Wallabies player ratings vs Japan | Flight Centre Series 2026

The Wallabies overcame a red card to lock Miles Amatosero to claim a nail-biting 35-32 win over Japan in scorching conditions, kicking off the team’s era under new coach Les Kiss with a confidence-building result in Osaka.

Harry Potter and Tom Wright touched down for a try each during the first 25 minutes, before a red card to Amatosero risked changing the game completely. Japan hit back with some points, taking a 14-all score into the sheds, but the Wallabies showcased some grit during the second 40.

Max Jorgensen, Fraser McReight and Taniela Tupou stepped up in key moments, as the men in gold put themselves in a strong position late. Japan made it a one-score game with a couple of minutes left, but the Wallabies did enough in the end.

1. Aidan Ross – 7/10
Ross spoke this week about wanting to do the Wallabies jersey justice, having been named in the national team’s starting side for the first time. The former All Blacks loosehead prop did just that, delivering in defence and at the set-piece. Ross was a workhorse on the defensive side of the ball, finishing with 11 tackles in just 40 minutes. The Wallabies were stable at scrum time without being dominant.

2. Josh Nasser – 7
The Wallabies lineout hasn’t looked this good in quite some time, and some plaudits for that should be directed towards Nasser. Nasser started in all three July Nations Championship Tests and was retained in that role under new boss Les Kiss. The Queenslander hit five of six targets at lineout time, and stepped up in defence with 11 tackles. With Japan building phases in attack midway through the first half, Nasser produced a tough shot that forced a knock-on.

3. Allan Alaalatoa – 6
Alaalatoa was replaced early in the second half, having contributed to a Wallabies scrum that was clinical but not commanding. The Wallabies didn’t win any scrum penalties, but they weren’t bested by the Brave Blossoms pack either. 92-Test Wallaby Alaalatoa was otherwise fairly quiet around the park, missing one tackle from nine attempts and running the ball just three times.

4. Josh Canham – 7.5
Following a record-making hat-trick effort against Italy in Perth, Canham seemed like an almost obvious selection in the starting side. But this was the first time that Canham hadn’t been named alongside Jeremy Williams, who was instead called on to come off the bench.

Canham stepped up around the set-piece as a reliable target for Josh Nasser, and the lock rose highest to steal the ball on Japan’s through around the 30-minute mark. The No. 4 hoofed the ball ahead for a 60-metre clearance early on, won a pilfer penalty during the first half, and otherwise had some physical involvements on both sides of the ball.

5. Miles Amatosero – 4
Amatosero was named in the Wallabies run-on side for the first time, clocking in with a staggering 10 tackles in 30 minutes, but then things took a turn. The NSW Waratahs lock produced some big hits in defence but got one wrong late in the first half, catching Warner Dearns high. The lock was shown a red card, with the Wallabies playing the next 20 with 14 men.

6. Rob Valetini – 6

It was an uncharacteristically quiet night for Valetini, who was unusually absent in attack. ‘Bobby V’ finished with three carries for 12 metres in a 62-minute shift, but the backrower was able to make more of an impact in defence, as one of six Wallabies who made more than 10 tackles.

7. Fraser McReight – 8.5
McReight and the Aussies look to play fast and high-tempo rugby, with the openside flanker opting for a quick tap well inside the Wallabies’ own half 12 minutes in. The loose forward made a break upfield but couldn’t connect with any teammates in support, with Japan picking off a pass, before scoring in the phases that followed.

But that’s not to say this wasn’t another strong showing from McReight in Wallaby gold. McReight topped the tackle count with 21, which was six more than the next best individual tally. The No. 7 was one of the Wallabies’ try-scorers as well, fighting to the try line with a relentless leg drive less than 10 minutes into the second half.

8. Harry Wilson – 7.5

Ryunosuke Ito bamboozled Wilson with some quick feet early on, which saw the Brave Blossoms fly-half race away to the try line. Wilson was beaten by sheer pace and ability, but made amends throughout another compelling 80-minute shift.

The Wallabies skipper raced out of the defensive line midway through the first half, but this time made no mistake. Wilson made the third-most tackles out of any player that night, finished with a team-high 11 carries, and proved to be a reliable lineout target multiple times.

9. Ryan Lonergan – 7.5

Lonergan does not look out of place in the Wallabies starting lineup. The halfback hadn’t started for the Wallabies before facing Ireland in Sydney last month, but now has the composure of an experienced international rugby playmaker. Lonergan helped lead the team around the park with quick decision-making and accurate passing. But it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, with the No. 9 sending a box kick out on the full early in the second half.

10. Declan Meredith – 5

It was a tough night for Meredith, who held onto the starting role at fly-half for the third Wallabies Test in a row. Meredith’s first touch seemed to be a hard run at the line about 13 minutes in, having not been able to get into the match up until that point. The No. 10 was involved in a set play off a scrum soon after, but dropped a Hunter Paisami pop pass cold.

Meredith did make amends for that knock-on by winning a turnover 90 seconds later, but another error midway through the half followed. The three-Test Wallaby threw some passes that failed to find the target, probably didn’t clear enough ground with a couple of exits with the boot, and had a kick-off that sailed into touch on the full.

But there were some positive moments as well. Meredith helped shift the ball wide for Tom Wright to score in the first half, having combined with Hunter Paisami in the lead-up. The pivot was also stopped just shy of the try line during the second term, only for Max Jorgensen to dive over for a five-pointer in the very next phase.

11. Harry Potter – 8.5

Potter was undoubtedly the Wallabies’ best during the first 30 minutes at least, with the winger running riot down the left edge. The 28-year-old sliced through Japan’s defensive line to score a crucial try during the first half, capitalising on some broken play. That seemed to spark some more confidence for Potter, who was in the thick of the action for practically the entire contest. It wasn’t at all a surprise to see Potter had topped the charts with a game-high 118 running metres.

12. Hunter Paisami – 8.5

Paisami was presented with a fairly rare chance to start at inside centre, with Len Ikitau ruled out of the Japan Tests due to injury. It’s safe to say Paisami took this opportunity with both hands, stepping up with some remarkable numbers in both attack and defence.

The midfielder set the tone early with a huge shot in defence, before making a seismic break down the right sideline in the lead-up to Harry Potter’s try. Paisami then produced some more magic to create the space necessary for Tom Wright to score, having run hard at the line before getting a pop pass off to Declan Meredith, who was looping around in support.

Paisami finished with the second-most tackles out of any player with 15 and the second-most carries for a Wallabies player with 10.

13. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii – 6

Suaalii ran the ball six times and completed eight tackles, and was able to showcase sparks of brilliance in the process, but nothing that seemed all that decisive. It started with a knock-on for Suaalii, with his first touch of the match. In the second half, the outside centre rushed out of the line to make a tackle, but that created a hole which Japan made the most of – hitting back with a crucial try five minutes into the second half.

14. Max Jorgensen – 7.5

Jorgensen was able to create plenty with the chances he was presented with. ‘Jorgo’ set up Tom Wright for a first-half try with a fairly routine draw and pass, before the right winger got on the scoresheet himself later on. The flyer touched down for a five-pointer early in the second term. In the end, Jorgensen finished with eight runs for 50 metres – one of seven players who hit a half-century for that particular statistic.

15. Tom Wright – 7.5
Wright crossed for a try during the first half, but was able to have a fairly consistent impact on the contest from then. The No. 15 looked comfortable when returning Japan clearance kicks, and slotted in as a playmaking option before being replaced by Isaac Henry. In 71 minutes, Wright clocked up the sixth-most running metres out of any player.

Replacements – 8
New boss Kiss made some changes at the break, with Angus Bell coming on as a replacement for Aiden Ross. Bell won a pilfer penalty just seven minutes into the second term, and the loosehead was able to have a fairly strong impact on the match from then.

Taniela Tupou tried to make a similar impact after coming on but was pinned at the breakdown around the 60-minute mark. But the replacement more than made up for that, crashing over for a crucial try with 10 to play.

In the backs, Tate McDermott helped the Wallabies close out the match with some tidy work from halfback. Isaac Henry also became Wallaby number 999 after coming off as a substitute for Tom Wright with nine minutes left.