Australia 'A' will play the Junior All Blacks in the decisive match of the Pacific Nations Cup next week, after the Australians eased past a hopelessly outclassed Japan -- winning 71-10 at the Dairy Farmers Stadium in Townsville on Saturday.
The Junior All Blacks had earlier kept their 100 percent record intact with a 39-13 win over Tonga.
The two results mean Australia remain in second place in the competition, one point behind the Junior All Blacks, who it plays in Dunedin next Saturday.
Scrum-half Josh Holmes scored a hat-trick of tries for Australia 'A' on Saturday, while centre Ryan Cross claimed a double.
Goal-kicking winger Clinton Schifcofske finished with a personal haul of 26 points from one try, nine conversions and one penalty goal.
The unbeaten Australians trailed 10-7 early in their encounter with Japan, but scored 64 unanswered points in the 10-tries-to-one mauling.
Despite a lack of early possession, Japan held a narrow lead midway through the first half, before the class of Australia's outside men put the result beyond doubt.
The Australians scored 10 tries to one, and in the process, showed some promising signs in both attack and defence ahead of their blockbuster clash against the Junior All Blacks next Saturday.
Fly-half Berrick Barnes orchestrated several of the team's tries while 19-year-old Force flanker David Pocock was awarded man-of-the-match honours.
Australia A converted early pressure into points in the seventh minute with a David Pocock break allowing Ryan Cross to score the first five-pointer of the match.
The Japanese hit back soon after with an 11th minute penalty goal, before a converted try against the run of play to Bryce Robins, saw Japan take a shock 10-7 lead after 16 minutes.
A Clinton Schifcofske penalty-goal levelled the scores at 10-10 after 20 minutes before a brilliant solo try to Ryan Cross, his second, triggered a four-try-blitz which saw Australia A take a 36-10 lead into the break.
The nine-minute rampage included a try to Schifcofske in the 30th minute, before Holmes crossed twice in as many minutes on the back of some Berrick Barnes brilliance.
It was much of the same to start the second-half when a pin-point Berrick Barnes kick found Force winger Haig Sare, after just four minutes.
Holmes notched up his hat-trick soon after on the back of a deft Peter Hewat chip and chase to bring up the Australians' half-century to lead 50-10.
Replacement prop Salesi Ma'afu was sent to the sin-bin midway through the second-half when he retaliated to a stray Japanese boot, but in his absence front-row counterpart Gareth Hardy finished some enterprising attack to cross in the 66th minute, which Schifcofske converted to lead 57-10.
Ma'afu redeemed himself sides in the 72nd minute with a try of his own, before replacement fly-half, Kurtley Beale, finished the 71-10 rout with a solo effort in the final minute of the match.
The scorers:
For Australia A:
Tries: Holmes 3, Cross 2, Schifcofske, Sare, Hardy, Ma'afu, Beale
Cons: Schifcofske 9
Pen: Schifcofske
For Japan:
Try: Robins
Con: Ono
Pen: Ono
Red card: Salesi Ma'afu (Australia -- second yellow card)
Teams:
Australia A: 15 Peter Hewat, 14 Clinton Schifcofske, 13 Junior Pelesasa, 12 Ryan Cross, 11 Haig Sare, 10 Berrick Barnes, 9 Josh Holmes, 8 Jone Tawake, 7 David Pocock, 6 Dean Mumm, 5 Will Caldwell, 4 Alister Campbell (captain), 3 Troy Takiari, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Gareth Hardy.
Replacements: 16 Sean Hardman, 17 Salesi Ma'afu, 18 Adam Wallace-Harrison, 19 Julian Salvi, 20 Josh Valentine, 21 Gene Fairbanks, 22 Kurtley Beale.
Japan: 15 Bryce Robins, 14 Kosuke Endo, 13 Yuta Imamura, 12 Koji Taira, 11 Hirotoki Onozawa, 10 Kousei Ono, 9 Yuki Yatomi, 8 Hare Makiri, 7 Takamichi Sasaki (captain), 6 Hajime Kiso, 5 Tsuyoshi Sato, 4 Takanori Kumagae, 3 Ryo Yamamura, 2 Mitsugu Yamamoto, 1 Masahito Yamamoto.
Replacements: 16 Yusuke Aoki, 17 Tomokazu Soma, 18 Hitoshi Ono, 19 Glen Marsh, 20 Koichi Ohigashi, 21 Shotaro Onishi, 22 Go Aruga.
Referee: James Bolabiu (Fiji)
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