Japan vs Italy – Nations Championship 2026 Match Preview

The Japan Brave Blossoms open their Nations Championship 2026 account against Italy on Saturday, 4th July at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium (Tokyo).

Feature Photo Credit – JRFU

It will be the 11th meeting between the two teams, and Italy has eight wins – including the last encounter in Sapporo in 2024, while the Brave Blossoms have won twice.

The Azzurri are coached by Gonzalo Quesada and are ranked 10th in the World Rugby rankings. In this year’s Six Nations, they beat England for the first time in their history, and beat Scotland to finish 4th overall.

Italy Assistant Coach Roberto Santamaria said via Italy Rugby Federation, “We’re facing a very exciting tournament, and I’m sure all the players are looking forward to facing Japan. We’ll try to build on the good work we did in the last Six Nations, which resulted in one of our best results.”

The visitors have selected two debutants: Alessandro Ortombina, back row for Zebre Parma, and wing Malik Faissal, who recently joined Northampton Saints.

The centres from Italy are a big threat, with Juan Brex and Tommaso Menoncello starting, and the dangerous Monty Ioane on the left wing and flyhalf Paolo Garbisi controlling things.

Photo Credit -Federazione Italiana Rugby – Head Coach Gonzalo Quesada

Assistant Coach Roberto Santamaria added, “One characteristic shared by all the teams we’ll face this summer is their fast-paced, dynamic style of rugby. Japan is a growing team: we’re facing a very tough challenge, just as we will be in New Zealand and Australia.”

In the midweek build-up, Riccardo Favretto said, “Japan is a national team we greatly respect. We know the quality of their players and of their squad, as well as the great progress they’ve made in recent years. We expect a team that will take to the field aiming to win, especially at home and considering their previous record. It will be a very fast-paced match, and we’ll have to be able to manage their play as best we can.”

He said of their own aspirations: “We’re a young group, with a great desire to grow. We also have more experienced players who put themselves completely at the service of the team. The characteristic I feel most within the group is humility. No one behaves differently just because they have more experience or more appearances. Even those who have just arrived are involved in the same way. Everyone works for the group, and this is reflected both in the locker room and in their performances on the pitch,” added Favretto.

Japan are ranked 12th in the world, and the Japan XV and Select teams have played HKCR and the Maori All Blacks this year, having recorded just one win in three matches. The player roster has changed significantly since the training squad was first announced, with several injuries and conditioning issues.

A dozen players selected here played in the Japan XV match last weekend, and the whole team have fewer than 400 caps (369).

Warner Dearns captains the side, fresh off winning the Super Rugby Pacific title with the Hurricanes, and in the front row, Mamoru Harada starts at hooker after spending the season with Moana Pasifika – he also led the Japan XV against the Maori All Blacks.

Former Toulouse player and now signed to Tokyo Sungoliath for next season, Naoto Saito starts at scrumhalf. The whole front row which started against the Maori All Blacks will start this Test.

Photo Credit – JRFU – Meiji University student Ryunosuke Ito to start at flyhalf against Italy

The big news is the selection of Meiji University student Ryunosuke Ito to start at flyhalf. This follows the injuries and withdrawal of other contenders for the position, and his positive performance against the Maori All Blacks last weekend, despite the loss. It’s huge pressure and responsibility, and undoubtedly the Azzurri will target him. The entire backline has fewer than 60 caps, with centre Dylan Riley accounting for 38 of them.

Acting Head Coach Neil Hattley, said of the fourth-year student starting fly-half, “He attacks brilliantly, and he can launch fierce attacks. That is the DNA of the Japanese national team, and he is a perfect match for our starter, given our strong emphasis on attack.”

Other debutants off the bench are Sojiro Otsuka (also a Kwansei Gakuin Uni student), scrumhalf Itsuki Kamimura from JRLO champions Kobelco Kobe Steelers – he played every game for them this season, and 34-year-old Michael Stolberg from Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo. Stolberg is Australian-born and previously played for the Sunwolves and the Rebels in Super Rugby.

Other players to make an impact are former captain Michael Leitch (who could win his 93rd cap), and Sam Green, who can cover the backline and the flyhalf role.

Match Permutations

• Japan will replace Wales in 11th if they beat Italy and the Welsh lose to Fiji in Cardiff.
• The Brave Blossoms cannot fall from 12th place even if they lose.
• Italy will swap places with Fiji if they win in Tokyo and the Pacific Islanders lose.
• The Azzurri could drop out of the top 10 if they lose by more than 15 points and Wales beat Fiji by the same margin.

Match Officials: Japan v Italy – Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium, Tokyo (Saturday, 4 July, 2026)

• Referee: Nic Berry (Rugby Australia)
• Assistant Referee 1: Luc Ramos (FFR)
• Assistant Referee 2: Sam Grove-White (SRU)
• TMO: Ian Tempest (RFU)
• FPRO: Andrew Jackson (RFU)

Japan Brave Blossoms Squad vs Italy – 2026 Nations Championship

You can see more about the squad selection here.

The Japanese have gone for a 6 forwards and 2 backs split in the reserves.

Starting XV:

Takato OKABE, Mamoru HARADA, Shuhei TAKEUCHI, Harry HOCKINGS, Warner DEARNS, Ben GUNTER, Kanji SHIMOKAWA, Jack CORNELSEN, Naoto SAITO, Ryunosuke ITO, Kippei ISHIDA, Yuya HIROSE, Dylan RILEY, Kazuma UEDA, Takuro MATSUNAGA

Reserves:

Hayate ERA, Sojiro OTSUKA, Keijiro TAMEFUSA, Michael STOLBERG, Michael LEITCH, Tiennan COSTLEY, Itsuki KAMIMURA, Sam GREENE

Italy Squad vs Japan – 2026 Nations Championship

The Italy squad was announced and can be seen here.

Toulouse’s Ange Capuozzo and Stade Français hooker Giacomo Nicotera were unavailable for selection because they both remain involved in the closing stages of the Top 14.

Starting XV

15 Lorenzo PANI (Zebre Parma, 12 caps)
14 Malik FAISSAL (Northampton Saints, debutant)
13 Juan Ignacio BREX (Toulon, 52 caps)
12 Tommaso MENONCELLO (Stade Toulousain, 39 caps)
11 Monty IOANE (Lyon, 47 caps)
10 Paolo GARBISI (Toulon, 54 caps)
9 Stephen VARNEY (Exeter Chiefs, 37 caps)
8 Lorenzo CANNONE (Benetton Rugby, 38 caps)
7 Michele LAMARO (Benetton Rugby, 54 caps) – captain
6 Alessandro ORTOMBINA (Zebre Parma, debutant)
5 Andrea ZAMBONIN (Exeter Chiefs, 18 caps)
4 Niccolò CANNONE (Benetton Rugby, 63 caps)
3 Marco RICCIONI (Perpignan, 36 caps)
2 Tommaso DI BARTOLOMEO (Zebre Parma, 10 caps)
1 Danilo FISCHETTI (Northampton Saints 63 caps)

Reserves
16 Gianmarco LUCCHESI (Toulon, 33 caps)
17 Mirco SPAGNOLO (Benetton Rugby, 24 caps)
18 Muhamed HASA (Zebre Parma, 8 caps)
19 Riccardo FAVRETTO (Benetton Rugby, 13 caps)
20 Ross VINTCENT (Exeter Chiefs, 19 caps)
21 Alessandro FUSCO (Zebre Parma, 25 caps)
22 Leonardo MARIN (Benetton Rugby, 22 caps)
23 Tommaso ALLAN (Zebre Parma, 89 caps)

How To Watch the World Rugby Nations Championship 2026?

You can check with World Rugby Nations Championship 2026 about broadcast and streaming options in your region.

Asian Rugby News 2026

• Japan XV Squander Great Chance To Beat Māori All Blacks – Match Review.
• Asian International Rugby Tournaments 2026.
• Brave Blossoms 2026 Home Tests and Venues Confirmed.
• Understanding The Nations Championship 2026.