Eddie Jones returns to his home country looking to get one over on his former employers.
Watch Australia v Japan as the Wallabies’ new boss, Les Kiss, attempts to make it two from two against one of his predecessors, Eddie Jones.
New Zealand’s Greatest Rivalry tour of South Africa may be hogging the rugby headlines right now, but these two sides proved more than capable of putting on a show in Osaka last weekend. The Wallabies earned a narrow 35-32 victory over the Brave Blossoms for Kiss’s first game in charge, but will be hoping for something more comprehensive when they take the field in Queensland.
Kiss has made several changes to his side, with lock Lachlan Shaw, flanker Charlie Cale and centre Isaac Henry all making their first starts for their country. Henry faces a particularly high-pressure afternoon, with the usual big-name centre partnership of Len Ikitau and Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i both ruled out by injury. Carter Gordon is the latest player to wear the number 10 shirt in the Wallabies’ ongoing merry-go-round of fly-halves.
Jones has also rejigged his ranks as Japan seek their first ever victory over the hosts. In the backs, Yoshitaka Yazaki and Haruto Kida come in on the wings, while Sunsuke Uenobo gets the nod at centre. Australia-born Harry Hockings is selected alongside captain Warner Dearns in the second row.
The match kicks off at 6.15am BST / 3.15pm AEST on Saturday, and you can watch Wallabies v Japan live streams for free in Australia and the US. We’ll tell you everything you need to know to tune in below – including details of how you can use a VPN to watch the match from anywhere. You’ll find teams and officials at the bottom of the page.
Key information
– Australia v Japan date: Saturday 15 August 2026
– Australia v Japan kick-off time: 6.15am BST / 7.15am SAST / 7.15am CET / 3.15pm AEST / 5.15pm NZST / 1.15am EDT / 10.15pm PDT (Friday)
– Australia v Japan venue: Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville
– Australia v Japan free streams: 9Now (Australia), RugbyPass TV (US)
– Watch from anywhere: Try NordVPN 100% risk-free
Can I watch Australia v Japan for free?
If you’re in Australia under you can watch Wallabies v Japan for free on Channel 9 and the 9Now streaming service. Kick-off is at 3.15pm AEST this afternoon.
There’s also good news for rugby fans in the US, because free Australia v Japan live streams are available on World Rugby’s RugbyPass TV. While it’s free to use, you do need to register before you can start streaming the action. Kick-off is at 1.15am EDT (Saturday) /10.15pm PDT (Friday).
If you’re away from home this weekend, a VPN can help you watch your usual Australia v Japan live stream as if you were back at home. Read on to find out more.
Stream Australia vs Japan from anywhere
Overseas right now? That doesn’t mean you have to miss this month’s second Wallabies v Brave Blossoms Test. By using a VPN you can avoid the geo-blocking restrictions that might otherwise prevent you from tuning in to the game when you’re overseas. There are plenty of good VPNs you can buy, but the tech experts at TechRadar believe NordVPN is currently the best in the world.
Save up to 75% on NordVPN!
🥇 World’s best VPN service
➕ 30-day money-back guarantee
✅ Fast, secure, huge location list
More ways to watch Wallabies v Japan
- UK and Ireland: Early-bird rugby fans in the UK and Ireland need to set their alarm clocks and head to Sky Sports Action and Sky Sports Main Event for this 6.15am BST kick-off. Check out the latest Sky Sports subscription offers at the Sky website – prices currently start at £22 per month – or go to Now Sports for daily (£14.99) and monthly (starting from £28) plans.
- Australia: Aussie fans can also watch Wallabies v Japan live streams ad-free on subscription service Stan Sport, which requires a $20 per month Stan Sport plan (in addition to your base Stan subscription, which starts at $9.99 per month).
- New Zealand: In New Zealand, Australia vs Japan is on Sky Sport, which costs $59.99 per month for a streaming subscription ($29.99 day options are also available). Kick-off is at 5.15pm NZST.
- South Africa: SuperSport will be your destination for Australia vs Japan live streams in South Africa, and is available via DStv and streaming. The match gets underway at 7.15am SAST.
Australia v Japan teams and officials
Australia
Tom Wright, Max Jorgensen, Isaac Henry, Hunter Paisami, Harry Potter, Carter Gordon, Ryan Lonergan; Angus Bell, Josh Nasser, Taniela Tupou, Lachlan Shaw, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Charlie Cale, Carlo Tizzano, Harry Wilson (captain)
Replacements:
Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Aidan Ross, Massimo De Lutiis, Jeremy Williams, Fraser McReight, Tate McDermott, Ben Donaldson, Filipo Daugunu
Japan
Takuro Matsunaga, Yoshitaka Yazaki, Dylan Riley, Shunsuke Uenobo, Haruto Kida, Ryunosuke Ito, Naoto Saito; Takato Okabe, Hayate Era, Shuhei Takeuchi, Harry Hockings, Warner Dearns (captain), Ben Gunter, Tiennan Costley, Faulua Makisi
Replacements:
Mamoru Harada, Sojiro Otsuka, Izi Sword, Jack Cornelsen, Michael Leitch, Itsuki Kamimura, Samisoni Tua, Kazuma Ueda
There’s an all New Zealand officiating team for this one. Paul Williams is the referee, assisted by Angus Mabey and Marcus Playle. Glenn Newman is the TMO.
Download the digital edition of Rugby World straight to your tablet or subscribe to the print edition to get the magazine delivered to your door.
Follow Rugby World on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter/X.
We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:
- Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service)
- Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad
We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.