Rugby World Cup 2023 – Japan vs Chile – ARN Guide

The countdown to this match began in Denver, Colorado in July 2023. It started there when the full-time whistle blew with Chile shaking the rugby world to its core. Los Cóndores defeated the USA Eagles to qualify for a first-ever Rugby World Cup. This was a newcomer defeating the hosts of Rugby World Cup 2031.

The celebrations were heard around the world. People checked to confirm that; yes, Chile had qualified. The freshness about it cannot be over-hyped; Chile will play England, Japan, and Samoa for the first-time.

Chile’s first opponent is non-other than the host country from the previous Rugby World Cup. Chile face Japan in the unofficial heartland of French rugby, Toulouse. It will be a 7am Saturday morning start for viewers from mainland Chile.

Japan are captained by Kazuki Himeno. He was among the best N8’s and best rookie players at Rugby World Cup 2019. Himeno has an 80% winning record at Rugby World Cups. He is joined in the back-row by former Japanese captain Michael Leitch and Kanji Shimokawa.

Mobility sees Japan fielding Jack Cornelsen and Amato Fakatava in the second-row. They will play behind the trio of Keita Inagaki, Atsushi Sakate, and Ji won Gu in the scrum.

Japan’s backline will be run by Yutaka Nagare and Rikiya Matsuda. They are the starting scrum-half and fly half against Chile. The hard-running Ryoto Nakamura is joined din the centers by Dylan Riley. The former Australian u20s player is an example of a foreign-born player featuring for Japan; one-third of the roster is not homegrown.

Fijians Jone Naikabula, and Semisi Masirewa start on the left ing and at fullback respectively. The back-three is completed by Kotaro Matsushima who will play in his third Rugby World Cup. He has wins over Ireland, Russia, Scotland, South Africa  and the USA in prior World Cups. Matsushima’s winning record is 77.77% at World Cups.

Japan’s replacements has plenty of experience. Hooker Shota Horie debuted in 2009. He faced Canada, France, and Tonga at Rugby World Cup 2011, Samoa, Scotland, South Africa and the USA at RWC 2015 and Ireland, Russia, Samoa, Scotland, and South Africa at RWC 2019. Leitch is also playing at a fourth World Cup.

Additional replacements include New Zealanders Craig Millar and Lomano Lemeki, homegrown players Asaeli Ai Valu, and Warner Dearns, and Shota Fukui, Naoto Saito, and Tomoki Osada.

Chile are coached by Uruguayan Great Pablo Lemoine. His line-up to face the Japanese is very different to that which has been used tus far in 2023. As a man who likes to keep the opposition guessing, Lemoine has moved players around to have a comparative mobile front-five to take-on the Japan at their own game.

Javier Carrasco starts at loose head and the giant Matías Dittus will play tight head. The mobile hooker Diego Escobar joins them in the front-row. Regular flanker Clemente Saavedra starts in the second-row alongside Javier Eissmann.

Martín Sigren leads Chile from the second-row. He will be joined by two other excellent ball-carriers in Raimundo Martínez, and Alfonso Escobar. Diego Escobar and Alfonso Escobar are brothers.

Marcelo Torrealba will control play from scrum-half. He will be joined by the master of spontaneity, Rodrigo Fernández in the halves. The other fly half option in the 23 is Santiago Videla who will be the goal-kicker from the right wing.

Videla is joined in the back-three by Iñaki Ayarza and Franco Velarde. Ayarza is the one French-based player on the roster. He is usually a center but moved to fullback for the Rugby World Cup warm-up matches and performed with distinction.

The mid-field sees the Selknam partnership of Matías Garafulic, and Domingo Saavedra tarting together. Garafulic’s brother, Nicolás is now out of the World Cup. Saavedra is the twin brother of Clemente who will start at lock.

Lemoine’s decision to have a mobile second-row but a big back-row is balanced out by the replacements. Pablo Huete, Santiago Pedrero and Ignacio Silva are all providing cover. Meanwhile, there are just two replacement backs with Lukas Carvallo covering scrum-half and wing while José Larenas covers the mid-field.

Sunday’s match in Toulouse will mark the beginning of international competition between Japan and Chile. The teams have never met previously in a test match. Their previous meetings have been in other forms of the game and never at the senior level.

 

TEAMS

JAPAN
1 Keita Inagaki, 2 Atsushi Sakate, 3 Ji won Gu, 4 Jack Cornelsen, 5 Amato Fakatava, 6 Michael Leitch, 7 Kanji Shimokawa, 8 Kazuki Himeno (capt.), 9 Yutaka Nagare, 10 Rikiya Matsuda, 11 Jone Naikabula, 12 Ryoto Nakamura, 13 Dylan Riley, 14 Kotaro Matsushima, 15 Semisi Masirewa

Replacements: 16 Shota Horie, 17 Craig Millar, 18 Asaeli Ai Valu, 19 Warner Dearns, 20 Shota Fukui, 21 Naoto Saito, 22 Tomoki Osada, 23 Lomano Lemeki

CHILE
1 Javier Carrasco, 2 Diego Escobar, 3 Matías Dittus, 4 Clemente Saavedra, 5 Javier Eissmann, 6 Martín Sigren (capt.), 7 Raimundo Martínez, 8 Alfonso Escobar, 9 Marcelo Torrealba, 10 Rodrigo Fernández, 11 Franco Velarde, 12 Matías Garafulic, 13 Domingo Saavedra, 14 Santiago Videla, 15 Iñaki Ayerza

Replacements: 16 Augusto Bohme, 17 Salvador Lues, 18 Iñaki Gurruchaga, 19 Pablo Huete, 20 Santiago Pedrero, 21 Ignacio Silva, 22 Lukas Carvallo, 23 José Larenas

 

RUGBY WORLD CUP 2023 – JAPAN VS CHILE
Date: Sunday, September 10
Kick-Off: 1pm (FR); 7am (CL)
Venue: Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse (FR)
Referee: Nic Berry (Australia)
Assistant Referees: Karl Dickson (England); Andrea Piardi (Italy)
TMO: Tom Foley (England)

vs
HISTORIC RESULTS
N/A