Eddie Jones: Japan Can Make History vs Wallabies 2026

Eddie Jones has never been short of ambition, and right now he believes Japan are closer than ever to doing something they have never done in 51 years of trying — beating Australia. The Brave Blossoms travel to Townsville on Saturday carrying real momentum, and their coach is not hiding the target.

Japan Closing Gap on Australia

The numbers tell the story. Japan's first five Tests against the Wallabies ended in an average defeat of 33 points. Their last two? Three and a half points on average. Last week in Osaka, Japan pushed Australia to the wire before losing 35-32 in a match that could have gone either way. That is not a consolation — that is a trajectory.

'We haven't achieved what we want to achieve yet, which is victory over Australia,' Jones said. 'Just looking at the history in front of me, we've played eight games against Australia as a country. The first five games was an average loss of 33 points, and the last two games our average loss was three-and-a-half points. So we're moving in the right direction — this is an opportunity for us to create new history for Japan and this group of players.'

Jones Makes Five Starting Changes

Jones has made five changes to his starting line-up. Tiennan Costley comes in at openside flank, Harry Hockings returns at lock, and there is a youthful feel in the backs — university student Yoshitaka Yazaki on the right wing, Ryunosuke Ito at flyhalf, Shunsuke Uenobo at inside centre and Haruto Kida on the left wing. It is a bold selection built for speed and ambition. 'We've had an excellent preparation. Couldn't have asked for more from the players, so we're ready to go,' Jones added. The focus this week was sharp and specific: 'We let ourselves down with our execution in the last game. We created good opportunities. Really focused on that in training this week.'

Kiss Seeks Second Consecutive Win

On the other side, Wallabies coach Les Kiss is chasing his own milestone. His team scraped through in Osaka — a 20-minute red card made for a chaotic first Test in charge — but a second consecutive win would give Australia three straight victories for the first time in two years. Kiss has rung the changes: eight in total. Carter Gordon returns from a calf injury to replace the underwhelming Declan Meredith at flyhalf, and only Josh Nasser and Harry Wilson survive in the forward pack. Heavyweights Rob Valetini and Allan Alaalatoa have been rested, which hands Japan an opening they will not ignore.

'This is an important Test match for us, we've won two in a row now, but it'll take more this week to get over Japan,' Kiss acknowledged. 'They were very good last week, and we know that Eddie's a very savvy coach. So we're going to have to be very good and improve in certain areas.' The former rugby league man also wants a cultural shift — fight for everything, but bring some enjoyment with it.

It is also worth noting the occasion: this is the first time these nations have met on Australian soil in 39 years. History surrounds this fixture from every angle. Jones knows it. His players know it. And if Japan's execution matches their ambition in Townsville, Saturday could be the day the Brave Blossoms finally rewrite the record books. Australia's round-two meeting with Japan kicks off at 07:00 SAST — you can follow all the international rugby action on Octafield.