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Japan and Uruguay clash on neutral territory for the first time. Chambéry, France will play host the Asia no 1 vs South America no 2 on Saturday. Japan has won four of the five prior test matches against Los Teros. Uruguay’s win was the inaugural test match between the teams in 2005. Uruguay and Japan have never crossed paths at a Rugby World Cup.
| FORM GUIDE |
Current World Ranking: 14 (72.31 points)
2024-06-22 – Japan 17-52 England (Tokyo, JP)
2024-06-29 – Japan XV 10-36 Maori All Blacks (Tokyo, JP)
2024-07-06 – Japan XV 26-14 Maori All Blacks (Toyota, JP)
2024-07-13 – Japan 23-25 Georgia (Sendai, JP)
2024-07-21 – Japan 14-42 Italy (Sapporo, JP)
2024-08-25 – Canada 28-55 Japan (Vancouver, CA)
2024-09-07 – Japan 41-24 USA (Kumagaya, JP)
2024-09-15 – Japan 49-27 Samoa (Tokyo, JP)
2024-09-21 – Japan 17-41 Fiji (Osaka, JP)
2024-10-26 – Japan 19-64 New Zealand (Yokohama, JP)
2024-11-09 – France 52-12 Japan (Paris, FR)
Current World Ranking: 19 (66.58 points)
2024-07-10 – Uruguay 28-43 France (Montevideo, UY)
2024-07-20 – Uruguay 07-79 Argentina (Punta del Este, UY)
2024-07-27 – Uruguay 19-31 Scotland (Montevideo, UY)
2024-11-09 – Spain 33-24 Uruguay (Madrid, ES)
| LINE-UP CHANGES vs |
3 Keijiro Tamefusa replaces Shuhei Takeuchi
6 Amato Fakatava replaces Kanji Shimokawa
7 Kanji Shimokawa replaces Kazuki Himeno
8 Kazuki Himeno moves from 7; replaces Faulua Makisi
10 Takuro Matsunaga replaces Harumichi Tatekawa
11 Junta Hamano replaces Tomoki Osada
3 Diego Arbelo replaces Ignacio Peculo
4 Ignacio Dotti replaces Felipe Aliaga
8 Manuel Diana replaces Carlos Deus
10 Ícaro Amarillo replaces Ignacio Álvarez
11 Ignacio Facciolo replaces Bautista Basso
14 Bautista Basso moves from 11; replaces Mateo Viñals
15 Juan González replaces Baltazar Amaya
| + MOST CAPS |
– Kazuki Himeno (34); Dylan Riley (26); Warner Dearns (20); Naoto Saito (22); Jone Naikabula (15)
– Mateo Sanguinetti (88); Gastón Mieres (84); Ignacio Dotti (64); Manuel Diana (45)
| vs LEAST CAPS |
– Junta Hamano (1); Opeti Helu (1); Takuro Matsunaga (2); Kenta Matsuoka (3); Yukio Morikawa (3)
– Ícaro Amarillo (1); Ignacio Facciolo (1); Juan González (1); Joaquín Myzska (2); Mateo Perillo (3); Joaquin Suárez (3)
| NOTES |
- Uruguay fell 33-24 in Madrid last weekend while Japan are coming off a 64-19 defeat against New Zealand and a 52-12 loss against France.
- Los Teros were 24-18 winners in the inaugural test match between Uruguay and Japan in 2005. The Brave Blossoms won the four other test matches against Los Teros since then.
- Saturday’s test match will be the first Japan vs Uruguay match on neutral territory. The teams have never met at a Rugby World Cup.
- 4 of the Brave Blossom’s starters also started Japan’s most recent test match against Uruguay: Warner Dearns, Siosaia Fifita, Dylan Riley and Naoto Saito.
- 5 Teros are repeat starters from the 2022 clash in Kitakyushu: Guillermo Pujadas, Lucas Bianchi, Santiago Civetta, Bautista Basso, and Juan Manuel Alonso
- The fixture is vital match preparation for Uruguay ahead of Rugby World Cup 2027 Qualifiers in 2025.
- Uruguay is Japan’s third South American opponent in France in a little over a year; the Brave Blossoms faced both Argentina and Chile at Rugby World Cup 2023.
- Japan also faced both Canada and the USA in the 2024 Pacific Nations Cup.
- Inexperienced fly halves Takuro Matsunaga and Ícaro Amarillo start. Both have just one test cap each.
- 12 of Japan’s players are Japanese (8 starters) and 11 are foreigners (7 starters).
- Uruguay’s 23 players are all homegrown.
| PREDICTION |
Sunny conditions are expected in Chambéry, France. This will encourage open rugby with both able to unlock space for their speedy wingers. It will come with new-look play-makers; both Japan and Uruguay have accelerated changes in the new World Cup cycle. The two mobile back-rows will be busy competing in the breakdown. Being competitive without conceding too many penalties could be decisive in leading to point scoring opportunities. Japan are favorites to win in France.
| LINEUPS vs |
JAPAN
1 Takato Okabe, 2 Mamoru Harada, 3 Keijiro Tamefusa, 4 Epineri Uluiviti, 5 Warner Dearns, 6 Amato Fakatava, 7 Kanji Shimokawa, 8 Kazuki Himeno, 9 Naoto Saito (capt.), 10 Takuro Matsunaga, 11 Junta Hamano, 12 Siosaia Fifita, 13 Dylan Riley, 14 Jone Naikabula, 15 Malo Tuitama
URUGUAY
1 Mateo Sanguinetti, 2 Guillermo Pujadas, 3 Diego Arbelo, 4 Ignacio Dotti, 5 Manuel Leindekar (capt.), 6 Santiago Civetta, 7 Lucas Bianchi, 8 Manuel Diana, 9 Santiago Álvarez, 10 Ícaro Amarillo, 11 Ignacio Facciolo, 12 Juan Manuel Alonso, 13 Felipe Arcos Pérez, 14 Bautista Basso, 15 Juan González
Replacements: 16 Joaquín Myzska, 17 Mateo Perillo, 18 Ignacio Péculo, 19 Felipe Aliaga, 20 Carlos Deus, 21 Joaquín Suárez, 22 Ignacio Álvarez, 23 Gastón Mieres
| MATCH DETAILS |
Date: Saturday, November 16
Venue: Chambéry Savoie Stadium (Chambéry, FR)
Kickoff: 2:30pm (FR); 9:30pm (JP); 9:30am (UY)
Weather Forecast: Mostly Sunny; 13°C Wind 6 km/h.
Broadcasts: ESPN; Disney +
| MATCH OFFICIALS |
Referee: Christophe Ridley (England)
Asistentes: Luc Ramos (France); Adam Leal (England)
TMO: Tual Trainini (France)
| COMPLETE RESULTS – vs (1987-2024) |
Jun 25, 2022 – Japan 43-07 Uruguay (Kitakyushu, JP)
Jun 18, 2022 – Japan 34-15 Uruguay (Tokyo, JP)
Aug 29, 2015 – Japan 40-0 Uruguay (Tokyo, JP)
Aug 22, 2015 – Japan 30-8 Uruguay (Fukuoka, JP)
Apr 16, 2005 – Uruguay 24-18 Japan (Montevideo, UY)
| HEAD TO HEAD vs |
JAPAN Wins 4
URUGUAY Wins 1
