Beibhinn Parsons made history in Galway as Ireland secured a hard-fought 31-24 victory over Japan in the WXV Global Series at Dexcom Stadium, with Parsons becoming the country’s all-time leading try scorer in Test rugby. Playing in her home town, Parsons touched down twice—including her record-breaking 24th Test try—to help Scott Bemand’s side bounce back from their opening-weekend defeat against the USA.
The fixture kicked off amid challenging windy conditions in Galway. Ireland adapted quicker than their opponents, breaking the deadlock after 10 minutes when Brittany Hogan showed persistence to cross from close range. Despite a scrappy first half characterized by frequent stoppages and a lack of fluidity in open play, Hogan struck again just after the half-hour mark, finishing off a slick attacking move initiated by Aoibheann Reilly to extend the lead.
Japan tested the Irish defence repeatedly before the interval. A defensive miscue almost let in Nami Asari, though Anna McGann raced back to halt the attack. Following a yellow card shown to Ireland captain Erin King, Japan capitalized on their numerical advantage when Moe Nagaoka crashed over just before halftime, leaving the score 19-5 to the hosts.
Japan carried that momentum into the second half, narrowing the deficit further when Nagaoka secured her second try from a maul. However, unlike their match against the USA in Tallaght—where a 19-point lead slipped away—Ireland responded swiftly. Replacement Aoife Dalton touched down minutes after coming off the bench, restoring breathing room for the home side.
The match maintained an end-to-end rhythm as Japan continued to press. Nijiho Nagata added a third try for the visitors from a maul. But the defining moment belonged to Parsons, who capped an impressive run following a pass from McGann to claim her milestone 24th Test try, with O’Brien converting to solidify the advantage.
Although Asari narrowed the gap for Japan in the closing stages after Ireland initially repelled a sustained attack, Bemand’s team managed the remaining clock to seal the 31-24 win.
Match Statistics and Line-ups
Ireland 31 (19)
Tries: Hogan (2), Parsons (2), Dalton
Conversions: O’Brien (3)
Japan 24 (5)
Tries: Nagaoka (2), Nagata, Asari
Conversions: Nishi (2)
Ireland Starting XV: Flood; Parsons, McGann, Higgins, Elmes Kinlan; O’Brien, Reilly; O’Dowd, Jones, Cahill; Wall, Tuite-O’Sullivan; Hogan, King (capt), Adams Verling.
Replacements: Buttimer, McGrath, Djougang, Clohessy, Moore, Lane, Dalton, Gallagher.
Japan Starting XV: Nishi; S Nishimura, Kataoka, Furuta, Imakugi; Harada, Tsukui (capt); Komaki, Nagaoka, Kitano; Kawamura, Sato; Asari, Korai, Nduka.
Replacements: Nagata, Yoshida, Fuji, Yoshimura, M Nishimura, Seo, Yamamoto, Havili Kagawa.
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