Japan defeated the USA 63-14 Saturday night in Osaka and it was about as much Japan's night as the score might indicate.
Speed is useful in rugby union. So is power. When you combine them, you can be very deadly. That is what Japan brought to the tackle. They hit it up hard and the support personnel thundered into that contest.
They recycled ball quickly and their shifty players had tacklers guessing.
All of this was on display in the first 20 minutes. A missed tackle by Ruben de Haas helped Japan along and then center Yuya Hirose was driven over by his big, powerful forwards.
Japan Head Coach Eddie Jones has taken full advantage of the Japan Top League's financial ability to bring in talent from New Zealand and Australia. And while that's not the totality of why Japan is strong, it doesn't hurt.
Gaijin players such as Michael Stolberg and Harry Hockings at lock, and loose forwards Ben Gunter and Jack Cornelsen provide a combination of rugby understanding, size, and power. That's not to say the Japanese-born players were passengers, not at all, but this is the reality of how the Brave Blossoms can assemble their team.
Not enough rugby-experienced, athletic tall players? That's OK, we can get them in a different way.
Japan scored again after a deep kick was handled nicely by Mitch Wilson and a bifty quick pass from Noah Brown got the ball to Chris Hilsenbeck. But the flyhalf took a bit too long to kick clear, was blocked, and Japan was back on the attack. Wing Inoke Burua picked up and ran forward before offloading nicely to Stolberg, and Japan was in under the posts.
An excellent breakthrough from fullback Sam Greene set up a chance for center Dylan Riley and soon it was 21-0. Japan made it 28-0 thanks to a a somewhat unlucky call on a knock-on, which eventually led to the Blossoms mauling it over.
Down 28-0 the USA team got some momentum.
Good kick-chase forced an error off a box kick and they worked the ball through the backs. Finally off a penalty the Eagles, knowing penalty goals were not going to move the needle, tapped. Makeen Alikhan charged on, then hooker Shilo Klein, then Alikhan again, and finally Tonga Kofe passed to an onrushing Klein for the try.
Strong running from Dom Besag put the USA on the front foot and caught Japan woefully offside. They should have been carded for that, but the baseline for behavior had already been set. Japan, being an Eddie Jones-coached team, did whatever they could do slow down USA ball. Had referee Jordan Way wanted to be tighter on slow rolling, or slow tackler release, he could have been.
He opted not to be, as is his discretion, but that meant no penalties for any of that borderline negative play. So when Japan's lazy runners stopped a USA attack, it wasn't the final straw.
As it was, the Eagles attacked off the lineout, and we saw one of the best individual efforts on a try you are likely to see. Tavite Lopeti powered through one tackler, eluded two others, and then smashed into three defenders, driving them all over the line. It was a brilliant moment for a play in form.
That made it 28-14 and the USA was in with a chance.
Not the USA's day, but this try was one to remember. pic.twitter.com/mMFNordeiK
— Alex Goff (@goffrugbyreport) September 12, 2026
But a penalty at a scrum in midfield led to a well-orchestrated Japanese attack and a try at the stroke of halftime, making it 35-14.
