Japan Eye Historic Victory Over Springboks After Narrow Loss to Wallabies

Japan coach Eddie Jones

image: Internet

by Lwandiso Simanga 

Japan coach Eddie Jones believes his team is ready to defeat South Africa after coming close to a stunning victory over Australia in Tokyo. Despite falling short 19–15 to the Wallabies, the Brave Blossoms delivered an inspiring performance that showcased their growing strength and resilience.

Japan’s defensive display was particularly impressive, completing 96 percent of their 218 tackles to restrict Joe Schmidt’s Australian side for most of the match. The near-upset has boosted team confidence ahead of their clash with the Springboks at Wembley next weekend.

Jones expressed strong belief in his squad’s ability to challenge the reigning world champions. “We are going there thinking we are going to win South Africa are like any other team; if you put pressure on them and get in their face, they make mistakes. Imagine beating South Africa at Wembley that would be iconic.” He said.

A win would echo one of rugby’s most memorable moments: Japan’s 34–32 triumph over South Africa in the 2015 Rugby World Cup, famously dubbed the “Brighton Miracle.” That victory remains one of the sport’s greatest upsets and a defining chapter in Japanese rugby history.

Since then, South Africa have reasserted their dominance, defeating Japan 41–7 and 26–3 in 2019. However, Jones has spent recent years rebuilding and reshaping the Japanese side into a more disciplined and competitive unit.

“What I am very pleased about is that we are now a team that stays in the fight We kept going against Australia and could have won the game in the end, but we were not quite good enough.” Jones said.

With renewed determination and tactical growth, the Brave Blossoms head to Wembley not as underdogs resigned to history, but as contenders eager to write a new chapter of their own.