Brave Blossoms Squad Announced Ahead of Autumn Tour
Brave Blossoms Head Coach Jamie Joseph has today announced the 40 member Japan National Team Squad for the upcoming Lipovitan D Tour 2022 to Europe. Departing Japan on Wednesday, November 2, the Autumn tour will see the Brave Blossoms take on England at Twickenham on Saturday, November 12, and France in Toulouse on Sunday, November 20 in their final two test matches of the year.
Following an action-packed domestic calendar which saw the Japan XV play Australia A in three non-capped matches in Tokyo, Fukuoka and Osaka, and the Brave Blossoms hosting the All Blacks in front of a sold-out National Stadium in Tokyo, Brave Blossoms fans will now look forward to seeing their team take on two of the best teams in Europe.
Comprising 22 forwards and 18 backs, the squad brings together a solid mix of youth and experience, as the Brave Blossoms enter their final 10 months of preparations, ahead of their first match at next year’s Rugby World Cup in France. Captained by 31-cap Atsushi Sakate, the squad includes Japan’s most capped current player, the evergreen, 76-cap Michael Leitch.
The forwards bring together solid test match experience with an average of 14.3 caps per player. Rugby World Cup 2019 veterans, 43-cap Keita Inagaki, 23-cap Kazuki Himeno and 20-cap Wimpie van der Walt are included in a group that also includes 12 players with 10 caps or less.
The backs bring together a playing group with slightly less experience, with an average of 11.8 caps per player. Kotaro Matsushima, with 45 caps, is the squad’s most capped back. He is joined by the experienced, 31-cap Ryoto Nakamura, 28-cap Yutaka Nagare and 25-cap Ryohei Yamanaka, while 12 of the 18 backs have 10 test caps or less, including uncapped flyhalf, Hayata Nakao.
Commenting on the squad selection, National Team Director, Yuichiro Fuji said:
‘Following our three matches against Australia A, we identified issues and areas that needed improvement. We were then able to challenge the All Blacks in Tokyo, pushing them all the way, right to the final whistle. While the result was disappointing, the players fought bravely and showed their skills. We are now aiming to reach a higher level in Europe against England and France, growing in strength and building even closer bonds amongst the group as we prepare for next year’s World Cup.”
TEAM LIST
| Position | Name | Club | School | Height | Weight | DOB | Caps |
| PR | Keita INAGAKI | SAITAMA Panasonic WILD KNIGHTS | Kanto Gakuin Univ. | 186 | 116 | 1990/6/2 | 43 |
| PR | Yusuke KIZU | TOYOTA VERBLITZ | Tenri Univ. | 178 | 112 | 1995/12/2 | 5 |
| PR | Craig MILLAR | SAITAMA Panasonic WILD KNIGHTS | Univ. of Otago | 186 | 116 | 1990/10/29 | 7 |
| PR | Jiwon GU | KOBELCO KOBE STEELERS | Takushoku Univ. | 184 | 122 | 1994/7/20 | 19 |
| PR | Shuhei TAKEUCHI | URAYASU D-Rocks | Kyushu Kyoritsu Univ. | 183 | 115 | 1997/12/9 | 2 |
| PR | Shogo MIURA | TOYOTA VERBLITZ | Tokai Univ. | 180 | 113 | 1995/6/8 | 9 |
| HO | Atsushi SAKATE | SAITAMA Panasonic WILD KNIGHTS | Teikyo Univ. | 180 | 104 | 1993/6/21 | 31 |
| HO | Takeshi HINO | SHIZUOKA BlueRevs | Doshisha Univ. | 172 | 100 | 1990/1/20 | 5 |
| HO | Kosuke HORIKOSHI | TOKYO SUNTORY SUNGOLIATH | Teikyo Univ. | 175 | 100 | 1995/6/2 | 5 |
| LO | Daichi AKIYAMA | TOYOTA VERBLITZ | Teikyo Univ. | 192 | 110 | 1996/11/14 | 1 |
| LO | Wimpie VAN DER WALT | URAYASU D-Rocks | Nelspruit HS | 188 | 112 | 1989/1/6 | 20 |
| LO | Yuya ODO | SHIZUOKA BlueRevs | Ritsumeikan Univ. | 187 | 104 | 1990/3/9 | 5 |
| LO | Naohiro KOTAKI | KOBELCO KOBE STEELERS | Teikyo Univ. | 194 | 114 | 1992/6/13 | 11 |
| LO | Jack CORNELSEN | SAITAMA Panasonic WILD KNIGHTS | Univ. of Queensland | 195 | 110 | 1994/10/13 | 10 |
| LO | Warner DEARNS | TOSHIBA BRAVE LUPUS TOKYO | Ryutsu KeizaiUniv. KASHIWA High School | 201 | 117 | 2002/4/11 | 5 |
| FL | Kanji SHIMOKAWA | TOKYO SUNTORY SUNGOLIATH | Waseda Univ. | 188 | 105 | 1999/1/17 | 1 |
| FL | Pieter LABUSCHAGNE | Kubota Spears Funabashi TOKYO-BAY | Univ. of the Free State | 189 | 106 | 1989/1/11 | 13 |
| FL | Masato FURUKAWA | TOYOTA VERBLITZ | Ritsumeikan Univ. | 179 | 95 | 1996/12/6 | 3 |
| FL | Michael LEITCH | TOSHIBA BRAVE LUPUS TOKYO | Tokai Univ. | 189 | 113 | 1988/10/7 | 76 |
| No.8 | Tevita TATAFU | TOKYO SUNTORY SUNGOLIATH | Tokai Univ. | 183 | 124 | 1996/1/2 | 13 |
| No.8 | Kazuki HIMENO | TOYOTA VERBLITZ | Teikyo Univ. | 187 | 108 | 1994/7/27 | 23 |
| No.8 | Faulua MAKISI | Kubota Spears Funabashi TOKYO-BAY | Tenri Univ. | 187 | 112 | 1997/1/20 | 5 |
| SH | Kaito SHIGENO | TOYOTA VERBLITZ | Daito Bunka Univ. | 170 | 77 | 1990/11/21 | 16 |
| SH | Naoto SAITO | TOKYO SUNTORY SUNGOLIATH | Waseda Univ. | 165 | 73 | 1997/8/26 | 9 |
| SH | Yutaka NAGARE | TOKYO SUNTORY SUNGOLIATH | Teikyo Univ. | 166 | 75 | 1992/9/4 | 28 |
| SO | Hayata NAKAO | TOSHIBA BRAVE LUPUS TOKYO | Kagoshima Univ. | 176 | 86 | 1995/1/20 | 0 |
| SO | Takuya YAMASAWA | SAITAMA Panasonic WILD KNIGHTS | Tsukuba Univ. | 176 | 84 | 1994/9/21 | 5 |
| SO | Seungsin LEE | KOBELCO KOBE STEELERS | Osaka Korean HS | 176 | 85 | 2001/1/13 | 4 |
| CTB | Yusuke KAJIMURA | YOKOHAMA CANON EAGLES | Meiji Univ. | 181 | 95 | 1995/9/13 | 2 |
| CTB | Shane GATES | URAYASU D-Rocks | Muir College Boys’ HS | 183 | 95 | 1992/9/27 | 4 |
| CTB | Shogo NAKANO | TOKYO SUNTORY SUNGOLIATH | Waseda Univ. | 186 | 98 | 1997/6/11 | 5 |
| CTB | Ryoto NAKAMURA | TOKYO SUNTORY SUNGOLIATH | Teikyo Univ. | 182 | 92 | 1991/6/3 | 31 |
| CTB | Dylan RILEY | SAITAMA Panasonic WILD KNIGHTS | Bond Univ. | 187 | 102 | 1997/5/2 | 8 |
| WTB | Gerhard Van Den HEEVER | Kubota Spears Funabashi TOKYO-BAY | Univ. of Pretoria | 192 | 102 | 1989/4/13 | 4 |
| WTB | Siosaia FIFITA | HANAZONO KINTETSU LINERS | Tenri Univ. | 187 | 105 | 1998/12/20 | 10 |
| WTB | Koga NEZUKA | Kubota Spears Funabashi TOKYO-BAY | Hosei Univ. | 173 | 82 | 1998/9/15 | 1 |
| WTB | Kotaro MATSUSHIMA | TOKYO SUNTORY SUNGOLIATH | Toin Gakuen HS | 178 | 87 | 1993/2/26 | 45 |
| FB | Ryuji NOGUCHI | SAITAMA Panasonic WILD KNIGHTS | Tokai Univ. | 177 | 83 | 1995/7/15 | 14 |
| FB | Taira MAIN | RICOH BlackRams Tokyo | Gose Industrial HS | 178 | 89 | 2000/9/5 | 1 |
| FB | Ryohei YAMANAKA | KOBELCO KOBE STEELERS | Waseda Univ. | 188 | 98 | 1988/6/22 | 25 |
The Lipovitan D Tour 2022 matches:
England vs Japan at Twickenham on Saturday, November 12.
Kick-off 15:15 GMT (00:15 JST on Sunday, November 13).
France vs Japan at Stadium de Toulouse on Sunday, November 20.
Kick-off 14:00 CET (22:00 JST).
Japan National Team Squad: