded a penalty kick. Georgia earned a lineout 5 meters to the left of Japan's goal with this penalty kick, but Warner stole the ball and moved it back to 15 meters to the left. However, Georgia, who had won the lineout, used powerful vertical attacks from their forwards, completing over 10 phases to close in on the Japanese goal. Then, in the 68th minute, after a series of vertical attacks from their forwards, No. 11 Tabladze, who had been in a ruck on the open left, carried the ball out of the ruck and scored a try (Abshandadze's goal made it 19-16). After the restart, Warner charged a kick from a Georgia scrum half following a kick from a ruck after the kick-off, creating a lineout 15 meters in front of Georgia's goal. Georgia then kicked for touch, and Japan launched a series of attacks from a lineout beyond Georgia's right 10-meter line, forcing a Georgian penalty. In the 74th minute, Japan earned a penalty kick from this penalty, and Lee scored a 30-meter penalty goal to make it 6 points lead (22-16). After the restart, Japan dropped the kick-off ball, and Georgia's continuous attacks led to a Japanese penalty. Georgia secured a lineout 10 meters to the left of Japan's goal with a penalty kick, and their backs joined in to form a maul and push. However, the maul collapsed, and Georgia launched a series of attacks, primarily vertical attacks by their forwards. Despite Georgia's penalty advantage, in the 77th minute, Georgia continued to play multiple phases, finally swinging to the right to leave No. 12 Kahoidze free for a try, and then scored a conversion goal (Abushandadze's goal made it 22-23), finally taking the lead. Japan, however, refused to give up, and continued to attack. In the 80th minute, Georgia's No. 21 committed a foul during a ruck of consecutive Japanese attacks, earning a penalty kick. In the 81st minute, Li carefully converted a 35-meter penalty kick to secure a stunning victory (25-23).
At one point, it seemed as though they would suffer a second consecutive loss, but they refused to give up and continued to attack, achieving a comeback victory. This victory elevated Japan to 12th in the rankings and also placed them in Band 2 for the RWC 2027 Australia draw, which is extremely significant. However, despite Japan's come-from-behind victory, their signature lightning-fast attacks failed to score a try. Over the past two years, they've developed a deep player base and are playing well against Tier 1 nations. Over the next two years, I hope they can solidify their members, improve their play accuracy, and ensure they can score tries and points when they have the chance. I also hope they can build an impenetrable defense, capable of stopping South Africa's lineout mauls and the backs attack of New Zealand and Argentina.