Jake White's Fiji beat Japan 34-28 in Tokyo debut

Jake White did not need long to put his stamp on Fiji. In his first match as head coach, the Flying Fijians beat Japan 34-28 in Tokyo on Saturday, 24 October 2026, spoiling the hosts' centenary celebrations and avenging a defeat in the same stadium barely five weeks earlier.

The match, played at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium as part of the Japan Rugby Football Union's 100th anniversary, was a fittingly chaotic introduction. It rained, the lead changed hands repeatedly, both sides scored four tries, and the game was level at 21-21 at half-time. In the end, it was settled by the composure White was hired to add: two late penalties from replacement Ben Volavola, in the 60th and 69th minutes, closed out a six-point win.

White, 62, was handed the Fiji job earlier in October, taking over a side that had lost the Pacific Nations Cup final to Japan 20-15 at the same Tokyo ground on 19 September. He is best known for leading his native South Africa to World Cup glory in 2007, and he has since coached the Brumbies, Montpellier, the Sharks and the Bulls, and Toyota Verblitz in Japan. His brief in Fiji is clear: keep what makes Fijian rugby special, and add the structure and consistency required to compete at the 2027 World Cup in Australia.

For this first assignment, White picked no Europe-based players and handed out four new caps, trusting players based in Fiji and the Pacific. The gamble, on this evidence, paid off. Japan struck first through scrum-half Naoto Saito, but Fiji hit back through Kitione Salawa and captain Tevita Ikanivere to take the lead. Japan captain Warner Dearns replied, only for Tuidraki Samusamuvodre to restore Fiji's advantage. Faulua Makisi then brought Japan level again before the break, leaving the two sides locked at 21-21 after a breathless first half in which each team had scored three tries.

Fiji started the second half the brighter side. Terio Tamani crossed shortly after the restart, and Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula's conversion stretched the lead to 28-21. Japan, coached by Eddie Jones, refused to fold. Dearns scored his second try of the afternoon and Takuro Matsunaga converted to make it 28-28, setting up a tense final quarter. That was when Volavola, introduced from the bench, kept his nerve. His two penalties, nine minutes apart, gave Fiji a lead they did not surrender, and Japan could find no further score.

White was quick to frame the win as a beginning rather than a conclusion. He believes Fiji, on their day, can beat anyone, and he backed them to become a major force at next year's World Cup if the right squad can be assembled and the right habits built.

"If we can just give them a little bit of control and structure and a bit of organisation, and I can get the best 33 players together for the World Cup, I genuinely believe that they can be a massive force at the World Cup," White said.

"We know that Fiji can play with flair, we know they've got unbelievable skill — all I wanted to do was bring a little bit of control," he added. "The way we played in the last 15 minutes really made me proud."

That closing stretch mattered to White for a reason. Fiji have rarely lacked talent or courage; the questions around them have concerned game management and the ability to close out tight Tests. Against Japan, they answered those questions in the final quarter, defending their lead and trusting Volavola from the tee.

"If that's the calibre of player that we can put together from the island, there's no reason why they can't be a force at the World Cup," White said.

Jones, for his part, was generous about both the result and his old colleague. The Australian was White's technical adviser during South Africa's 2007 World Cup triumph. Jones identified turnovers as the decisive difference in Tokyo. He also backed White to make a lasting impact, noting the new caps and White's determination to search Fiji's islands for more talent.

"(Saturday) he brought in four or five new caps and I saw him talking about going out to all the islands in Fiji to find more talent," Jones said. "The one thing he'll do is find the best talent in Fiji and bring that forward."

For Japan, the defeat will sting, not least because it came on a landmark occasion and against a side they had beaten in a final only a month earlier. Yet the Brave Blossoms also showed familiar resilience, twice fighting back to level terms. Their response will now be tested in Europe, where they face Wales, England and Scotland in next month's Nations Championship fixtures.

Fiji's road is no easier. After Tokyo, the Flying Fijians head to Europe to face France on 7 November, followed by Ireland and Italy. White will then have his Europe-based players available, giving him a fuller squad and a sterner examination of the combinations and defensive shape he wants to build. Those November Tests will reveal far more than one October afternoon in the rain, but they will build on a winning start — and on the confidence that comes from it.

That is what White was brought in to restore: a team unmistakably Fijian in identity, yet increasingly formidable in execution. On Saturday in Tokyo, the first part was on full display, and the second appeared in the final fifteen minutes, when control, rather than chaos, won the game. If White can repeat that in November and beyond, Fiji's path to Australia in 2027 looks a little brighter — and a little less unpredictable — than it did a month ago.