Italy vs Japan Predictions - Italy to see off Japan with ease

Ralph Staniforth

Editor

Last updated: 23 Aug 2023

Ralph Staniforth 23 Aug 2023

Share this article

Watch Italy vs Japan on Saturday in a Rugby World Cup warm-up fixture (18:30 SAST)
Japan have not been convincing over the last 12 months
Can Italy get their second win on the bounce?

Expired

Italy backed to be too good at home (Getty Images)

Italy vs Japan Preview

Italy are rightfully favourites and going by how both sides have been performing, I am backing Italy to cover the -11 handicap against Japan.

Italy vs Japan Preview
Head to Head
Italy Form
Italy Injuries & Team News
Japan Form
Japan Injuries & Team News

Italy beat Japan in their last match.
Italy have lost 7 of their last 8 matches.
Japan have lost 2 of their last 3 matches.

Head to Head

Japan have won two of their last three matches against Italy. However, Italy won their last encounter 25-22 in 2018.

Italy Form

Italy lost all five Six Nations matches this year but somehow it wasn’t a poor campaign for them. They were competitive in all their fixtures and arrive at this World Cup with some confidence.

With three warm-up games played to date, Italy lost two to Scotland and Ireland and won against Romania. However, again, the Italians were good in both defeats, losing 25-13 away to Scotland and 33-17 in Ireland.

Last week Italy smashed Romania 57-7 at home in a commanding performance. While it was tier-two opposition, it showed that Italy are far more likely to compete against the top sides than the bottom.

Italy Injuries & Team News

Italy rested players last week and are likely to field a full-strength side in their final warm-up game. However, Italy do start their World Cup with two games against tier-two nations so may see those as games to test different combinations.

Japan Form

Japan have been superb over the last decade. They shocked the world during both the 2015 and 2019 World Cups, reaching the quarter-finals of the latter.

However, Japan have stagnated over the last year as Jamie Joseph has struggled to get results out of his team. In the warm-up games, Japan narrowly beat Tonga 21-16 but lost 24-22 to Samoa and 35-12 to Fiji.

If Japan are to challenge at this World Cup again, they will need to quickly turn their fortunes around. Beating Italy this weekend will give them the belief that they can once again perform on the biggest stage.