Overview
- Italy named Alessandro Ortombina and Malik Faissal as starters in the match that will be played on Saturday at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium in Tokyo.
- Japan handed a first cap at fly-half to 21-year-old Ryunosuke Ito and named four uncapped players in the matchday squad.
- Eddie Jones is absent as he serves the final game of a four-match ban for abusing match officials and forwards coach Neil Hatley selected and will lead the team.
- Both nations published full matchday lists that show coaches are rotating squads to test players and build positional depth ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
- Italy arrive on the back of a strong Six Nations campaign and will face a heavy travel run to New Zealand and Australia after Tokyo, increasing the need to blood new players and manage workloads.