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.

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. Ireland4:40 a.m. ET — Japan vs. France6:10 a.m. ET — Australia vs. Italy9:10 a.m. ET — Fiji vs. Scotland11:40 a.m. ET — South Africa vs. Wales3:10 p.m. ET — Argentina vs. EnglandNations Championship StandingsNorthern HemisphereIreland — 10 pointsFrance — 7 pointsScotland — 6 pointsEngland — 5 pointsWales — 5 pointsItaly — 0 pointsSouthern HemisphereSouth Africa — 10 pointsNew Zealand — 10 pointsArgentina — 6 pointsJapan — 4 pointsAustralia — 3 pointsFiji — 0 pointsRemaining 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 Africa9:10 a.m. ET — Scotland vs. New Zealand11:40 a.m. ET — Wales vs. Japan3:10 p.m. ET — France vs. Fiji

Sunday, Nov. 8

10:10 a.m. ET — England vs. AustraliaNations 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. Argentina9:10 a.m. ET — Wales vs. New Zealand11:40 a.m. ET — England vs. Japan3:10 p.m. ET — Ireland vs. Fiji

Sunday, Nov. 15

10:10 a.m. ET — Scotland vs. AustraliaNations Championship Round 6

Saturday, Nov. 21

9:10 a.m. ET — England vs. New Zealand9:10 a.m. ET — Scotland vs. Japan11:40 a.m. ET — Ireland vs. South Africa11:40 a.m. ET — Italy vs. Fiji3:10 p.m. ET — France vs. Argentina3:10 p.m. ET — Wales vs. AustraliaNations 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. Romania1:00 p.m. ET — Uruguay vs. Hong Kong China3:00 p.m. ET — Chile vs. Georgia4:45 p.m. ET — Tonga vs. Portugal7:30 p.m. ET — USA vs. Spain8:00 p.m. ET — Canada vs. ZimbabweWorld Rugby Nations Cup Standings

Pool A

Chile — 10 pointsUSA — 9 pointsSamoa — 5 pointsTonga — 5 pointsUruguay — 5 pointsCanada — 3 points

Pool B

Georgia — 9 pointsSpain — 8 pointsPortugal — 7 pointsRomania — 4 pointsZimbabwe — 1 pointHong Kong China — 0 pointsHere’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 RankingsSouth Africa — 93.96New Zealand — 91.04Ireland — 89.32France — 87.43England — 84.75Scotland — 84.09Argentina — 84.06Australia — 80.60Fiji — 78.69Italy — 77.31Japan — 76.42Wales — 76.38Georgia — 73.30USA — 69.40Portugal — 68.67Spain — 67.66Uruguay — 67.62Chile — 67.59Samoa — 66.27Tonga — 65.85Belgium — 61.03Romania — 60.92Canada — 59.46Hong Kong China — 58.86Zimbabwe — 58.59How To Watch Rugby Matches In The United States On FloRugby

Professional club rugby in Europe all streams on FloRugby and the FloSports app in the United States. FloRugby and FloSports also are the U.S. home to:

FloRugby is also home to match archives and match replays.

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