Australia vs Japan

Kiss challenged his team at the break, and the response was emphatic. Max Jorgensen took a high kick and raced deep into Japanese territory; the Wallabies set a rolling maul from the ensuing lineout and loosehead Angus Bell drove over in the 51st minute to stretch the lead to 28-17.

The moment that truly broke Japan came in the 59th minute. De Lutiis, who had entered the match just minutes earlier as the 1,000th Wallaby in history, charged onto a pass from replacement lock Jeremy Williams after a Carter Gordon line break and scored on debut. It was the decisive blow, putting Australia up 35-17, and the Townsville crowd erupted.

From there, the floodgates opened. Flanker Charlie Cale scored from the back of a dominant scrum in the 73rd minute (42-17), Wilson added another from close range after a Tom Wright break and Tate McDermott service (49-17, 75th), and replacement hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa crashed over after the siren for 56-17.

Japan replacement hooker Mamoru Harada was yellow-carded in the 77th minute for repeated team infringements on the goal-line.

Taniela Tupou was unstoppable in close quarters, scoring a first-half double that kept Australia in the contest while Japan led. His power running softened the Japanese defence for what followed.

Carter Gordon, starting at flyhalf on his return, showed why many believe he can solve Australia's long search for a settled No.10. He took the line on, produced offloads, and his mazy break directly created De Lutiis' historic try.

Carlo Tizzano delivered a masterclass at the breakdown, forcing three turnovers that repeatedly snuffed out Japanese attacks in the second half.

Massimo De Lutiis — the 1,000th Wallaby, a 22-year-old prop — scored on debut and will remember the afternoon for the rest of his life.

Player of the Match: Carter Gordon. The flyhalf's composure and creativity in both phases gave the Wallabies attacking shape that had been missing.

The 56-17 final scoreline looks one-sided, but the first-half stats tell a closer story: three tries apiece, and Japan held the lead 17-14 late in the opening period. Australia's 39-point unanswered run in the second half stemmed from dominant set-piece — a scrum that pushed Japan back six metres for Cale's try — and breakdown mastery, where Tizzano and later Fraser McReight (who added an immediate steal off the bench) forced Japan into concession after concession. Six of Australia's eight tries came from the front row, a remarkable stat that reflects Kiss's tactical emphasis on forward dominance and set-piece pressure rather than expansive backline play.

The victory gives Australia a three-match winning streak for the first time since 2024 and puts Kiss 2-0 as head coach. The schedule stiffens considerably from here: a two-Test tour of Argentina begins on 30 August (Estadio 23 de Agosto, San Salvador de Jujuy) followed by the second Test on 6 September (Malvinas Argentinas Stadium, Mendoza). After that come Tests against South Africa, two Bledisloe Cup matches against the All Blacks, and a November UK tour. Australia's form trajectory under Kiss looks genuinely upward, but the real measuring sticks are still to come.

For Japan, it is a ninth consecutive defeat to Australia dating back to 1975 (the Betmana H2H record tracking since 2017 shows 4-0). Eddie Jones's side competed for 50 minutes but could not sustain the pace and physicality of the first half.

Australia's forward pack delivered a statement performance, bullying Japan into submission after a genuinely competitive first half. De Lutiis' historic debut added a fairytale flourish, but the real takeaway is structural: Kiss's rotation policy is building depth, and the set-piece platform looks robust. Argentina in a fortnight will reveal how much progress is real.