19 September,2019
Joseph names team for RWC opener
TOKYO (Sept. 18) – Japan head coach Jamie Joseph named his team Wednesday for Friday’s Rugby World Cup opener against Russia at Tokyo Stadium.
Michael Leitch will lead a side that shows seven changes from the team that was beaten 41-7 by South Africa at Kumagaya Rugby Stadium on Sept. 6, the Brave Blossoms’ final warm-up game.
In the backs, Lomano Lava Lemeki replaces the injured Kenki Fukuoka on the wing and Yutaka Nagare returns at scrumhalf, while in the forwards, hooker Shota Horie and prop Asaeli Ai Valu are restored to the front row, Wimpie van der Walt and James Moore form a brand new second row and Kazuki Himeno is named at No. 8.
Leitch and Himeno team up with Pieter “Lappies” Labuschagne at the back of the scrum while Keita Inagaki keeps the No. 1 jersey.
Nagare pairs up with Yu Tamura, Ryoto Nakamura and Timothy Lafaele once again line up in the midfield, while Lemeki is joined by Kotaro Matsushima and Will Tupou in the back three.
Joseph is able to call on a wealth of experience on the bench with Japan wary of the physical threat posed by the Russians.
Atsushi Sakate, Isileli Nakajima and Koo Ji Won provide the front-row cover with veteran lock Luke Thompson and Hendrik Tui the two other reserve forwards.
The 38-year-old Thompson is set to become not only the oldest player to represent Japan in a World Cup but also the first Brave Blossom to play in four tournaments.
Scrumhalf Fumiaki Tanaka who played in the previous two tournaments, Rikiya Matsuda and Ryohei Yamanaka are the replacement backs.