Japan scores 40 second-half points to defeat Canadian in Pacific Nations Cup rugby

Canada's Peter Nelson dives on the ball to score a try during second half Pacific Nations Cup rugby action against the United States in Calgary, Alta., on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Japan scored six tries in a 40-point second half to down Canada 57-15 in Pacific Nations Cup rugby play on Saturday at Yurtec Stadium in Sendai, Japan.

The six-team tournament serves as a World Cup qualifier and the 24th-ranked Canadian men could have booked their ticket to the 2027 tournament in Australia with a bonus point in defeat, either by scoring four tries or by losing by seven or fewer points.

Canada will now have to await the outcome of the final Pool B match Sept. 6 between No. 13 Japan and the 18th-ranked U.S. in Sacramento. Pool A features No. 9 Fiji, No. 14 Samoa, and No. 17 Tonga.

A U.S. loss — or a win without a bonus point for scoring four tries — would secure Canadian qualification.

The Pacific Nations Cup will send three teams to the World Cup with Fiji and Japan already qualified by virtue of their performance at the 2023 World Cup.

The semifinals and fifth-versus-sixth game are scheduled for Sept. 14 in Denver, with the championship and third-place game Sept. 20 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Canadian men missed out on the World Cup for the first time in 2023, losing two-legged qualifying series to the U.S. (59-50) and Chile (54-26).

Sion Parry and Jesse Mackail scored tries for Canada, which snapped a seven-game losing streak by beating the U.S. 34-20 in the tournament opener Aug. 22 in Calgary. Peter Nelson kicked a conversion and a penalty.

Amato Fakatava and Kippei Ishida each scored two tries and captain Warner Dearns, Sam Greene, Ben Gunter and Tomoki Osada added singles for Japan. Seungsin Lee booted seven conversions and a penalty.

Japan led 17-10 at the break and could have had a bigger lead had it not been for some sloppy play and rugged Canadian defence. But it hit high gear in the second half, making the Canadians pay.

“Credit to Japan. They adjusted well at the half,” said Canada captain Lucas Rumball.

The Brave Blossoms extending their unbeaten run against Canada to 10 games (8-0-2). The Canadians last won on Japanese soil in 2005.

“A very tough game,” said Dearns, a six-foot-seven 269-pound man-mountain who was born in New Zealand but moved to Japan at the age of 14. “Canada really showed up in the first half and we were under a lot of pressure. I’ve got to thank the boys for coming out in the second half and really putting in a good fight.”

The Canadians did a lap of the stadium after the final whistle, applauding the fans on a hot and humid night at Yurtec Stadium.

Japan coach Eddie Jones had four debutants and eight players with 10 or fewer caps in his matchday 23.

Japan attacked from the opening kickoff, scoring three minutes in with Fakatava crashing over from close range after a Canadian scrum infraction.

Japan kept coming and the Canadian defence did well to hold the home side to escape with a 13th-minute Lee penalty that upped the lead to 10-0.

Canada answered in the 23rd minute with Parry scoring from the back of the maul off a lineout, capping a prolonged Canadian attack helped by a number of Japanese penalties.

Nelson’s conversion cut the deficit to 10-7. And the fly half pulled Canada even with a 30th-minute penalty. Japan finished the half a man down after lock Waisake Raratubua was sin-binned in the 31st minute, paying the price for a string of Japanese penalties.

It did not slow Japan down with Dearns crashing over in the 38th minute after a prolonged attack.

Fakatava upped the Japan lead to 24-10 with a convert in the 52nd minute, capping a multi-phase attack after a Japanese 50-22 kick.

Japan attacked again off the ensuing kickoff with the Australian-born Greene scoring on an overlap in the 60th minute.

The home side added tries by Gunter (65th minute), Osada (73rd) and Ishida (77th and 85th). Mackail scored a consolation try for Canada in the 79th minute.

Canada coach Steve Meehan, who took over after Kingsley Jones stepped down in December, is now 1-3-0 at the helm. Canada was beaten 25-18 by No. 22 Belgium and 24-23 by No. 15 Spain in July in Edmonton.

The team that finishes sixth in the Pacific Nations Cup still has a shot at the World Cup via a two-legged qualifying playoff against the 2025 Sudaméricano runner-up. The playoff loser joins the four-team Final Qualification Tournament with one World Cup berth on the line.

Canada finished sixth in last year’s Pacific Nations Cup, beaten 30-17 by Tonga after group stage losses to the U.S. (28-15) and Japan (55-28).

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 30, 2025