11 July 2026: G: McDonald Jones Stadium (Australia) ; R: Andrea Piardi (Italy RFU)
○Japan 20-36 Ireland●
Data:
11/7/2026, Nations Championship 2026
Japan 20 – 36 Ireland
McDonald Jones Stadium (Australia)
Half-time 13 – 19
Andrea Piardi (Italy RFU)
Crowd: 11,021
JAPAN: 15 Takuro Matsunaga, 14 Kazuma Ueda, 13 Dylan Riley (23 Sam Greene 40), 12 Yuya Hirose (21 Tiennan Costley 32), 11 Taira Main, 10 Ryunosuke Ito, 9 Naoto Saito (22 Itsuki Kamimura 73), 8 Jack Cornelsen (1 Takato Okabe 80), 7 Kanji Shimokawa (20 Michael Leitch 53), 6 Ben Gunter, 5 Warner Dearns (capt), 4 Harry Hockings (19 Michael Stolberg 53), 3 Shuhei Takeuchi (18 Keijiro Tamefusa 54), 2 Mamoru Harada (16 Hayate Era 48), 1 Takato Okabe (17 Sojiro Otsuka 54).
Reserves:
HIA:
Coach: Eddie Jones.
Tries: Taira Main, Hayate Era.; Conversions: Takuro Matsunaga (2); Penalty Goals: Takuro Matsunaga (2); Drop Goals: None.
Red Cards: None, Yellow Cards: Hayate Era (77 Repeated Penalty).
Ireland: 15 Jamie Osborne, 14 Jimmy Obrien, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Stuart Mccloskey (23 Bundee Aki 48), 11 Jacob Stockdale (22 Harry Byrne 61), 10 Ciaran Frawley, 9 Craig Casey (21 Nathan Doak 91), 8 Sean Jansen (20 Bryn Ward 62), 7 Nick Timoney, 6 Jack Conan (19 Cormac Izuchukwu 62), 5 James Ryan, 4 Tadhg Beirne (Capt), 3 Thomas Clarkson (18 Sam Illo 48), 2 Ronan Kelleher (16 Tom Stewart 61), 1 Tom OToole (17 Billy Bohan 55).
Reserves:
HIA:
Coach: Andy Farrell
Tries: Nick Timoney, Tom Otoole, Robbie Henshaw, Sean Jansen, Tom Stewart.; Conversions: Ciaran Frawley (3), Harry Byrne; Penalty: Harry Byrne; Drop Goals: None.
Red Cards: None, Yellow Cards: None.
Scoring sequence (Japan’s score shown first): 4min-try Japan, Taira Main-5-0; conv. Takuro Matsunaga-7-0, 9min-try Ireland, Nick Timoney-7-5; conv. Ciaran Frawley-7-7, 18min-pg Japan, Takuro Matsunaga-10-7, 21min-try Ireland, Tom Otoole-10-12; conv. Ciaran Frawley (missed-10-12), 21min-try Ireland, Tom Otoole-13-17; conv. Ciaran Frawley-13-19, 51min-try Ireland, Sean Jansen-13-24; conv. Ciaran Frawley-13-26, 59min-try Japan, Hayate Era-18-26; conv. Takuro Matsunaga-20-26, 28min-pg Ireland, Harry Byrne-20-29, 91min-try Ireland, Tom Stewart-20-34; conv. Harry Byrne-20-36.
Having secured a convincing victory over Italy in their first match, Japan faced Ireland—who had narrowly defeated Australia—in a game that would truly test their mettle. The only change to the starting lineup from the first match was the replacement of Winger (No. 11) Kippei Ishida with Taira Main.
The match kicked off with Ireland putting the ball into play. Four minutes in, during an Irish lineout 10 meters inside Japan's territory on the left flank, Japan positioned Taira Main at the rear of their formation. Although the Irish throw-in sailed past the intended target, Main brilliantly gathered the ball and broke into open space; shaking off defenders, he sprinted 60 meters to score a spectacular try (Matsunaga converted: 7–0). Ireland launched a counterattack, pressing deep into Japan's territory and securing a series of rucks. After repeated straight-line charges by their forwards, No. 7 Timoney dove over the try line in the 9th minute (Flowry converted: 7–7). Seeking to keep the contest tight, Japan earned a penalty kick 25 meters out and directly in front of the posts in the 18th minute, which Matsunaga successfully converted (10–7). However, Ireland immediately pressed back toward Japan's goal line; following repeated forward drives, No. 1 O'Toole crashed over for a try in the 21st minute (Flowry missed the conversion: 10–12). In the 28th minute, Matsunaga reclaimed the lead for Japan by slotting a penalty kick from 20 meters out, directly in front (13–12). Yet, in the 35th minute, Ireland set up a lineout 8 meters from Japan's goal line on the right; they formed a solid maul and drove to the left, drawing in the Japanese forwards. Amidst this engagement, the ball was passed from No. 9 to No. 13 Henshaw, who dove into the try zone (Flowry converted: 13–19). From this time the first half ended keeping scoreless for both teams, but following the substitution of No. 12 Hirose in the 32nd minute due to a shoulder injury, No. 13 and ace player Riley was also forced off the field. This raised concerns about how the team would structure its play in the second half.
Three minutes into the second half, Japan won a penalty after driving back an Irish scrum just short of the 22-meter line on the left side of the field. No. 10 Ito kicked the ball deep into touch, landing it five meters from the try line on the left. From the resulting lineout, No. 8 Cornelsen secured a clean catch, and the team formed a solid maul, driving forward relentlessly. However, the play ultimately ended in a "maul pile-up," resulting in a scrum to the opposition—a truly costly missed opportunity. Ireland then shifted to the attack, pressing toward Japan's try zone with repeated straight-line charges by their forwards. Although Japan’s strong tackling sometimes halted their progress, Ireland refused to concede possession, persistently hammering forward. In the 11th minute, No. 8 Doris (Jansen) crashed over for a try (with Crowley’s conversion making it 13–26). Perhaps having learned from their loss to Japan at RWC 2019, Ireland avoided taking unnecessary risks; once inside Japan's 22, they prioritized ball retention and relied on repeated forward drives. In the 15th minute, Japan again won a penalty after driving back an Irish scrum ten meters out from the left side of the try line. A minute later, aiming for a try, Japan launched a coordinated attack involving both forwards and backs; Sam Greene—who had come on as the left winger—sprinted along the left touchline but was tackled by Ireland’s No. 9 and No. 5 and forced into touch. Undeterred, Japan launched another attack in the 19th minute, spreading the ball right from a scrum five meters out (left-center) and closing in on the Irish try line through a powerful run by No. 21 Costley, who had stepped into the center position. Following three phases of direct forward drives, No. 16 Era slid low into the try zone directly beneath the posts (Matsunaga converted to make it 20–26). Ireland, determined not to lose, advanced into Japanese territory and earned a penalty just outside the 22-meter line on the right; ignoring the chance for a try, substitute No. 22 Harry Byrne kicked a penalty goal in the 31st minute (20–29). With five minutes remaining, Ireland again pressed close to the Japanese goal line, confidently running down the clock with repeated forward drives. In the 78th minute, substitute No. 22 Uemura executed a "jackal" at a ruck, winning a penalty and averting the danger. However, Ireland returned to Japanese territory; in the 41st minute, following a ruck past the left 22-meter line, they launched a coordinated attack involving both forwards and backs, culminating in No. 16 Stuart running into the try zone (Frawley converted to make it 20–36).
Japan delivered another strong performance, following up on their match against Italy—and this despite missing key backline playmakers No. 12 Hirose and No. 13 Riley for the first half. The remaining challenge lies in how to halt the relentless, direct forward drives Ireland employs near the goal line. While stopping every single one may not be possible, the team fundamentally requires the power, stamina, and technical/strategic skills—such as double-tackling—to prevent the opposition from breaching the line. This represents a clear area for improvement as they build toward the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.