Wallabies Edge Japan 19-15 After Major Rotation

Coach Joe Schmidt rested 13 regulars and named Nick Champion de Crespigny — the Wallabies' least experienced skipper in decades — as part of a high-risk rotation for the Tokyo Test that aimed to give fringe players game time. In a rain-affected, error-strewn match Australia narrowly beat Eddie Jones’s Japan 19-15, snapping a three-game losing streak and preserving their perfect record over Japan. Early injuries to locks Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Josh Canham forced late reshuffles, and Japan dominated the final quarter but could not convert pressure into points. The selection gamble delivered valuable minutes for contenders such as Hunter Paisami and kept discussions around Carter Gordon and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii ahead of next week's trip to Twickenham.