Australia beat Japan 35-32 in a close contest, surviving a late rally from their opponents to secure a win in head coach Les Kiss’ first game in charge.
The match features discipline changes early on: Miles Amatosero receives a red card in the first half, leaving Australia to manage the game under a temporary disadvantage. Despite that setback, Australia maintain control long enough to prevent Japan from taking the lead in the closing stages. Reports note that Japan mounts a late push, but Australia hold on to the final score of 35-32.
Across the sources, the outcome and key turning points align, including the red card incident, the late Japan resurgence, and Kiss making a winning start. No outlet provides a substantially different interpretation of the result; the emphasis is consistently on how Australia respond to the dismissal and protect the narrow margin.
