Wallabies vs Japan 2026: Test Series Schedule, Squad & Tips

Q: Are the Wallabies favourites against Japan?

Heavily, in both Tests. Handicap and margin markets offer better value than the head-to-head.

Aug 14, 2026

Australia beat Japan 35-32 in Osaka, with Japan posting their highest ever score against the Wallabies, and can seal the two-Test series in Townsville on Saturday 15 August. Schedule, squad, how to watch and our betting read.

The Wallabies face Japan in a two-Test Flight Centre Series — the first Tests of the Les Kiss era away from the Nations Championship. Test one is in Osaka on Saturday 8 August 2026, with the return leg at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville on Saturday 15 August. Below: the schedule, Kiss’s first squad, what the series is really for, and where the betting value sits.

🏉 Series level? Not quite: Australia won the Osaka Test 35-32 and can seal the series in Townsville on Saturday 15 August.

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First Test result (Osaka, 8 August): Australia 35 def. Japan 32. The Wallabies got home, but only just, and the detail that matters is at the other end: Japan’s 32 points is the most they have ever scored against Australia, beating the 30 they managed in 2017. A three-point Test against a side ranked well below them is not the platform Les Kiss would have wanted, and it reframes the Townsville return leg from a formality into a genuine contest. Australia lead the two-Test series 1-0 and a win on Saturday takes it.

Wallabies v Japan 2026: the schedule

Test	Date	Venue
First Test	Saturday 8 August 2026	Osaka, Japan
Second Test	Saturday 15 August 2026	Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville

Les Kiss’s first squad

This is the first squad Les Kiss has named since taking over as head coach from Joe Schmidt, and it runs to 34 players with Harry Wilson retained as captain.

The new faces. Isaac Henry is the headline inclusion, alongside Reds lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Waratahs prop Isaac Kailea.

Back from injury. Josh Nasser (concussion), Hunter Paisami (knee) and Carter Gordon (calf) all return after missing the Italy Test. Len Ikitau is ruled out, which is a meaningful loss in midfield.

One overseas pick. Taniela Tupou is the lone selection from outside Australia, playing his club rugby at Racing 92.

What this series is actually for

Context matters here. Australia came out of the July Nations Championship window with a 1-2 record — narrow losses to Ireland (33-31) and France (42-26), then a 57-10 rout of Italy. Japan is the chance to bank momentum before the hard part of the year.

And the hard part is genuinely hard: a two-Test tour of Argentina in late August and early September, South Africa at home on 27 September, then the Bledisloe Cup in October. With the 2027 World Cup on home soil now just over a year away, Kiss is using these Tests to settle combinations rather than simply win them.

That is the single most useful thing to know before betting the series — expect rotation between the two Tests, particularly for the Townsville leg.

Betting the Japan series

The head-to-head is unbackable. Australia will be prohibitively short in both Tests. Japan have produced famous upsets before, but not against a full-strength Wallabies side in this kind of fixture.

Handicaps are where the series prices up. With a heavy mismatch, the line is the market that carries real uncertainty — especially with a new coach, an unfamiliar combination and rotation likely.

Osaka away is the live one. Test one is in Japan, in August. Heat and humidity are a genuine leveller, the travel is real, and it is Kiss’s first match in charge on the road. If Japan are going to cover a line anywhere, it is Osaka rather than Townsville.

Try-scorer markets reward squad reading. A rotated back three across two Tests means the market is often slow to price players who are actually getting a full run. Compare markets in our best betting sites in Australia guide.

How to watch in Australia

Japan is one hour behind AEST, so the Osaka Test is a friendly evening slot for Australian viewers rather than an overnight watch, and the Townsville Test is a home fixture in Australian prime time. Wallabies Tests are broadcast on Stan Sport, with free-to-air coverage on Nine for selected matches. Kick-off times are confirmed closer to each Test.

Wallabies v Japan FAQs

When do the Wallabies play Japan in 2026?

Two Tests on back-to-back Saturdays: 8 August in Osaka, Japan, and 15 August at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville.

Who is the Wallabies coach for the Japan series?

Les Kiss, who has taken over from Joe Schmidt. This is his first squad and first Test series in charge.

Who captains the Wallabies against Japan?

Harry Wilson captains a 34-man squad, with Isaac Henry, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Isaac Kailea the new faces.

Are the Wallabies favourites against Japan?

Heavily, in both Tests. That is why handicap and margin markets offer better value than the head-to-head.

What comes after the Japan series?

A two-Test tour of Argentina (29 August and 5 September), South Africa at home on 27 September for the Mandela Challenge Plate, then the Bledisloe Cup against New Zealand on 10 and 17 October.