Australia survive major upset with rain-soaked win over Japan in Tokyo

Nick Champion de Crespigny marked his first match as captain with a try, while Josh Flook and openside Carlo Tizzano also crossed the line, giving the Wallabies a perfect record of seven wins in seven meetings against the Brave Blossoms.

Japan threatened a major upset late in the game, with second-half tries from prop Shuhei Takeuchi and Australian-born flanker Ben Gunter narrowing the deficit to just four points in the final quarter.

Despite the pressure, Australia held firm and will now travel to Europe for Tests against England, Italy, Ireland, and France over the next month.

Coach Joe Schmidt's decision to make 13 changes to the starting XV, combined with first-half injuries to locks Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and his replacement Josh Canham, left the Wallabies lacking fluency at times.

Yet the visitors produced one moment of genuine class when fullback Andrew Kellaway cut through the Japanese defence on a perfectly timed run, offloading to Flook for a try that gave Australia a 14-3 half-time advantage.

Japan's coach, Eddie Jones, in his second stint with the Brave Blossoms, had predicted a strong performance, and while his side came close, handling errors and slightly less disciplined play ultimately cost them.

"We had our opportunities but we didn't start the game well enough," said Jones. "In test match rugby, I think if you score the first try, it gives you a 70% chance of winning, and we were just too slow out of the blocks."

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