Leitch Leads Japan Side Showing 5 Changes

OSAKA, Japan, (Aug. 1) – Japan coach Jamie Joseph made five changes to his starting XV Thursday as he named his team to take on Tonga in the second round of the Pacific Nations Cup.
Michael Leitch returns to the starting line-up and will lead the side at Hanazono Rugby Stadium on Saturday, as the Brave Blossoms look to follow up on their 34-21 win over Fiji last week in Kamaishi.
Leitch is named at blindside flanker and is one of three changes in the pack.
The Japan skipper will line up in the back row with No. 8 Amanaki Lelei Mafi and Yoshitaka Tokunaga, who replaces Pieter “Lappies” Labuschagne, after last week’s captain limped off after 33 minutes against Fiji.
In the second row, Wimpie van der Walt takes over from James Moore and will partner Luke Thompson, while there is an unchanged front row in Keita Inagaki, Shota Horie and Asaeli Ai Valu.
In the backs, Yutaka Nagare is preferred to Kaito Shigeno at scrumhalf.
Flyhalf Yu Tamura and centres Ryoto Nakamura and Timothy Lafaele all retain their places, as do right wing Kotaro Matsushima and fullback Will Tupou.
The one other change in the backs sees Lomano Lava Lemeki replace Kenki Fukuoka on the left wing.
Atsushi Sakate, Shogo Miura and Yusuke Kizu are once again the replacement front-row forwards with Uwe Helu and Kazuki Himeno set to provide plenty of power should they come on in the second and back row, respectively.
The replacement backs are Shigeno, Rikiya Matsuda and Fukuoka.
Following Saturday’s game at Hanazono, one of the 12 venues for the upcoming Rugby World Cup, the Brave Blossoms will fly to Fiji to take on the United States on Aug. 10.