Japan end Fiji’s Pacific Nations Cup reign with hard-earned win in Tokyo

TOKYO: Japan have taken out the Asahi Super Dry Pacific Nations Cup title, beating defending champions Fiji 20-15 in the 2026 final. The Brave Blossoms had lost to the Flying Fijians in the last two deciders, but snapped that streak in front of a vocal crowd on Saturday.

Fiji gave away eight penalties in the first half alone, which gave Japan plenty of opportunity to build phases in attack and chase points. But the Brave Blossoms ultimately went into the break down by two, having turned the ball over nine times.

Japan looked supremely confident from the opening whistle, with the forward pack laying down a marker at the set-piece. They were awarded multiple penalty advantages at scrum time and made progress off lineouts with a near-unstoppable maul.

Sam Greene kicked the first points of the decider, knocking over an attempt from right in front on the 22-metre line. It’d been one-way traffic in terms of possession up until that point, with the Brave Blossoms getting some reward for some effective work early.

But about two minutes later, Greene was forced back into the Japan in-goal, which saw Fiji pack down for an attacking scrum five metres out from the try line. It was by far their best attacking opportunity of the Test up until that point, and the visitors made the most of it.

Virimi Vakatawa received the ball and always looked like scoring – running over one defender and carrying another three or four over the line. Caleb Muntz added the extras, as Fiji appeared to settle more into the match.

Greene had a chance to reduce the deficit soon after, lining up his second shot at the sticks on the night. The fullback had scored more than 20 points himself in the semi-final win over the USA Eagles in Osaka, but this attempt hooked wide left of the poles.

The rest of the half was defined by a series of key moment. First, Muntz looked to kick Fiji into a promising attacking position with a 50/22 attempt, but the kick downfield instead rolled beyond the dead ball line.

Fiji went down to 14 men when Mesake Doge was shown a yellow card close to the try line. But an overthrow at the lineout that followed cost the Brave Blossoms, with the Flying Fijians collecting the loose ball instead.

But the Brave Blossoms didn’t make that same mistake twice, making the most of an attacking lineout inside the red zone. Mamoru Harada delivered an accurate throw, and the front-rower was the one crashing over for five points, courtesy of the maul.

Greene’s conversion extended Japan’s lead to three, but Fiji wrestled back the advantage on the scoreboard just three minutes later. Captain Tevita Ikanivere was sent flying down the left sideline with a clever set-piece move – crashing over for go-ahead points.

It was 12-10 at that stage, and while the scores wouldn’t change before half-time, it certainly seemed that both sides were destined for more points. Japan had dominated with 74 per cent territory up until the 35^th minute, but Fiji were playing with a decent amount of possession.

Muntz sent a goal-line drop-out into touch on the full late in the half, which saw Japan set up for a scrum. The Brave Blossoms forward pack had been destructive all night, but a knock-on from inside centre Yuya Hirose brought an end to that passage of play.

Both teams tried to throw the ball around to start the second half, but once again, Japan’s set-piece looked to be a difference-maker. The crowd let out a deafening cheer – by far the loudest of the night, by this stage – as the Brave Blossoms went close with their maul.

But the Flying Fijians forced a turnover.

Referee Jordan Way awarded a scrum, and still, the Tokyo crowd continued to clap, chant and cheer. Fiji had the ball but the Japan players flooded the breakdown, winning a pilfer penalty of their own and electing to pack down for a scrum.

Fiji had tackled at an 85 per cent completion rate, and again the away side remained strong on the defensive side of the ball. But all that attacking pressure from Japan, which had been nonstop for about 10 minutes, eventually led to something.

Backrower Ben Gunter crossed for a crucial score, before throwing the ball up in the air – all while the already-vocal crowd celebrated the moment. Greene missed the conversion, but still, the Brave Blossoms were leading for the first time since the 25^th minute.

It’d been a bit of a theme in the first half that when Japan took the lead, Fiji quickly hit back. And this time was no different – with Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula levelling the score at 15-all with a successful penalty attempt with 15 minutes left.

Japan set up for a lineout inside Fiji’s 22 with less than 10 minutes left, and the maul that followed seemed to be making metres before coming to a halt. It was Samisoni Tua who powered to the line for an important try.

The Brave Blossoms seemed to control both the possession and territory battles in the final 10 minutes, with the Flying Fijians only getting the chance to play out of their own half.