Rugby World Cup 2023: Japan v Chile predictions and betting tips: Matsushima can help Japan run riot

Where to watch Japan v Chile

ITV1, midday Sunday

Best bets

Japan -25
1pt 10-11 general

Kotaro Matsushima to score two or more tries
1pt 10-3 bet365

Japan v Chile odds

Japan 1-20
Chile 22-1
Draw 100-1

Japan v Chile handicaps

South Africa -24.5
Scotland +24.5

Japan v Chile preview

Japan made the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals as hosts four years ago. And despite some mixed results since, the noise around the Brave Blossoms camp is that they can go just as far in France.

Jamie Joseph’s side will need to be at their best to pick up points against pool big guns England, Argentina and Samoa, but they have a chance to build some confidence ahead of those matches when they take on debutants Chile on Sunday.

The Condors may be making their World Cup bow but they do boast a couple of talented individuals in fly-half Rodrigo Fernandez and captain Martin Sigren, who will lead a decent pack that will aim to squeeze the Japanese set-piece.

It will not be anything the Brave Blossoms have not encountered before, however, so they will look to move the ball quickly and punch holes in the Chilean defence out wide.

Winger Kotaro Matsushima could be the chief beneficiary of that tactic. The 30-year-old scored a hat-trick in Japan’s 2019 World Cup opener and is worth an interest to get off the mark with a couple of scores in Toulouse.

Teams

Japan: S Masirewa; K Matsushima, D Riley, R Nakamura, J Naikabula; R Matsuda, Y Nagare; K Inagaki, A Sakate, J Gu, J Cornelsen, A Fakatava, M Leitch, K Shimokawa, K Himeno

Replacements: S Horie, C Millar, A Ai Valu, W Dearns, S Fukui, N Saito, T Osada, L Lemeki

Chile:  I Ayzara; S Videla, D Saavedra, N Garafulic, F Velarde; R Fernandez, M Torrealba; J Carrasco, D Escobar, M Dittus, C Saavedra, J Eissman, M Sigren, R Martinez, A Escobar.

Replacements: A Bohme, S Lues, I Gurruchaga, P Huete, S Pedrero, I Silva, L Carvallo, JI Larenas