The Wallabies have started the Les Kiss era on home soil in emphatic fashion, a dominant second-half display seeing the men in gold overpower Japan 56-17 in Townsville.
After a tense first match in Osaka that showed the Brave Blossoms as a side to watch in world rugby, the men in gold signalled a clear state of intent in front of the 18,076 fans that turned out in perfect conditions at Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
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The Japanese did make it tough for the hosts in the first half, with excellent field position and speed causing all sorts of problems for the Wallaby defence resulting in tries to Harry Hockings, Naoto Saito and Dylan Riley.
However, a double to Taniela Tupou, plus tries to Josh Nasser, Angus Bell, Charlie Cale, Harry Wilson, Brendan Paenga-Amosa and Wallaby #1000 Massimo De Lutiis saw the hosts maintain their perfect record in Townsville, giving local fans a glorious afternoon of rugby.
So, what did we learn?
After a tense first win to the Les Kiss era in Osaka last week, this weekend saw the rugby gods not just smile for the Wallabies, but especially for the Queensland contingent of Wallaby fans.
Five of the seven Wallaby tries were scored by current and former Queensland Reds players, with the most popular being the long-awaited arrival of Massimo De Lutiis in gold, the 22-year-old having a dream debut as Wallaby #1000 scoring a try in the 58th minute.
It was also reflected in other key performances, with Carter Gordon back to his attacking best, while special mention must also go to Isaac Henry, his first start seeing a far improved performance in combination with Hunter Paisami.
Taniela Tupou bagged a double from a strong first-half effort, with Lukhan Salakia-Loto relishing his long-awaited return to the national side with a bruising performance.
Even the Japanese highlights had a twinge of Queensland to them, with Queensland-born Harry Hockings scoring the visitors’ first try of the afternoon.
Complete with the former head coach of the Reds securing a big win in his first test in charge on home soil, it proved a special afternoon not just for the men in gold, but especially for the maroon contingent.
The big talking point heading into the weekend - aside from De Lutiis’ forthcoming debut as Wallaby #1000 - was the many changes Kiss made and whether continuity could prove an issue for the Brave Blossoms to exploit.
However, the resulting performance - especially at set piece - not only put those doubts to rest, but also showed that Kiss has no shortage of quality options all around the park.
Among several strong performances, Lachlan Shaw had his best game in gold, who in combination with Charlie Cale made a mess of the Brave Blossoms’ lineout, the latter managing several steals in the first half.
Cale and Carlo Tizzano also had excellent busy showings, the former topping the tackle count, making 11 carries and scoring a try, while the latter won three turnovers and made 13 tackles to cause all sorts of problems for the Japanese at ruck time.
Gordon also had a great afternoon at flyhalf, combining well with Reds’ teammates Hunter Paisami and Isaac Henry, the duo almost making fans forget this hasn’t been the Wallabies’ starting centre pair for the last two years, with Len Ikitau and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii out due to injury.
With the likes of Alan Alaalatoa, Rob Valetini, Billy Pollard, Zane Nonggorr, Jock Campbell, Josh Canham and many more also not in the side, the strong performance indicates promising depth - and a lot of that can be laid at the feet of Kiss’ predecessor, Joe Schmidt.
Complete with a strong performance from the bench, it was a result that produced several career-best performances, and showed that the work done during Schmidt's time to get the side into a globally competitive position can, in Kiss’ hands, dovetail into great results.
Despite the series clean sweep to start off the Kiss era, it was not a perfect afternoon in Townsville, with the first half especially seeing a key issue that needs to be addressed: defence.
After last week, the Brave Blossoms found a lot of success with chips over the top and speed, seeing the visitors win the territory and possession battle in the first half.
The result saw the Wallabies’ defence appear passive in the first half, with all three of the visitors’ tries coming from defensive lapses.
Given it was an issue in Osaka last week, the first half will give Kiss’ coaching staff food for thought about how to approach defence heading into the Argentina tour.
Likewise, it will also be something Japan head coach Eddie Jones will look to exploit again next time the sides face off - with the teams potentially set for a collision course in the Rugby World Cup finals should both make it next year.
While challenging the hosts’ defence was one of the positives the visitors will take away from a tough afternoon in Townsville, the Wallabies - and fans in particular - will take away an even bigger positive: the second half response.
Going into the break with the match 21-17 and there for the taking for both sides, the second half performance saw the Wallabies side do what the best teams in the world do: find that extra gear and fix the first half errors.
Kiss spoke of looking to be more direct, and in the second half the Wallabies did just that, holding onto the ball, fixing their defence and winning the physical battle, beating an incredible 31 defenders, making eight line breaks and yielding ten penalties from the visitors.
The rewards on the scoreboard followed, and it was no coincidence that all seven tries came through the forwards, the hosts stealing three lineouts and proving a nightmare in the scrum, the 73rd-minute scrum leading to a Charlie Cale try capping off a brilliant day for the piggies.
It is easy to forget that while Japan were well beaten today, the Brave Blossoms are a far-improved outfit these days, having pushed Ireland in Newcastle and putting Italy to the sword at home last month.
It was a performance the Wallabies can use as a blueprint for what is set to be an imposing upcoming schedule for the rest of 2026.
The result in Townsville sees the Wallabies head to Argentina in two weeks on a three-match winning streak, the first time they’ve managed such a feat since the start of the Joe Schmidt era in 2024.
However, the coaching staff and players will know Los Pumas represent a significant step up, the Felipe Contepomi-coached side sitting just one place above Australia in the world rankings and coming off a tense 17-10 loss to the world champion Springboks.
Argentina also have a point to prove after two losses in the Nations Championship, and have been building an impressive level of depth under Contepomi over the last two years.
The two Rugby Championship sides have enjoyed an excellent rivalry over the last four years, having shared a win apiece in 2022, 2024 and 2025, with Argentina claiming the Puma Trophy for the first time in 2023.
Kiss and his team will need two wins in Argentina to win it back, setting the stage for a thrilling fortnight of action in San Salvador de Jujuy and Mendoza.
