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Japan will fight against the defending champion Fiji in Asahi Super Dry Pacific Nations Cup Finals 2026, giving us the chance to compete for silverware again after picking up points with potentially the ‘best start’ in the team’s history against USA Eagles.
The Brave Blossoms raced to a 28-point lead after just 16 minutes against the Eagles, setting them on their way to a big win in Osaka. They went on to win 63-14 and will soon face the Flying Fijians in Tokyo for PNC glory.
Yua Hirose started a scoring blitz in the opening minute, crashing over the line to become the first man on the scoresheet. Mike Stolberg and Dylan Riley added to the home side’s lead within eight minutes, before Mamoru Harada rounded off a relentless first quarter.
Japan was playing with nearly two points for every minute, but the USA started to come back after a short break in the game. Shilo Klein and Tavite Lopeti responded for the Eagles, who scored 14 points with about five minutes left in the half.
But Japan would eventually run away with a commanding score in wet conditions, racking up 35 unanswered points. Fullback Ben Gunter was upbeat about what the finals side produced at Hanazono Rugby Stadium, carrying out one of his key tasks.
“I think it’s probably the best start in Japanese history,” Gunter said RugbyPass.
“We knew we had a point to prove, that was one of our tasks all week to come out firing but not to relax – we wanted to put our foot on the pedal the whole game, and we knew how to do that, those first 20 minutes, we didn’t just have to win, we had to dominate.”
Japan is facing another verdict in the Pacific Nations Cup, and will face a familiar rival that will determine this year’s champion. Fiji have won the last two PNC titles with victories over Japan, including a six-point triumph in Utah 12 months ago.
The Flying Fijians couldn’t have made a better start to their title defense on Saturday, with blindside winger Kitione Salawa scoring after just 21 seconds against Canada. Salawa took a kick before regrouping and managing to avoid the touchline by just a millimetre.
Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula and Frank Lomani were some of the standout players in the Fijian Drua-heavy line-up. Fiji took a big lead in the second half, before two quick tries from the Canadians cut the deficit to 45-19 in the semi-final.
“Kudos to USA, they’re a growing team. They’re learning the game, they’re building competition out there,” Gunter explained.
“It will be a huge step for us. It will be a good challenge, it’s definitely something we need.”
“The last couple of years we’ve faced them in the final and come up short. We’ve got to really turn it around. We know what’s coming, but so do they.”