World Rugby U20 Championship Japan vs New Zealand Preview

Following the disappointing manner of the 19-41 loss to Wales in the second round of matches at the World Rugby U20 Championship in South Africa, Japan Head Coach Rob Penney makes 12 changes in the starting XV which will face New Zealand in their final pool C match.

Feature Photo – Riku Tomita of Japan U20 during the World Rugby U20 Championship 2023, Pool A match between Wales and Japan at Danie Craven Stadium on June 29, 2023 in Stellenbosch, South Africa. (Photo by World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)

Everything is at stake as the U20 Championships head into the final round on Tuesday 4th July 2023 in South Africa. Most pools are still undetermined in terms of qualifiers but Japan looks like it’s holding back to see who they will play for a final qualification match – losing that will send them back to the U20 Trophy in 2024.

Japan U20s will also be without captain Yoshiki Omachi suspended one match for his reckless red card (which ultimately swung the match in Wales’s favour in the last quarter).

New Zealand also has had mixed fortunes, after falling to a heavy 35-14 defeat to France and scraping through to a 27-26 win against Wales in their first match. The Baby All Blacks will need to win big to try and confirm they can qualify for the semifinals, while Japan chase an elusive pool win at the Championships.

New Zealand coach Clark Laidlaw has made eight changes to the team that started the round two defeat to France, five in the pack and three in the backs, with Noah Hotham captaining the team at scrum-half.

The two sides have only met each other once before in this tournament, with NZ winning the match 67-0 back in 2018, however, they also played each twice in the Oceania Rugby U20 Championship, and New Zealand won comfortably on both occasions – 75-0 in 2015 and 87-12 in 2019.

Compounded by the fact NZ has the best-tackling success at 91.1 per cent, while Japan has the worst (67.8 per cent), and that the Japanese are on a 13-match losing streak at the U20 Championship, New Zealand will be looking to pile on the pressure and the points.

Interestingly both team coaches leave their roles after this tournament, with Penney taking over at the Crusaders and Clark Laidlaw at the Hurricanes – both in Super Rugby Pacific.

Reuben Keane (Australia) will be the match referee.

You can also find the World Rugby U20 Championship 2023 participating teams, results and pools here.

Image Credit – World Rugby U20 Championship Pool Standings

Japan U20 Squad – vs New Zealand Tuesday 4th July 2023

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

Inside-centre, Kengo Nonaka who missed the Wales match, returns to the side as Captain in place of the suspended Yoshiki Omachi, while number-eight Taison Mogami is the only forward to retain his place in the run-on side.

At flyhalf, Taishin Oshima moves from the bench into the starting position, replacing Kanjiro Naramoto who switches to the reserves bench.

1 Tomoki YUMBE
2 Takashi OMOTO
3 Kosuke SUGIURA
4 Ryotaro NOSE
5 Kantaro TAJIMA
6 Tenta KOBAYASHI
7 Toki TOSHIKAWA
8 Taison MOGAMI
9 Yutaro TAKAHASHI
10 Taishin OHSHIMA
11 Kosho MUTO
12 Kengo NONAKA
13 Shota TAIRA
14 Ryohei IMANO
15 Yoshitaka YAZAKI
16 Kouta NAGASHIMA
17 Sena HWANG
18 Riku TOMITA
19 Bunsuke KURITA
20 Keito HAYASHI
21 Genki IKUTA
22 Kanjiro NARAMOTO
23 Renji OIKE

NZ U20 Squad – vs Japan Tuesday 4th July 2023

Image Credit: NZRU

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.