Rugby: Wallabies eye up test in Tokyo

Australia's Matt Toomua reacts after his team won 33-13 in the Rugby World Cup Pool A match between England and Australia at Twickenham. Photo /AP.

The Wallabies are considering playing a test in Tokyo against Japan in a bid to provide further momentum for rugby's staggering growth spurt in the country.

The move will put pressure on fellow Sanzar nations New Zealand and South Africa to do the same ahead of the 2019 World Cup to be hosted by Japan.

More than 25 million people watched the Brave Blossoms' defeat of Samoa after the tournament giant-killers had previously humbled two-time World Cup winners South Africa.

Australian Rugby Union boss Bill Pulver told NewsCorp he wanted to help continue the remarkable growth by taking the Wallabies to Japan.

"We would love to engage with Japan," Pulver told NewsCorp Australia. "If it happened, it would more likely be a Test match on the way to the Spring Tour and Japan Rugby have made it very clear they're eager to have the Wallabies there.

"We have been forced to make a lot of our decisions in the last few years based on financial outcomes, but from 2016 forward we will have a lot more financial stability.

"So that just relieves a bit of pressure in that sort of decision making, and we would love to support Japan with a Test over there at some point. It is just you have to balance the issue of player welfare and the number of Tests they're playing in a year.

"If there is any way we can do it, we would love to. We will explore that, definitely."

Amanaki Mafi of Japan celebrates after the 2015 Rugby World Cup Pool B match between Samoa and Japan. Photo / Getty Images

The possible Wallaby visit comes just after the name of Japan's new Super Rugby franchise was revealed while the performance of the Brave Blossoms at the tournament is giving heart that "The Sunwolves" can be competitive in the southern hemisphere competition.

Several star Brave Blossoms players won't be part of the new franchise, including the Chiefs' Michael Veitch and Hendrik Tui, but most will play in Super Rugby.

The TV audience mark of 25 million for the Japan-Samoa match was a record for the most watched World Cup game ever, beating the previous record of 20.7 million for the first semi-final of 2007 Rugby World Cup between France and England in Paris, and gives World Rugby and organisers of the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan a confidence boost following concerns about the venues and public interest in the next tournament.

Japan can still reach the final eight of this tournament but must defeat the USA and rely on Samoa beating Scotland for the chance to play the winner of Australia and Wales.