Australia vs. Japan - prediction, team news, lineups

Australia invited Japan to the Queensland Country Bank Stadium connected Saturday greeting for their 2nd of 7 affable fixtures betwixt this year’s Nations Championship fixtures.

In what was a intimately fought brushwood close up until the last whistle, the Wallabies claimed a constrictive 35-32 triumph erstwhile these sides met successful Osaka past week.

Match preview

Heading into July’s Nations Championship fixtures, Australia were connected a torrid tally of form, losing each of their erstwhile 4 matches and 7 of the past eight, lone beating Saturday’s absorption implicit that stretch.

However, facing a hard acceptable of opening tourney fixtures, the Wallabies volition beryllium contented to person earned 8 points from their 3 location games, placing them 3rd successful the Southern Hemisphere array up of November’s instrumentality matches.

Despite tasting decision successful their opening 2 bouts against Ireland and France, Australia were overmuch improved from their anterior tally of matches and finishing the location agelong of matches with a thumping 57-10 triumph versus Italy, caller brag Les Kiss volition inactive beryllium looking for his men to situation the large boys heading into the distant fixtures.

Having ne'er mislaid against Japan and winning each of the erstwhile 7 encounters betwixt the sides, including a constrictive 35-32 triumph successful Higashiosaka past week, the Wallabies are surely the favourites heading into Saturday’s match.

Although they had the cleanable commencement to their Nations Championship run by beating Italy 27-10 astatine the Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium successful their opening match, Japan finished their location fixtures placed 5th successful the Southern Hemisphere table, sat lone supra Fiji who are yet to assertion a constituent successful this year’s tournament.

Following their awesome triumph implicit Gli Azzuri, the Brave Blossoms faced Ireland and France successful their remaining location matches, but contempt impressing for overmuch of their contention with the erstwhile especially, Eddie Jones’s men proved to beryllium nary lucifer for either Northern Hemisphere heavyweight.

As a effect of those defeats, Japan find themselves with conscionable 2 wins implicit their erstwhile 9 matches and person fallen extracurricular of the apical 10 places successful the World Rugby Rankings with some Wales and Italy climbing supra them.

If they are to halt their caller woes, the Brave Blossoms volition person to constitute past connected Saturday greeting by winning distant from location against a broadside that are supra them successful the World Rankings for the archetypal clip since 2015, erstwhile they claimed their historical 35-32 triumph against South Africa astatine Brighton’s American Express Community Stadium.

Australia signifier (all competitions):

Japan signifier (all competitions): 

Team News

Josh Nasser and skipper Harry Wilson are the lone players successful the Australia battalion that support their starting spot from past weekend's lucifer successful Osaka, with Angus Bell, Lachlan Shaw and Carlo Tizzano among those to beryllium introduced.

However, crossed the backline the Wallabies person made conscionable 2 changes, with Isaac Henry replacing Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii astatine extracurricular centre and Carter Gordon coming successful for Declan Meredith astatine fly-half.

There are conscionable 2 differences to the Japan scrum from past clip retired arsenic Harry Hockings and Tiennan Costley regenerate Jack Cornelsen and Kanji Shimokawa astatine 2nd enactment and openside-flanker respectively.

Amongst the backs, Jones has withdrawn Taira Main, Samisoni Tua and Kazuma Ueda from the starting lineup, alternatively opting for Yoshitaka Yazaki, Shunsuke Uenobo and Haruto Kida.

Australia starting lineup:

15 Tom Wright, 14 Max Jorgensen, 13 Isaac Henry, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Harry Potter, 10 Carter Gordon, 9 Ryan Lonergan; 1 Angus Bell, 2 Josh Nasser, 3 Taniela Tupou, 4 Lachlan Shaw, 5 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 6 Charlie Cale, 7 Carlo Tizzano, 8 Harry Wilson

Replacements:

16 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 17 Aidan Ross, 18 Massimo De Lutiis, 19 Jeremy Williams, 20 Fraser McReight, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Ben Donaldson, 23 Filipo Daugunu

Japan starting lineup:

15 Takuro Matsunaga, 14 Haruto Kida, 13 Shunsuke Uenobo, 12 Dylan Riley, 11 Yoshitaka Yazaki, 10 Ryunosuke Ito, 9 Naoto Saito; 1 Takato Okabe, 2 Hayate Era, 3 Shuhei Takeuchi, 4 Harry Hockings, 5 Warner Deans, 6 Ben Gunter, 7 Tiennan Costley, 8 Faulua Makisi

Replacements:

16 Mamoru Harada, 17 Sojiro Otsuka, 18 Izi Sword, 19 Jack Cornelsen, 20 Michael Leitch, 21 Itsuki Kamimura, 22 Samisoni Tua, 23 Kazuma Ueda

We say: Australia 34-12 Japan

Having a sizeable fig of affable fixtures betwixt present and the resumption of the maiden Nations Championship tournament, Australia volition beryllium wanting to rediscover their champion from, which they whitethorn good person started doing with triumph astatine the Hanazono Rugby Stadium past weekend.

Although Japan showed connected location turf that they tin origin problems for Kiss's men, we deliberation that the 61-year-old volition proceed his winning commencement arsenic Wallabies brag with a convincing triumph successful Townsville connected Saturday morning.