Japan Brave Blossoms vs Italy (RWC 2023 Warm-Up) Match Preview

rugbyasia247 Posted On August 25, 2023

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Japan Brave Blossoms vs Italy (RWC 2023 Warm-Up)

Japan Brave Blossoms take on Italy in Treviso on Saturday 26th August in what will be the final RWC 2023 warm-up match for both sides.

It’s a final chance for both sets of coaches and squads to get things right before the Rugby World Cup 2023 gets underway in Paris on September 8th.

The venue at Azzurri at Stadio Comunale di Monigo is the home of Italian club Benetton Rugby and this will be the 9th test match between the two sides since 1976 – Japan has only twice beaten Italy.

Japan comes off the Lipovitan D Challenge Cup 2023 Pacific Nations Series in which they lost to Samoa and Fiji and beat Tonga.

Japan Head Coach Jamie Joseph said: “The team is in a good place. Physically we’re in really good condition, and we just have to start playing good rugby now. This weekend is a really important game for us ahead of the World Cup. Mentally the players have turned a page as being selected in the squad allows them to just focus on playing.

Through the Pacific Nations Cup, with a squad of 43 players, there is always anxiety around World Cup selection which plays a part in individual performances. That’s behind us now and we’re here as a team, and the players are really focused on the job at hand.”

Karl Dickson (England) referees the Italy v Japan match and he will make his debut at a Rugby World Cup in France.

Match Permutations – Japan vs Italy– 26h August 2023

Japan will become the higher-ranked of the two teams if they win at Treviso unbeaten, taking 13th place off Italy.
Italy are unable to move up the rankings even if they win.