2019 Rugby World Cup pool rivals Ireland and Japan meet for the first time in twelve years, launching a fascinating June double header in what are expected to be sweltering conditions in Shizuoka.
SUMMER TOUR – FIRST TEST: Saturday, June 17
JAPAN v IRELAND, Ecopa Stadium, Shizuoka, 2pm local time/6am Irish time (live eir Sport 2/Premier Sports/IRFU Live Blog)
Team News: Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt has made six personnel changes to the team that started last weekend’s 55-19 victory over the USA in New Jersey, with Andrew Conway, Rory Scannell, Luke McGrath and Dan Leavy all coming in for their first starts.
Keith Earls, the man-of-the-match in the tour opener, shifts to the left wing to accommodate the inclusion of Conway in an all-Munster back-three completed by Simon Zebo, who returns at full-back.
The 23-year-old Scannell will partner Garry Ringrose (22) in a new centre combination, while former Ireland Under-20 team-mates McGrath and Paddy Jackson will fill the half-back berths against one of Ireland’s Rugby World Cup 2019 pool opponents.
Leinster youngster Leavy is the only change up front, featuring at openside flanker alongside his provincial colleagues Rhys Ruddock, who captains Ireland for the second time, and Jack Conan who was one of eight Irish try scorers in New Jersey.
The same front five will pack down again with Cian Healy, Scannell’s older brother Niall and John Ryan manning the front row positions, while Quinn Roux and Devin Toner, who is edging closer to a half-century of caps, will get a second successive outing together in the engine room.
Following on from the awarding of five new caps last week, Ulster lock Kieran Treadwell and Leinster centre/winger Rory O’Loughlin – aged 21 and 23 respectively – are standing by to make their Ireland debuts off the bench. James Tracy, Finlay Bealham and Jack O’Donoghue are also set for their first appearances of the tour.
With twelve of the matchday squad having five caps or less, Schmidt is looking forward to seeing how those players fare against a passionate and well-drilled Japanese team in testing conditions.
“I think we have some injured guys at home who might otherwise have been with us. They would have added a bit of guidance and experience, some of them have played here before, but I think it’s a great opportunity to learn who can adapt and who can adapt the fastest because some of these players are being thrown in the deep end and I have to say the coaching staff are looking forward to seeing how they go,” he said.
“They have worked hard away from the pitch to make sure they get themselves as organised as possible and hopefully that is apparent on Saturday.
“Trying to acclimatise has been very difficult. We did have the advantage of playing in very hot temperatures in New Jersey last weekend but by the time we left the hotel on Sunday morning and by the time we arrived here it was Monday night.
“You are very jumbled from the different time zones and so that has taken a toll but it certainly won’t be considered anything other than an imposition in the early part of the week, and by the end of the week we have to make sure we are ready to go.
“The work-rate in training today was really good because I think the players are very conscious that it is the only training we will get this week, so they wanted to make sure that they got as much clarity and got a bit of rhythm as best they could. It wasn’t perfect, and it seldom is, but I think we will learn from it and hopefully we will be a little more cohesive by the time we kick off on Saturday.”
Meanwhile, Japan head coach Jamie Joseph has confirmed his starting XV for the much-anticipated encounter with Ireland. There are five personnel changes and one positional switch to the side that defeated Romania 33-21 last week.
In-form Sunwolves midfielder William Tupou, a rugby league convert from Australia, will make his debut for Japan, linking up with his club-mate Timothy Lafaele who shifts to inside centre.
Yu Tamura joins Fumiaka Tanaka in an experienced half-back partnership that boasts 102 caps, while Kotaro Matsushima will fill the right wing berth vacated by the injured Akihito Yamada. Harumichi Tatekawa, Yu Chinen and 98-times capped lock Hitoshi ‘Iron Man’ Ono are also absent due to injury.
Props Keita Inagaki and Heiichiro Ito are promoted from the bench to join captain Shota Horie, who now has 50 caps to his name, in the front row. Two key men in an unchanged back row are the Chiefs’ Michael Leitch, who captained Japan to that famous 2015 Rugby World Cup win over South Africa, and Tongan-born number 8 Amanaki Lelei Mafi who has starred for the Rebels in Super Rugby this season.
Speaking about the team selection and the fact that he has had to name two flankers on the bench, Jamie Joseph said: “I thought Ryuji Noguchi played well (against Romania) and we wanted to give him another opportunity (at full-back) against strong opposition and see how he reacts under pressure. ‘Matsu’ is another good player and we lost Aki with injury so it’s good to have quality players who can play different positions.
“Losing locks doesn’t help our challenge but we are really pleased with our work this week. We’ve had a look at our maul defence where Romania got on top of us toward the middle stages of the game and put us under a lot of pressure.”
He added: “Ireland are strong team that put 50-odd points on a very committed USA side. Their set piece is strong, both scrum and lineout, and a real threat to our game. But we know they are strong so our focus has been about playing our way and developing our game.”
JAPAN: Ryuji Noguchi (Tokai University); Kotaro Matsushima (Suntory Sungoliath), William Tupou (Coca-Cola Red Sparks), Timothy Lafaele (Coca-Cola Red Sparks), Kenki Fukuoka (Panasonic Wild Knights), Yu Tamura (Canon Eagles), Fumiaka Tanaka (Panasonic Wild Knights); Keita Inagaki (Panasonic Wild Knights), Shota Horie (Panasonic Wild Knights) (capt), Heiichiro Ito (Yamaha Jubilo), Kotaro Yatabe (Panasonic Wild Knights), Uwe Helu (Yamaha Jubilo), Michael Leitch (Toshiba Brave Lupus), Yoshitaka Tokunaga (Toshiba Brave Lupus), Amanaki Lelei Mafi (NTT Communications).
Replacements: Yusuke Niwai (Canon Eagles), Shintaro Ishihara (Suntory Sungoliath), Takuma Asahara (Toshiba Brave Lupus), Hendrik Tui (Suntory Sungoliath), Shuhei Matsuhashi (Ricoh Black Rams), Yutaka Nagare (Suntory Sungoliath), Derek Carpenter (Suntory Sungoliath), Rikiya Matsuda (Panasonic Wild Knights).
IRELAND: Simon Zebo (Cork Constitution/Munster); Andrew Conway (Garryowen/Munster), Garry Ringrose (UCD/Leinster), Rory Scannell (Dolphin/Munster), Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster); Paddy Jackson (Dungannon/Ulster), Luke McGrath (UCD/Leinster); Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster), Niall Scannell (Dolphin/Munster), John Ryan (Cork Constitution/Munster), Quinn Roux (Galwegians/Connacht), Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster), Rhys Ruddock (St. Mary’s College/Leinster) (capt), Dan Leavy (UCD/Leinster), Jack Conan (Old Belvedere/Leinster).
Replacements: James Tracy (UCD/Leinster), Dave Kilcoyne (UL Bohemians/Munster), Finlay Bealham (Buccaneers/Connacht), Kieran Treadwell (Ballymena/Ulster), Jack O’Donoghue (UL Bohemians/Munster), Kieran Marmion (Corinthians/Connacht), Rory O’Loughlin (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Tiernan O’Halloran (Buccaneers/Connacht).
Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
Assistant Referees: JP Doyle (England), Alex Ruiz (France)
Television Match Official: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Japan to win: 4/1; Draw: 33/1; Ireland to win: 1/6
Pre-Match Quotes: Rhys Ruddock (Ireland) – “I would imagine it (the heat) is going to be a serious challenge. It will make what is already a hugely difficult Test for us as a group even harder. But all week we have been mentally preparing, we know it is going to be horrible and it is going to be challenging. So to have that in your head and to train and prepare for it has been big for us.
“We’d have known a lot about (Michael) Leitch and (Amanaki) Mafi from over the years playing for Japan and the performances they’ve had along with their performances in Super Rugby. But the seven as well – (Yoshitaka) Tokunaga – he’s a player we would have seen a little less of until this tour and he’s really impressed us.
“I think for us as a back row, contending with him could be our biggest challenge. He’s dynamic and he’s really good around the breakdown and he’s quick. He could pose a lot of problems for us. We’ve done our homework but dealing with it is another thing, so hopefully we can prove we’re up to the challenge.
“The work we’ve done in the week has allowed us to know what Japan’s strengths are but just to name a few in the backs – guys like (Fumiaka) Tanaka and (Yu) Tamura are quality operators. Even (Timothy) Lafaele as well, he’s got a strong passing game. He’s probably someone that we wouldn’t have come up against a lot, a 12 that has the ability to play with such awareness of other players. He’s also a 10, I suppose, so he has that passing.
“In the pack, we’ve already spoken about the back row who are massive for Japan all the time and really dangerous with ball in hand and in terms of the way they defend as well, so we’re wary of the threats and we know they’re a quality outfit.”
Pre-Match Links –
In Pics: Ireland Training In Shizuoka Ahead Of First Test
Irish Rugby TV: Japan v Ireland – Captain’s Run Preview
Irish Rugby TV: Girvan Dempsey ‘Really Enjoying’ His Stint In Camp
eir Sport And Premier Sports Secure TV Rights To Ireland’s Summer Tests
Previous Meetings –
1991: Rugby World Cup Pool 2: Ireland 32 Japan 16, Lansdowne Road
1995: Rugby World Cup Pool C: Ireland 50 Japan 28, Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein
2000: Autumn Test: Ireland 78 Japan 9, Lansdowne Road
2005: Summer Tour First Test: Japan 12 Ireland 44, Nagai Stadium, Osaka; Summer Tour Second Test: Japan 18 Ireland 47, Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, Tokyo
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