Japan U20 vs Spain U20

Spain drew first blood inside four minutes. The Spanish pack drove a lineout maul over from close range and No. 8 Marcal Carreras touched down. Hafoka missed the conversion, leaving it 5-0.

Japan responded through their own forward power. Centre Rio Iwakura crossed from close range in the 29th minute after sustained pressure, and fly-half Takeru Niwa converted to put Japan 7-5 ahead. Minutes later, Iwakura turned provider — his break freed winger Isa Fukada, who scored in the 20th minute. Niwa added the extras for 12-5.

Spain hit back before half-time. Hooker Ivan Farace Fabra burrowed over from a driving maul in the 35th minute, and Hafoka's conversion tied the game at 12-12. Spain then edged ahead through a Hafoka penalty (24th minute), making it 12-15.

Japan seized momentum at the start of the second half. A clever kick in behind the Spanish defence allowed winger Shinnosuke Uchida to gather and score in the 45th minute. Niwa's conversion attempt drifted wide, leaving the scores at 17-15.

Spain's rolling maul continued to cause problems. Lock Max Artigas crashed over in the 61st minute after a powerful lineout drive, and Hafoka's conversion gave Spain a 17-22 lead.

Japan's response was immediate. Lock Masato Hyakutake finished a clinical maul drive in the 70th minute, and when a yellow card to Spain's Mauro del Campo reduced Los Leones to 14 men, Japan struck again. Scrum-half Kohaku Suda picked from the base of a ruck near the line and scored in the 77th minute. Niwa's conversion made it 29-22.

Hafoka kept Spain in touch with a penalty in the 74th minute (29-26), but Japan held firm in the dying minutes. Niwa missed a late penalty attempt in the 78th minute, but the Japanese defence absorbed Spain's final surges to close out the 34-26 victory.

Spain's discipline collapsed at a critical juncture. Already trailing 24-22, they conceded a yellow card to Bosco Vilallonga in the 50th minute and another to del Campo in the 70th. Those sin-bin periods coincided with Japan's two second-half maul tries, effectively deciding the contest.

Rio Iwakura (Japan U20) — The centre scored a try, assisted another, and carried relentlessly throughout. His ability to bend the defensive line was a constant threat. Player of the Match.

Takeru Niwa (Japan U20) — The fly-half controlled the game well, landing two conversions and a penalty. His tactical kicking created Uchida's crucial second-half try.

Malakai Hafoka (Spain U20) — The fullback was near-flawless off the tee, slotting two conversions and two penalties. He also posed a threat from deep.

Marcal Carreras (Spain U20) — The captain and No. 8 led from the front, scoring Spain's opening try and anchoring their driving maul.

Japan won the ruck battle convincingly, securing 105 rucks to Spain's 69, with 56% of their rucks cleared in under three seconds compared to Spain's 29%. That speed of ball gave Japan's backs the time and space to create linebreaks. Spain's 53% possession in the last 10 minutes reflected their desperation, but they could only manage three points in that period. Japan's 10 entries into the Spain 22 yielded 3.4 points per entry, while Spain averaged 2.2 from nine entries — a difference that told the story.

Japan U20 finish 13th in the 16-team tournament, capping a campaign that began with heavy defeats to New Zealand (41-25) and Italy (41-18) but ended with two wins, including their 71-21 demolition of the USA in the 13th-place semi-final. The victory gave Japan only their second win in the competition since 2019 and snapped a 20-match losing streak against European opposition at this level.

Spain U20, appearing at the World Rugby U20 Championship for only the second time, finish 14th. They showed dangerous attacking potential — their maul was a weapon throughout — but ill-discipline at key moments proved costly.

This was a fittingly scrappy, high-energy playoff between two evenly matched sides who had improved across the tournament. Japan's pack won the forward battle at the set-piece and breakdown, their scrum-half play was sharp, and they took their chances when Spain's discipline wavered. Spain will rue the sin-bins but can take encouragement from a tournament that saw them beat Uruguay 57-6 and push Japan all the way.