Lipovitan D Challenge Cup 2023 – Japan vs New Zealand XV Preview

The Brave Blossoms take on the All Blacks XV on Saturday 15 July 2023 at Egao Kenko Stadium, Kumamoto, and will be hoping for a much better display than the Japan XV put on against the NZ XV last weekend.

In Tokyo last week, the Japan XV were very disjointed and offered little in attack, while the set pieces and defence also left much to be desired as the All Blacks XV gave them a 38-6 beating. All Blacks XV Head Coach Leon MacDonald has made seven changes to the team for the match in Kumamoto.

He said, “The Brave Blossoms have shown they’re a top-tier team filled with capped players. We need to build on our performance last week, we’re going up against a full-strength national side. They will be hungry for a win and we need to match that.”

Japan’s Head Coach Jamie Joseph has made 13 changes to the team with six new players “to provide more starch in defence and spark a more effective attack,” said the JRFU.

Joseph added: “A lot of our experienced players weren’t playing last weekend so when it got hot and tough, particularly in the first 10 minutes after halftime, the team went very quiet. We recognise that and our solution is to bring our key, experienced players back into the team. Our communication will be a lot better this week with these guys who have played a lot of rugby for us, so we’re expecting an improvement in that area.

He acknowledged the team faltered in attack last week “When it came to our attack, it didn’t go well. We made a lot of careless mistakes and turned the ball over easily. We’ve got to get our attack right, but I’m confident that we will get this right over time.”

Japan vs All Blacks XV

• Date: Saturday 15 July, KO 18:05 (local time)
• Venue: Egao Kenko Stadium, Kumamoto

Japan Squad vs All Blacks XV – 15th July 2023

More on the squad news and selection can be read on JRFU.

NZ XV Squad vs Japan  – 15th July 2023

All Blacks XV: Ruben Love, AJ Lam, Billy Proctor, Jack Goodhue, Jona Nareki, Stephen Perofeta, Brad Weber (co-capt), Pita Gus Sowakula, Billy Harmon (co-capt), Akira Ioane, Quinten Strange, Naitoa Ah Kuoi, Jermaine Ainsley, George Bell, Aidan Ross. Reserves: Tyrone Thompson, Ollie Norris, George Dyer, Cameron Suafoa, Christian Lio-Willie, Folau Fakatava, Alex Nankivell, Sam Gilbert.

Rugby Tournaments and Matches 2023

• World Rugby U20 Championship Japan vs Italy Preview.
• We speak with HKCR U20 Head Coach Logan Asplin.
• World Rugby U20 Championship 2023 – Complete Guide.
• Sakura Fifteen To Tour Spain in 2023.