Overview
- Japan beat Canada 57-12 at Denka Big Swan Stadium in Niigata on Saturday, September 5, powering a win through dominant set pieces and repeated lineout drives.
- Coach Eddie Jones made five changes to the starting XV, left captain Warner Dearns out and handed the armband to scrum-half Naoto Saito as part of a deliberate rotation strategy.
- Canada arrived with a mix-and-match, depleted squad because many regulars were unavailable due to overseas club commitments, and the team conceded soft errors that Japan punished repeatedly.
- Several players earned first Test appearances or first starts, including Japan wing Inoke Burua and replacement prop Takumi Inaba, while Canada handed starting debuts to Foster DeWitt, Kyle Steeves and Daragh Doyle.
- The fixture was a standalone centenary Test and a tune-up for both teams ahead of Pacific Nations Cup fixtures in Osaka next week, leaving Japan to assess depth and Canada to evaluate new talent under pressure.