Japan U20 Side Named to Face Italy
The JRFU is delighted to announce the Japan U20 side to face Italy in their second Pool B match at the 2026 World Rugby Junior World Championships in Georgia this Thursday, July 2. Kicking off at 20:30 local time in Kutaisi, the match will play from 01:30 JST on Friday July 3.
Japan come into the match following their 21-38 opening round loss to New Zealand last Saturday and face an Italian side who fell to Scotland 32-38 in their opening fixture. As such, both teams will be hungry for a win to improve their pool standings ahead of the semi-finals and play offs.
Head Coach Naoya Okubo has opted for a matchday 23 closely resembling the side that faced New Zealand, with only four changes in the lineup, alongside a revamped 6-2 split on the bench. Backrower Akihiro Tsubone comes into the side at number 8, with Masato Yanase moving to the reserves bench. Tsubone has also been named as Captain in place of inside centre Tsunehidemichi Fukuda who led the side against the Kiwis.
The other changes see Kohaku Suda and Yura Morioka come onto the bench as the two backline replacements, while Chou University backrower Yuta Otabe comes onto the bench as the sixth reserve forward.
Commenting ahead of the match, Japan U20 Head Coach Naoya Okubo said:
“Coming into the match against Italy we’ve been focusing on perseverance, while also remaining patient. We want to stick to our game plan, avoid rushing our play and acting too hastily. We want to bide our time, create opportunities and execute well when opportunities arise. Furthermore, we want to use size and speed to our advantage by running opposing packs off their feet. By keeping them constantly moving, we can neutralise any size advantage.”
Fans in Japan looking to catch the match can tune in live to J Sports One from 01:20 on Friday, July 3 or can stream the match live or watch via catch-up through J Sports On-Demand.
Following their match against Italy, Japan will face Scotland in their final Pool B fixture on Tuesday, July 7 with a 20:30 kick-off Japan time. They will then play an additional two games as part of the semi-finals and play off matches to decide their final placing in the 16-team competition.
Running from June 27 to July 19, the 2026 World Rugby Junior World Championships brings together the world’s best U20 national teams to fight it out for the right to be crowned 2026 Junior World Champions.]
| No. | Name | Club Team | Height (cm) | Weight(kg) | DOB |
| 1 | Songha RI | Doshisha Univ. | 178 | 103 | 2006/2/28 |
| 2 | Sota MIURA | Teikyo Univ. | 177 | 102 | 2006/10/2 |
| 3 | Haruto SASAKI | Meiji Univ. | 176 | 111 | 2006/5/2 |
| 4 | Kotaro KUMAGAE | Meiji Univ. | 196 | 105 | 2006/10/30 |
| 5 | Masato HYAKUTAKE | Meiji Univ. | 187 | 108 | 2006/4/24 |
| 6 | Riku FUJIKUBO | Teikyo Univ. | 181 | 100 | 2006/7/17 |
| 7 | Kise SHIN | Keio Univ. | 175 | 93 | 2006/5/17 |
| 8 | Akihiro TSUBONE (C) | Teikyo Univ. | 185 | 105 | 2006/3/14 |
| 9 | Soshi KATAOKA | Ritsumeikan Univ. | 172 | 70 | 2007/10/12 |
| 10 | Takeru NIWA | Doshisha Univ. | 172 | 75 | 2006/10/1 |
| 11 | Isa FUKADA | Tsukuba Univ. | 172 | 80 | 2006/12/12 |
| 12 | Tsunehidemichi FUKUDA | Teikyo Univ. | 171 | 76 | 2007/5/17 |
| 13 | Rio IWAKURA | Yamanashi Gakuin Univ. | 177 | 90 | 2006/8/5 |
| 14 | Shinnosuke UCHIDA | Tsukuba Univ. | 167 | 73 | 2006/7/6 |
| 15 | Ryuto KOGA | Meiji Univ. | 184 | 86 | 2006/7/17 |
| 16 | Seia KAWANAI | Kwansei Gakuin Univ. | 177 | 98 | 2006/11/23 |
| 17 | Keigo ARUGA | Teikyo Univ. | 171 | 102 | 2006/7/18 |
| 18 | Kanta KAWAGOE | Kwansei Gakuin Univ. | 181 | 110 | 2006/9/22 |
| 19 | Taiga YAMAZAKI | Keio Univ. | 189 | 103 | 2006/10/5 |
| 20 | Masato YANASE | Kwansei Gakuin Univ. | 184 | 102 | 2006/6/28 |
| 21 | Kohaku SUDA | Hosei Univ. | 172 | 78 | 2007/12/14 |
| 22 | Yuta OTABE | Chuo Univ. | 176 | 88 | 2008/4/1 |
| 23 | Yura MORIOKA | Aoyama Gakuin Univ. | 178 | 81 | 2007/6/16 |
(C) Captain