Japan returns home for Round 3 of the Nations Championship looking for another statement victory after splitting its opening two matches. The Brave Blossoms opened the tournament with a 27-10 win over Italy before falling 36-20 to third-ranked Ireland, and now face another difficult challenge against No. 4 France at MUFG Stadium.
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France arrives with momentum after bouncing back from its narrow opening-round loss to New Zealand by defeating Australia 42-26. Les Bleus remain firmly in contention atop the Northern Hemisphere standings and have controlled this matchup in recent years, winning four of the past five meetings against Japan, including a 52-12 victory last November.
Japan has proven capable of competing with rugby's elite, but history suggests another difficult test awaits. France has averaged 34 points per match across the last five meetings, while the Brave Blossoms are looking to build on an encouraging start to the tournament after climbing to fourth place in the Southern Hemisphere standings. With France chasing Ireland atop the table and Japan seeking another upset, Saturday's contest carries significant implications for both teams.
Watch the match below or watch the match on RugbyPass TV!
Watch Japan vs. France Rugby Live
Fans in the United States can watch Japan vs. France live for free on RugbyPass TV and the World Rugby YouTube page.
The match kicks off at 4:40 a.m. ET on Saturday, July 18.
Nations Championship Round 3 Fixtures & Schedule
Saturday, July 18 (ET)
- 3:10 a.m. ET — New Zealand vs. Ireland
- 4:40 a.m. ET — Japan vs. France
- 6:10 a.m. ET — Australia vs. Italy
- 9:10 a.m. ET — Fiji vs. Scotland
- 11:40 a.m. ET — South Africa vs. Wales
- 3:10 p.m. ET — Argentina vs. England
Nations Championship Standings
Northern Hemisphere
- Ireland — 10 points
- France — 7 points
- Scotland — 6 points
- England — 5 points
- Wales — 5 points
- Italy — 0 points
Southern Hemisphere
- South Africa — 10 points
- New Zealand — 10 points
- Argentina — 6 points
- Japan — 4 points
- Australia — 3 points
- Fiji — 0 points
Remaining Nations Championship Schedule
Here's what happens in November.
Nations Championship Round 4
Friday, Nov. 6
- 3:10 p.m. ET — Ireland vs. Argentina
Saturday, Nov. 7
- 6:40 a.m. ET — Italy vs. South Africa
- 9:10 a.m. ET — Scotland vs. New Zealand
- 11:40 a.m. ET — Wales vs. Japan
- 3:10 p.m. ET — France vs. Fiji
Sunday, Nov. 8
- 10:10 a.m. ET — England vs. Australia
Nations Championship Round 5
Friday, Nov. 13
- 3:10 p.m. ET — France vs. South Africa
Saturday, Nov. 14
- 6:40 a.m. ET — Italy vs. Argentina
- 9:10 a.m. ET — Wales vs. New Zealand
- 11:40 a.m. ET — England vs. Japan
- 3:10 p.m. ET — Ireland vs. Fiji
Sunday, Nov. 15
- 10:10 a.m. ET — Scotland vs. Australia
Nations Championship Round 6
Saturday, Nov. 21
- 9:10 a.m. ET — England vs. New Zealand
- 9:10 a.m. ET — Scotland vs. Japan
- 11:40 a.m. ET — Ireland vs. South Africa
- 11:40 a.m. ET — Italy vs. Fiji
- 3:10 p.m. ET — France vs. Argentina
- 3:10 p.m. ET — Wales vs. Australia
Nations Championship Final
The inaugural Nations Championship Final will be played during the weekend of Nov. 27, with the top Northern Hemisphere team meeting the top Southern Hemisphere team to determine the tournament champion.
Here's How Fans Can Watch The Nations Championship
Fans in the United States can stream every Nations Championship match for free on RugbyPass TV and the World Rugby YouTube page.
World Rugby Nations Cup Round 3 Fixtures & Schedule
Saturday, July 18 (ET)
- 10:30 a.m. ET — Samoa vs. Romania
- 1:00 p.m. ET — Uruguay vs. Hong Kong China
- 3:00 p.m. ET — Chile vs. Georgia
- 4:45 p.m. ET — Tonga vs. Portugal
- 7:30 p.m. ET — USA vs. Spain
- 8:00 p.m. ET — Canada vs. Zimbabwe
World Rugby Nations Cup Standings
Pool A
- Chile — 10 points
- USA — 9 points
- Samoa — 5 points
- Tonga — 5 points
- Uruguay — 5 points
- Canada — 3 points
Pool B
- Georgia — 9 points
- Spain — 8 points
- Portugal — 7 points
- Romania — 4 points
- Zimbabwe — 1 point
- Hong Kong China — 0 points
Here's How Fans Can Watch The World Rugby Nations Cup
Fans in the United States can stream every World Rugby Nations Cup match, including all USA Rugby Eagles fixtures, live on Paramount+.
Current World Rugby Men's Rankings
- South Africa — 93.96
- New Zealand — 91.04
- Ireland — 89.32
- France — 87.43
- England — 84.75
- Scotland — 84.09
- Argentina — 84.06
- Australia — 80.60
- Fiji — 78.69
- Italy — 77.31
- Japan — 76.42
- Wales — 76.38
- Georgia — 73.30
- USA — 69.40
- Portugal — 68.67
- Spain — 67.66
- Uruguay — 67.62
- Chile — 67.59
- Samoa — 66.27
- Tonga — 65.85
- Belgium — 61.03
- Romania — 60.92
- Canada — 59.46
- Hong Kong China — 58.86
- Zimbabwe — 58.59
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