Australia head coach Joe Schmidt believes the injuries his side suffered in their win against Japan made it difficult to find their rhythm.

The Wallabies began their five-Test tour with a 19-15 victory in Tokyo, but they had to hold on during a nervy finish as the hosts almost pulled off an impressive turnaround.

Nick Champion de Crespigny celebrated his new role as captain by scoring the first try after 13 minutes, while Josh Flook crossed the line on debut to give Australia a 14-3 lead at the break.

Tries from Shuhei Takeuchi and Ben Hunter, either side of a score from Carlo Tizzano, saw the Brave Blossoms edge closer to a surprise comeback, but Eddie Jones' side were not able to break down the Wallabies again before the final whistle.

Injuries to Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Josh Canham within the opening 20 minutes almost proved costly for the visitors, but they held on to snap a three-game losing streak.

Schmidt revealed that he expects to call on reinforcements due to the injuries suffered, with a trip to Twickenham next on the schedule.

"[Injuries] made it very difficult to get some combinations going," said Schmidt.

"It just means that we are light in the second row, and we may need to get some reserves dug out from Australia.

"Josh Canham obviously won't be available next week, and as yet, I don't have any feedback on Lukhan.

"Both teams were very keen to play fast, but it was very hard to play fast because it was very damp.

"Both teams started to threaten but lost the ball. It meant that we had to be more direct."

A 𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩 in Tokyo.

Thanks for the battle, @JRFURugby #Wallabies pic.twitter.com/wqudy3BNyr

— Wallabies (@wallabies) October 25, 2025

Despite the defeat, Japan can be pleased with their performance at the National Olympic Stadium.

This marked their narrowest defeat against Australia, while they also held the Wallabies to under 20 points for the first time in their match-ups.

However, Schmidt will take some joy in knowing his rotated line-up, which featured 13 changes from their last match, were able to secure the win in the end.