France narrowly lost out to New Zealand in round one but bounced back with a superb second half display to see off Australia last weekend. They should see off Japan with comfort, though, they could make wholesale changes to their side.
Key Stats - France Should Dominate
- France have won 7 of their last 9 fixtures.
- France have won 4 consecutive matches against Japan.
- Japan have lost 6 of their last 8 games.
- Japan lost to France by 40 points in 2024.
France have Never Lost to Brave Blossoms
France and Japan have met on eight occasions with France winning each one.
Japan Pleased with Performances
Japan hosted Ireland in their second Nations Championship match last weekend, losing 36-26 at home after trailing 19-13 at the break.
Before that, the Brave Blossoms had a perfect start to their campaign, beating Italy 27-10.
Japan occupy fourth place in the Southern Hemisphere table with four points from two matches.
Japan have been in decent nick during the competition, but face a tough challenge when they host France this weekend, as they lost to their opponents by 40 points in 2024.
France Looking to Close Third Round with a Win
France produced an excellent second half of rugby in their Nations Championship match against Australia last weekend, winning 42-26 away from home after trailing their hosts 21-12 at half-time.
Before that victory, France travelled to face New Zealand in their opening fixture, losing 34-32 away from home.
Les Bleus are in second place in the Northern Hemisphere table with seven points from two games.
France will be pleased with their second-half performance last weekend, and will fancy their chances of securing all the points on offer, as they have defeated Japan four times in a row.
Japan vs France Squads
Japan
Forwards: Hayate Era, Mamoru Harada, Kenji Sato, Yota Kamimori, Takato Okabe, Sojiro Otsuka, Izi Sword, Shuhei Takeuchi, Keijiro Tamefusa, Jack Cornelsen, Warner Dearns, Harry Hockings, Michael Stolberg, Tiennan Costley, Ben Gunter, Esei Ha'angana, Michael Leitch, Waisake Raratubua, Kanji Shimokawa
Backs: Takuro Hojo, Itsuki Kamimura, Naoto Saitō, Haruto Watanabe, Ryunosuke Ito, Shinya Komura, Samisoni Tua, Yuya Hirose, Shōgo Nakano, Dylan Riley, Inoke Burua, Kippei Ishida, Haruto Kida, Kazuma Ueda, Takuro Matsunaga, Shunsuke Uenobo
France
Forwards: Maxime Lamothe, Barnabé Massa, Peato Mauvaka, Moses Alo-Emile, Demba Bamba, Sipili Falatea, Régis Montagne, Jefferson Poirot, Tevita Tatafu, Reda Wardi, Hugo Auradou, Mickaël Guillard, Emmanuel Meafou, Boris Palu, Tom Staniforth, Florian Verhaeghe, Pierre Bochaton, Esteban Capilla, Marko Gazzotti, Oscar Jégou, Temo Matiu, Lenni Nouchi, Alexandre Roumat, Killian Tixeront
Backs: Paul Graou, Nolann Le Garrec, Maxime Lucu, Matthieu Jalibert, Antoine Hastoy, Romain Ntamack, Fabien Brau-Boirie, Auguste Cadot, Nicolas Depoortère, Émilien Gailleton, Kalvin Gourgues, Yoram Moefana, Théo Attissogbe, Mathis Ferté, Théo Forner, Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang, Damian Penaud, Max Spring