Japan vs Ireland Preview & Prediction | 2026 Nations Championship | Round 2
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In a match taking place in Australia, Japan and Ireland contest their second Nations Championship match after both nations began their campaigns with victories last week.
Start date/time:
How to watch on TV: UK – ITV / USA – Not televised
How to watch online: UK – ITVX / USA – RugbyPass TV
Japan team news: Ryunosuke Ito starts as Eddie Jones returns
Squad: Matsunaga; Ueda, Riley, Hirose, Main; Ito, Saito; Cornelsen, Shimokawa, Gunter; Dearns (capt), Hockings; Takeuchi, Harada, Okabe
Replacements: Era, Otuska, Tamefusa, Stolberg, Leitch, Costley, Kamimura, Greene
Ireland team news: Nine changes from Farrell
Squad: Osborne; O'Brien, Henshaw, McCloskey, Stockdale; Frawley, Casey; Jansen, Timoney, Conan; Ryan, Beirne (capt); Clarkson, Kelleher, O'Toole
Replacements: Stewart, Bohan, Illo, Izuchukwu, Ward, Doak, Byrne, Aki
Japan vs Ireland prediction
Despite the absence of suspended head coach Eddie Jones in the dugout, Japan made an excellent start to their Nations Championship campaign by seeing off Italy 27-10 in Tokyo last Saturday.
The Brave Blossoms capitalised on an error-filled display from the Azzurri and generally looked a more cohesive unit than their northern hemisphere opponents.
Ireland, meanwhile, came from behind to sneak past Australia in Sydney last weekend, with Andy Farrell's side clinching a 33-31 victory that could have ended in defeat had Ben Donaldson converted a last-minute penalty for the Wallabies.
Farrell clearly wasn't satisfied with what he saw though, as he has made nine changes for this contest, with four debutants named.
Ireland are a step up in class from Italy and are the natural favourites here but Japan, with Jones calling the shots once again, will be determined to keep this one as close as possible. They proved their mettle last weekend so consider backing the Brave Blossoms to hold on to a +16.5 advantage.
Japan vs Ireland tip: Japan +16.5
