Australia survives red card and Japan rally for a 35-32 win in Les Kiss debut

OSAKA, Japan (AP) — Australia held on for a tight 35-32 win over Japan on Saturday, in Les Kiss’ first match in charge.

The Wallabies were forced to dig deep after a first-half red card for Miles Amatosero, battling the heat and a strong comeback from Japan to emerge victorious.

Kiss took over from Joe Schmidt as Wallabies head coach last month after Australia went 1-2 in the Nations Championship, finishing the first phase with a win over Italy following losses to Ireland and France.

For Australia’s two-test series against Japan, Kiss included only one uncapped player, center Isaac Henry, recalled big, versatile Reds forward Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and left out veteran James Slipper.

The temperature stayed close to 30 C (86 F) throughout the game and the Wallabies were forced to scramble after Amatosero was red-carded in the 32nd minute for a dangerous cleanout on Warner Dearns. Amatosero was initially shown a yellow card but that was upgraded just before the break, which the teams entered locked at 14-14.

Tries from Max Jorgensen and Fraser McReight early in the second half helped Australia build a nine-point lead but Japan steadily ate into that advantage with a pair of penalties from Takuro Matsunaga.

The quality of the Wallabies' bench proved the difference as it allowed the visitors to keep up the pressure on Japan, and Taniela Tupou crashed over to give Australia a 10-point lead with 10 minutes remaining.

Japan captain Dearns set up a grandstand finish when he found a way over, reducing the lead to three, but Australia held on.

Eddie Jones, the former Wallabies head coach, is in his second stint in charge at Japan.

AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby

FILE - Les Kiss, Australian Rugby Union's incoming Wallabies head coach in Sydney, Australia, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft, File)

Japan's Kazuma Ueda, back, ties to catch the ball against Australia's Tom Wright during the first half of their rugby match in Higashi Osaka, western Japan, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (Yuki Sato/Kyodo News via AP)

Japan's Warner Dearns, center, carries the ball against Australia's defense during the first half of their rugby match in Higashi Osaka, western Japan, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (Yuki Sato/Kyodo News via AP)

Japan's Ryunosuke Ito, bottom, makes a try as Australia's Tom Wright attempted to stop during the first half of their rugby match in Higashi Osaka, western Japan, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (Yuki Sato/Kyodo News via AP)

EPIDAURUS, Greece (AP) — As Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” renews global fascination with Homer, a cast of disabled and non-disabled performers in Greece is staging the war’s other story.

It’s not about the triumph of returning heroes, but the suffering they left behind.

“The Trojan Women,” with a cast of 22, was staged at Epidaurus, the ancient open-air stone arena in southern Greece. It marked what organizers called the first fully accessible performance in the ancient theater’s 2,300-year history.

While Homer followed warriors sailing home from Troy, the playwright Euripides — writing some three centuries later — turned to the city’s ruins and its women, forced into exile and enslavement.

The ancient theater offered a full range of accessibility services for the Aug. 2 performance. Blind audience members received Braille programs, tactile models and live audio description, while deaf spectators followed overhead titles. Physical adaptations also improved access throughout the site.

“It’s the first time a performance at Ancient Epidaurus has been made accessible to everyone,” said Greg Polychronidis, a Paralympic gold medalist who attended the event. “Today was a celebration of equality and it should serve as an example for everyone, forever.”

For many of the performers, standing on the ancient stage was itself part of the message: a voice for those often overlooked. Eirini Kourouvani, a 58-year-old cast member who uses a wheelchair, had never set foot inside the theater before.

“It is just grand,” she said. “I feel my heart opening up as wide as this theater is.”

Ioanna-Maria Gertsou, a blind psychologist, attended with Babu, her guide dog.

“We too have the right to attend performances on an equal footing,” she said, relieved that her dog remained quiet during the play.

The National Theater of Greece produced the performance, and accessibility services were designed by the nonprofit Liminal with financial support from Greece’s Alpha Bank.

Argyro Chioti, the National Theater’s artistic director, said the production should become the norm rather than the exception.

“This was complex, not simple. It required months of planning. It cost money. And it required very specific organizational expertise,” she said. “But that’s the standard and venues we need to reach — the major stages and the major theaters.”

—— Gatopoulos reported from Athens

A visually impaired theatergoer and his companion make their way to their seats before a performance of Euripides' tragedy The Trojan Women, staged by the National Theatre of Greece at the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus on Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Cast members with and without disabilities acknowledge the audience with a curtain call after a performance of Euripides' tragedy The Trojan Women, staged by the National Theatre of Greece at the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus, Greece, on Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Audience members watch a performance of Euripides' tragedy The Trojan Women, staged by the National Theatre of Greece at the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus, Greece, on Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Oltjana Zoupas, an artist who uses a wheelchair, leaves the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus after attending a performance of Euripides' tragedy The Trojan Women, staged by the National Theatre of Greece, in Epidaurus, Greece, on Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

From left to right, Eirini Kourouvani, a wheelchair dancer, Evi Saoulidou and Lydia Fotopoulou perform during a dress rehearsal of Euripides' tragedy The Trojan Women, staged by the National Theatre of Greece, at the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus, Greece, on Thursday, July 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)