World Rugby U20 Championship Japan vs Argentina Preview

Japan U20s play Argentina on Sunday 9th July for the 9-12th ranking matches and are still hunting for their first win of the 2023 U20 World Rugby Championship in South Africa following losses to France, Wales, and New Zealand.

Feature Photo – (Photo by World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)

Morné Ferreira (South Africa) will take charge of the fixture in Paarl which will be the third time in their history that Japan and Argentina (Los Pumitas) U20s have played each other, with the South Americans having won both previous encounters. Of note, this will be the 400th match in World Rugby U20 Championship history.

It’s another match that has history and the odds against the University stacked, and Rob Penney coached, Japanese team as they enter the final rounds with the worst tackle completion (62 per cent) in the Championship and also are the least clinical team when entering the opposition 22 with 1.7 points per visit.

To try and stop the Argentinians, Japan will have to be wary of their set piece as they have one of the best in the competition with the top-ranked lineout and they are one of only two teams with a 100 per cent scrum along with France. The Argentina team has also scored more than half of their points in the second quarter, including four of their seven tries.

Another negative milestone if Japan does lose, is that they will be in danger of becoming the first team to be relegated four times from the U20 Championship in its history.

Read more on the World Rugby U20 Championship 2023 participating teams, results and pools here.

Japan U20 Squad – vs Argentina Sunday 9th July 2023

Only four players are in the Japanese starting XV from their previous loss to New Zealand, one in the pack and three in the backs. Yoshiki Omachi returns to captain the side having completed his one-match suspension for his red card against Wales.

The dangerous Kouta Nagashima is Japan’s top try-scorer in the tournament with three tries so far.

You can see more on the squad selected by the JRFU here.

Argentina U20 Squad – vs Japan Sunday 9th July 2023

Argentina coach Álvaro Galindo has made five changes to his side for this match.

Image Credit: Argentina Rugby Union

How To Watch the World Rugby U20 Championship 2023

World Rugby has confirmed that matches will be broadcast via its online platforms in countries without a local broadcast partner.

World Rugby U20 Championship Tournament News 2023

• World Rugby U20 Championship 2023 – Complete Guide.
• Japan World Rugby U20 Championship 2023 Squad.
• World Rugby U20 Championship Japan vs France Preview.
• World Rugby U20 Championship Japan vs Wales Preview.
• World Rugby U20 Championship Japan vs New Zealand Preview.