Japan and Italy meet at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium as the 2026 Nations Championship kicks off with Round 1. The Brave Blossoms enter the matchup after a difficult run of international tests, though they did close their most recent window with a 25-23 win over Georgia.
Italy arrive with their last games coming in Six Nations play, where the Azzurri won two of their final five matches, including victories over England and Scotland.
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Italy’s lineup features several familiar Six Nations names, including Paolo Garbisi, Michele Lamaro, Tommaso Menoncello, Juan Ignacio Brex and Monty Ioane, while Tommaso Allan is among the substitutes.
Japan counter with Warner Dearns and Harry Hockings in the second row, with Ben Gunter, Kanji Shimokawa and Jack Cornelsen across the back row.
Here’s what to know as Japan face Italy in the Nations Championship, including lineups, substitutes and kickoff time.
Japan Vs. Italy Kickoff Time
Japan host Italy at 4:40 a.m. ET on Saturday, July 4, at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium in Round 1 of the Nations Championship.
How To Watch Every Match Of The 2026 Nations Championship
Every match of the 2026 Nations Championship will stream live in the United States on RugbyPass TV, World Rugby's streaming platform.
Japan Rugby Lineup
- Takato Okabe
- Mamoru Harada
- Shuhei Takeuchi
- Harry Hockings
- Warner Dearns
- Ben Gunter
- Kanji Shimokawa
- Jack Cornelsen
- Naoto Saito
- Ryunosuke Ito
- Kippei Ishida
- Yuya Hirose
- Dylan Riley
- Kazuma Ueda
- Takuro Matsunaga
Substitutes: 16. Hayate Era, 17. Sojiro Otsuka, 18. Keijiro Tamefusa, 19. Michael Stolberg, 20. Michael Leitch, 21. Tiennan Costley, 22. Itsuki Kamimura, 23. Sam Greene
Italy Rugby Lineup
- Danilo Fischetti
- Tommaso Di Bartolomeo
- Marco Riccioni
- Niccolo' Cannone
- Andrea Zambonin
- Alessandro Ortombina
- Michele Lamaro
- Lorenzo Cannone
- Stephen Varney
- Paolo Garbisi
- Monty Ioane
- Tommaso Menoncello
- Juan Ignacio Brex
- Malik Faissal
- Lorenzo Pani
Substitutes: 16. Gianmarco Lucchesi, 17. Mirco Spagnolo, 18. Muhamed Hasa, 19. Riccardo Favretto, 20. Ross Vintcent, 21. Alessandro Fusco, 22. Leonardo Marin, 23. Tommaso Allan
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