Japan U20s Lost 25-41 to Italy U20s at Junior World Championship 2026

The Japan U20s continue their losing run at the U20 Junior World Championship and are yet to win a pool game at this level, as they were beaten 25-41 by Italy at the AIA Arena in Georgia on Thursday, 2 July 2026.

Japan’s Head Coach Naoya Okubo said after the loss, “The reason we lost was that we couldn’t score when we should have. There were many instances where one mistake led to a chain reaction and resulted in a try for the opponent, so we want to improve our mindset and use that to our advantage next time. There were some good points, but the reason we lost was that we couldn’t be patient and persevere as a team when things weren’t going well.”

The side lost to New Zealand in the opening round, and they were once again right in the game by the halftime break, only trailing Italy 11-17. Centre Tsunehidemichi Fukuda scored their try in the first half, with flyhalf Takeru Niwa slotting two penalties. Winger Isa Fukada and Niwa scored tries in the second half.

Photo Credit – JRFU

In the second half, Italy Head Coach Andrea Di Giandomenico’s side pulled away to secure a bonus-point win, and in the end, scored six tries; David Luisato, Giacomo Falchetto, Riccardo Casarin, Ettore Dinarte Patricio, Valerio Pelli and Nikolaj Varotto all scored. Italy said that fullback Pietro Celi (Livorno Rugby) was instrumental in the win.

Japan captain Akiaki Tsubone said of the game, “In this match, we anticipated it would come down to a forward battle, and we lost because we couldn’t win in the contact and lineouts with the forwards. So, we forwards need to be more aware of this and move forward. We won’t hang our heads here, and we’ll take each match one by one and aim for victory.”

Italy next face New Zealand (who defeated Scotland 36-26), while Japan will face Scotland on Tuesday, 7th July in the Junior World Championship.

The most fitting words came from Japanese player Isaki Fukada, “We were able to attack well in the first half, but just like in the New Zealand match, we were pulled away in the second half. It’s meaningless to attack well in the first half and keep the game close if you can’t win in the end, so for the next match against Scotland, we want to make sure we can attack well in both halves.”

Photo Credit – JRFU

JWC 2026 News

• Japan U20 vs Italy U20 – JWC 2026 Match Preview.
• Japan U20s Lose JWC 2026 Opener to New Zealand.
• Japan U20 vs New Zealand U20 – JWC 2026 Match Preview.
• Junior World Championship 2026 – Dates, Pools & Schedule for 2026 Confirmed.