Japan U20 vs New Zealand U20 – JWC 2026 Match Preview

rugbyasia247 Posted On June 25, 2026

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Japan U20 vs New Zealand U20 - JWC 2026 Match Preview

Japan U20 open their Junior World Championship (JWC) 2026 against former champions New Zealand U20 on Saturday, June 27th, in Pool B at AIA Arena Kutaisi in Georgia.

Photo Credit – JRFU

NZ Under 20 Head Coach is Kane Jury, who previously worked in Hong Kong, and they have selected Haki Wiseman as captain to lead the team against Japan as they look to win their first title since 2017 (which was also in Georgia). They were losing finalists to South Africa last year, and their six titles still are the most in World Rugby Under 20 history.

The side, however, was beaten mid-week for the first time by the Georgia U20s in a warm-up game.

Wiseman said, “I think we can take a lot of confidence from knowing that we can beat the best. Obviously, last year we just came up short, so we’ve put in a lot of hard work to get back here and earn the right to play every game.

We obviously have Japan first up and we’re really looking forward to the challenge. I think we can expect a really fast and skilful game from the Japanese, which is something they really pride themselves on. For us, we’re looking to be dominant in the collision area and get some rewards from that. It’s about us sticking to our game because we know what’s going to come from the Japanese.”

All of the fixtures and results can be seen here.

Junior World Championship (JWC) 2026 Captains

Photo Credit – World Rugby – JWC Captains Pool B and D

Of trying to repeat the success the NZ team had in Georgia in 2017, the captain added, “We’ve been working really hard, we feel like we’re really tight and we’re all aiming for the same goal, which is to come here and win. But this is a very long tournament, and there’s a while to go, so right now our focus is on Japan.”

Earlier in 2026, the Japanese U20s toured New Zealand and lost to a Hawke’s Bay development side before losing twice to the New Zealand Universities (NZU) 74-12 and 57-26. Since then, Japan have had hits against the Japan XV (who play the Maori All Blacks this weekend) before they departed Japan, as well as the Georgia U18s and the France U20s in Georgia.

The Head Coach is Naoya Okubo, who was capped 23 times by the Brave Blossoms, and has been in charge of the team since 2023.

Japan’s squad captain, Akihiro Tsubone (who was not selected for the game) said, “We are happy to be back here and are excited to be playing against those strong countries.”

Japan U20 Head Coach Naoya Okubo said: “We’re coming into the tournament well prepared after our forwards’ training camp in February, our sessions with League One teams and the JAPAN XV, and our tour to New Zealand.

From our first-year to our third-year students, we are all united in our determination. The guys have been giving 100% every day to prepare for our opening match, while also enjoying their time together in Georgia. The atmosphere and mood among the squad is excellent,” added the Japan U20 Head Coach.

The captain for the NZ match is centre Tsunehidemichi Fukuda from Teikyo University. The 19-year-old played in the Japan High School tour of England, where they defeated England U19 31-45 in Oxford. He was the vice-captain of the side as they enjoyed their first-ever victory over England. He was also part of Japan U20’s recent three-match tour of New Zealand.

The Japanese are on a 16-match losing streak at the Junior World Championship level dating back to 2015.

Japan U20 Squad vs NZ U20 – JWC 2026

You can see more on the Japan U20 squad selected by the JRFU here.

The entire matchday squad are university students, with Keitatsu Motoyama (who is with the SHIZUOKA BlueRevs), not selected.

NZ U20 Squad vs Japan U20 – JWC 2026

The team features All Blacks Sevens loose forward Bradley Tocker and wing Kele Lasaqa. Lasaqa was named the HSBC SVNS Rookie of the Year 2026.

Head Coach, Kane Jury said, “We’ve had a strong preparation here in Georgia and are feeling positive ahead of the first match. Haki and the other leaders in the team have been great and are looking forward to getting the campaign underway.

We’ve had a week to adapt to the heat, and the facilities here in Georgia have been excellent. We expect a tough first-up match against Japan, who we expect to be very well drilled and play a fast-paced game, so we’ll need to be at our best.”

Starting XV

Henry Stuart (Highlanders/Otago) (Hurricanes/Hawke’s Bay
Josh Findlay (Crusaders/Canterbury)
Dane Johnston (Chiefs/Taranaki)
Max Fale (Crusaders/Canterbury)
Jake Frost (Crusaders/Canterbury)
Bradley Tocker (Chiefs/Taranaki)
Caleb Woodley (VC) (Blues/Auckland)
Micah Fale (Chiefs/Waikato)
Charlie Sinton (VC) (Chiefs/Bay of Plenty)
Mika Muliaina (Highlanders/Southland)
David Lewai (Chiefs/Waikato
Haki Wiseman (C) (Chiefs/Taranaki)
Siale Pahulu (Blues/Auckland)
Kele Lasaqa (Chiefs/Bay of Plenty)
Logan Williams (Crusaders/Canterbury)

RESERVES

16. Alani Fakava (Hurricanes/Manawatū)
17. Ethan Webber (Highlanders/Otago)
18. Alex Hewitt (Hurricanes/Wellington)
19. Johnny Falloon (Hurricanes/Wellington)
20. Kobe Brownlee (Crusaders/Tasman)
21. Jackson Hughan (Highlanders/Southland)
22. Cohen Norrie (Blues/Auckland)
23. Ollie Guerin (Chiefs/Waikato)