England beats Australia 45-22 at Twickenham

First Nations Championship match held at Twickenham

This event marks the first time that a Nations Championship fixture has been held at Twickenham.

Match kick-off and broadcast information

The match was scheduled to kick off at 3.10pm (15:45 UK time). The London Evening Standard published team news, lineups, and television channel information for the event.

Fans accessed the game through various television channels and free live streams as documented by Grice Connect, TechRadar, What Hi-Fi?, and Rugby World. BKReader also provided a link for a free live stream of the match.

SooLeader.com reported that ESPN broadcast the game live.

Digital coverage and live updates

AOL provides a match stream, team news, line-ups, television information and a prediction for the game. Yahoo Sports published live updates of the match on 8 November 2026.

Grice Connect also provided live updates for the match on 8 November 2026.

Wales captain Dewi Lake displays resilience

Wales captain and hooker Dewi Lake conducted a post-match interview following Wales' victory over Japan with a bloodied forehead secured by what appeared to be metal staples. The 27-year-old sustained the injury while playing for Gloucester the previous weekend.

Social media users including Ben Rogers, Jac Wolf, Nicholas Carlson, Rick Horrigan and Kieran Fraser praised Lake's toughness. Several commenters contrasted his behavior with that of professional football players.

Wales performance against Japan

Winger Rees-Zammit scored a try before the break. Centre Llewellyn, who last played at the venue during a 2023 World Cup warm-up match against England, carried the ball strongly. He is expected to remain the Wales inside centre for the duration of November.

Winger Adams allowed Japan’s Ben Gunter to score the visitors’ first try. Adams later contributed two tries and a late turnover. Griffin started the match and scored a try early on, despite missing the final training session. Tomas Francis replaced Griffin in the second half.

Outside-half Costelow demonstrated strong defensive skills and tactical kicking, strengthening his claim to the No. 10 jersey for future matches. Smith played in the front row before being replaced by Rhys Carré in the third quarter. Japan has an increasingly imposing forward pack.

Mann was solid around the breakdown and carried hard before being replaced late by James Botham. Morgan, regarded as the best player currently in the Gallagher PREM, carried his league momentum into his international duties. Morgan was the Wales best defender during the first half.

Morgan played at eight and proved his worth in attack by consistently getting his side over the gain line during the early exchanges. Tyrel Lomax is not part of the touring squad.