Tap to vote
Last 4 Meetings
Last 5 Games
Last 4 Meetings
Japan face off against Samoa in Rugby World Cup Round 1 on Sat 2nd October 2027 at McDonald Jones Stadium. Kick-off in the UK is scheduled for 02:15. In South Africa it’s at 03:15 SAST, 14:15 NZST in New Zealand, 12:15 AEST in Australia and 18:15 EST in the US.
Japan won the last encounter but Samoa are in the best form of their last 5 games.
Heading into the fixture, Japan sits at 12 in the World Rugby Rankings, while Samoa holds 20.
The two sides are separated by 8 places in the rankings with Japan in position 12 and Samoa in position 20 as such Japan are favourites on paper.
The official squads for Japan vs Samoa will become available around 24- 48 hours before kick-off. Teams can still make changes up to an hour before the match however.
Join free and tell us what you really think!
Sign up for freeThe ex-New Zealand rugby chief executive is coming into a wide-ranging role with World Rugby that will help him shape the future o…
Italy's 18-15 win over Scotland in rain-sodden Rome has resulted in the teams swapping places in the World Rugby Men's Rankings.
World Rugby Chair Brett Robinson was stopped by a couple of Zimbabwe supporters before flying to Sydney on Tuesday.
Within four days of the tournament kicking off in Perth on October 1st, all 24 participating nations will have taken to the field.
Clear 
