Les Kiss secures winning start as Wallabies overcome Japan in Osaka
Les Kiss recorded a winning debut as Australia’s head coach when the Wallabies beat Japan in a Test in Osaka on August 8, 2026, despite conceding an early red card and coping with intense heat.
Kiss, a former rugby league player who has never played union, took charge against Japan under Eddie Jones, the former Wallabies mentor, in a match widely viewed as a potential banana skin for the new coach. Kiss reshuffled Joe Schmidt’s pack, making nine changes to the side that beat Italy 57-10 last month, and he arrived with a plan to arrest Australia’s second-half fragility after the Wallabies had led all three Tests in 2026 at half-time but converted only one into victory.
Japan dominated the opening phase with rapid breakdown work and clever kicking from Naoto Saitō, which produced an early score when Ryunosuke Ito crossed. Australia struggled for possession and cohesion, operating with around 35% of the ball and conceding nine line breaks in the first half, but Hunter Paisami’s break allowed Harry Potter to level the game before Tom Wright finished a lineout move to put Australia ahead in the 27th minute.
Miles Amatosero, making his first Test start, was shown a yellow card for a high shot close to the try line; later that caution was upgraded to a red, leaving Australia a man down for 20 minutes. Japan capitalised before half-time as Shuhei Takeuchi helped send Faulua Makisi over under the posts to make it 14-all at the break, while Australia’s three-Test playmaker Declan Meredith struggled with his kicking and passing in the opening period.
Kiss turned to his designated finishers in the second half and Angus Bell’s powerful carry split Japan’s defence, setting up a sequence in which Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii’s flick pass freed Max Jorgensen and Ryan Lonergan’s involvement, before Suaalii returned to crash over as Australia briefly reclaimed the lead. Kazuma Ueda responded almost immediately for Japan, but Bell later won a turnover, Meredith landed a kick and Fraser McReight finished a pick-and-drive before Lonergan’s conversion extended the Wallabies’ advantage to nine.
Discipline and handling errors continued to trouble Australia as Japan narrowed the margin to three through two penalty goals, and Harry Wilson passed up two penalty attempts to back the scrum from close range. Meredith’s tap-and-run without consent surrendered possession at a key moment, while further misplaced kicks and loose passes kept the match tense until substitute Charlie Cale, making his first Test appearance since 2024, and Taniela Tupou’s close-range power culminated in Tupou’s try; Japan added a late score but Australia held on.
The Wallabies’ scoring form in 2026 has been notable — averaging 38 points a Test, the most since 1985 — yet only one of those high-scoring efforts had produced a win as Ireland and France defeated Australia earlier in the year, and Japan entered the match ranked world No 10. Kiss’s side therefore return to Queensland for a rematch in Townsville, where the mercury is unlikely to fall and, with a home World Cup looming, the pressure on the new coach will continue.