Japan punished Italian mistakes and opened the Nations Championship convincingly with a victory in Tokyo
Japan opened its campaign in the first round of the 2026 Nations Championship with a 27:10 victory against Italy, in a match played on Saturday, July 4, 2026, at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo. According to the official match record of the Japan Rugby Football Union, the match began at 17:40 local time, and the home national team went into halftime with a 17:10 lead before keeping Italy scoreless in the second half and making the victory convincing. The key figure of the match was Takuro Matsunaga, who, according to the record and reports from specialized rugby media, finished the match with 17 points: one try, three conversions and two penalty kicks. Japan also took advantage of Italian handling errors and several inaccuracies under pressure, while Italy, after taking an early lead, failed to find enough continuity in attack. The result brought the host four points at the start of the competition, while Italy, according to the announcement of the Italian Rugby Federation, finished the first round without a point.
An early Italian blow, then Japan’s quick turnaround
Italy opened the match in the best possible way. According to the official match flow published by the Japan Rugby Football Union, Juan Ignacio Brex broke through Japan’s defensive line already in the 5th minute and put the Azzurri ahead with a try, while Paolo Garbisi converted a minute later for 0:7. Italy’s start was direct and effective: Garbisi found space well behind the first defensive line, and Brex attacked with a well-timed running angle. But Japan’s response came very quickly and changed the tone of the match. Warner Dearns, the captain of the home team, completed Japanese pressure in the 11th minute, and Matsunaga’s conversion brought the match back to level terms.
That early Japanese response was important because it neutralized Italian momentum before the visitors’ advantage could turn into tactical control. After the equalizer, Japan increased the speed of ball movement, more often attacked the space between Italian defenders and forced Italy into quick decisions in defense. According to the Italian federation report, already at that stage the host was creating discomfort in Italy’s reception of the ball with frequent high kicks and pressure on the back line. In the 13th minute Italy had to replace Lorenzo Pani, who went off injured, and Tommaso Allan came on in his place. That moment further disrupted Italy’s structure in the back line, although it was not the only reason for the loss of rhythm.
Japan completed the turnaround in the 17th minute. According to the report of the Italian Rugby Federation, the host moved the ball quickly through several pairs of hands, Yuya Hirose found a break, and Matsunaga followed the move and finished it with a try under the posts. After his conversion Japan led 14:7. That attack best summed up what was giving Japan the advantage: speed of decision-making, good support for the ball carrier and readiness to punish every moment of Italian disorganization. In the 25th minute Matsunaga added a penalty kick for 17:7, so the host already had clear control of the score in the first half.
Italy came back before halftime, but did not maintain the same pressure
Italy had its best period after the opening lead in the closing stages of the first half. According to the report of Federazione Italiana Rugby, the Azzurri returned deep into Japan’s half through progress in the maul and handling play, and Garbisi reduced the score to 17:10 with a penalty kick near the end of the half. Italy’s decision to take the safe points instead of staying longer in attack can also be read through the context of the match: by that point Japan had already shown very firm defense, and any lost ball close to the line could have meant the end of the half without any reward. Michele Lamaro, according to the Italian federation’s announcement, said after the match that it is precisely in such situations that the risk of the final action of the half must be assessed. The Italian captain also emphasized that the team should not hide behind the conditions, even though the ball was wet and slippery.
The second half, however, did not bring a continuation of Italian pressure but a new Japanese blow. In the 47th minute, or the seventh minute of the second half, Ben Gunter finished an attack after a longer sequence of pressure and extended Japan’s lead with a try. Matsunaga was again accurate with the conversion, so the score moved to 24:10. According to the Italian report, Italy withstood a large number of phases in that move, but eventually gave way to the changing directions of Japanese attacks. Gunter was later listed in the Italian match record as player of the match, which reflects his influence in contact, defense and the finish of Japan’s decisive attack.
After that, Italy had periods of territorial recovery, especially after changes in the front row and stronger pressure in the scrum. Still, the attack did not gain enough sharpness. Brex tried to open space for Montanna Ioane with a kick behind the defense, but Japan reacted in time, and the home defense remained organized and patient. According to the report of Federazione Italiana Rugby, Italy continued looking for a way through the Japanese block in the closing stages, but the host read the kicks well, slowed the ball when necessary and waited for a mistake. In the 67th minute Matsunaga set the final score at 27:10 with his second penalty kick, after which Japan remained closer to a fourth try until the end of the match than Italy did to getting back into the game.
Matsunaga’s precision and Japanese discipline decided the match
According to the official JRFU record, Japan scored three tries, three conversions and two penalty kicks, while Italy remained on one try, one conversion and one penalty kick. Matsunaga’s efficiency was especially important because it turned Japan’s territorial advantage into steady growth on the scoreboard. In matches in which the rhythm is broken up by errors, kicks and changes of possession, a reliable kicker often changes the psychology of the contest: the opponent must not risk infringements in its own half, while the team in front can play more patiently. Japan did exactly that after overturning the early deficit. The host did not have to force every move, but combined pressure, kicking play and quick attacks whenever space opened up.
Italy’s problems were not only in attack, but in overall ball management. Head coach Gonzalo Quesada said after the match, according to the announcement of the Italian Rugby Federation, that his team must analyze what happened and that it is difficult to create quality moves when 25 possessions are lost. Quesada also acknowledged that Japan showed excellent defense and that the host had prepared the match better. His assessment is important because it does not reduce the defeat only to individual mistakes, but to a broader problem of rhythm: Italy had enough quality players to threaten, but did not link phases often enough without a technical error or a forced kick. When Japan closed the middle of the field and defended the edges in disciplined fashion, Italian attacks increasingly faded before the final decision.
Lamaro, according to the same announcement, said that Japan deservedly won and that Italy was under pressure for most of the match. The Azzurri captain emphasized that the host was quicker in several important moments and that the defeat must not be normalized. That statement describes Italy’s position after the match well: the defeat in Tokyo is not only a poor result at the start of a new competition, but a warning that a good entry into the match and an early seven points are not enough if control over the basic elements of the game is lost. Italy had a comeback in the first half and an opportunity to keep the match open, but Japan’s third try at the start of the second half changed the weight of every subsequent attack.
The broader significance of the victory in the new global format
The 2026 Nations Championship is a new elite international rugby competition which, according to the official competition website, brings together 12 national teams in a north-versus-south format. The northern group consists of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales, while the southern group includes Argentina, Australia, Fiji, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa. The official competition website states that six rounds are played before the final weekend in London, with the first three rounds in July and the next three in November. After six rounds, the national teams are ranked within their hemispheric groups, and the final weekend at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham from November 27 to 29 should decide the winner and the overall balance of power between the two groups. In that context, every result carries more weight than a classic summer test match.
For Japan, the victory against Italy is therefore important in several ways. The host won four points, kept the opponent scoreless after the break and showed that in the new competition it can compete with teams from the Six Nations. The victory also came in specific circumstances, because according to rugby media reports head coach Eddie Jones missed the match due to a suspension connected with conduct toward match officials, and the team was led by forwards coach Neal Hatley. Regardless of that context, Japan’s performance was tactically clear: the defense remained compact after the early break, the players punished Italy’s poor receptions and insecure balls, and Matsunaga turned every scoring opportunity into an advantage on the scoreboard. That is especially valuable in a competition in which the standings are built not only on wins, but also on the ability to survive weaker phases of a match without major consequences.
For Italy, the defeat halted the positive narrative with which it arrived in Tokyo. In its match preview, the Italian federation pointed out that the national team had an encouraging Six Nations campaign behind it, including a victory against England and fourth place in the standings. That is precisely why the performance in Japan carries additional weight: the Azzurri showed that they can strike quickly through individual quality and good attacking preparation, but after that they lost too many balls and allowed Japan to turn the match into a series of punishments. In a competition that brings together the strongest national teams, that level of technical errors leaves little room for recovery. Quesada’s team now has to respond quickly, because the July schedule is demanding and does not leave much time for corrections.
Next challenges: Japan go to Ireland, Italy to New Zealand
The official Nations Championship schedule states that Japan plays against Ireland in the second round, on July 11, 2026, in Newcastle, Australia. That will be a different test from the match with Italy, because Ireland traditionally brings a very structured game, strong pressure at the ruck and disciplined use of territory. Japan will take confidence from the Tokyo match, but also a clear lesson from the opening minutes: against a stronger opponent, early defensive lapses can be more costly. Still, the way the team came back after Brex’s try suggests that Japan has mental stability and enough precision in key moments. Matsunaga’s form, Gunter’s energy and Dearns’s leadership will be important elements in the rest of the competition as well.
According to the Italian Rugby Federation schedule, Italy leaves Japan on July 5, 2026, and heads to Wellington, where it plays against New Zealand at Sky Stadium on July 11. That is one of the most difficult possible follow-ups after a defeat, because against the All Blacks the Azzurri will have to improve ball retention, reaction to pressure and efficiency when entering the opposition 22 at the same time. Quesada emphasized after the match that the performance must not be accepted as normal and that the team must understand what it can do better. Lamaro reduced the message to a simpler level: Italy must improve. After Tokyo, that improvement is no longer a matter of a long-term plan, but an immediate need before the second round.
Scorers and basic match information
- Japan: tries Warner Dearns, Takuro Matsunaga and Ben Gunter; conversions Takuro Matsunaga three; penalty kicks Takuro Matsunaga two.
- Italy: try Juan Ignacio Brex; conversion Paolo Garbisi; penalty kick Paolo Garbisi.
- Halftime: Japan 17, Italy 10.
- Final score: Japan 27, Italy 10.
- Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo, Japan.
- Competition: Nations Championship 2026, Round 1.
Sources:
- Japan Rugby Football Union – official match record Japan – Italy, result, scoring sequence, line-ups and basic match information (link)
- Nations Championship – official description of the competition format, groups, schedule and final weekend (link)
- Federazione Italiana Rugby – Italian federation report, match chronology, statements by Gonzalo Quesada and Michele Lamaro and information on Italy’s next trip (link)
- SA Rugby Magazine – match report and additional context on Takuro Matsunaga, Japanese scorers and Eddie Jones’s absence (link)
- Sky Sports – result summary and confirmation of scorers by minute in the Japan – Italy match (link)
- Planet Rugby – context of Eddie Jones’s suspension before the match with Italy (link)