Japan freshen side for Eagles match

Eddie Jones has made four changes to the team that dominated Samoa in Milton Keynes for their final pool match against the USA on Sunday. The Brave Blossoms will need a little help from Samoa on Saturday to make the game meaningful. If Scotland win, Japan are out.

Hiroshi Yamashita has rotated with Kensuke Hatakeyama at tighthead prop, while Justin Ives will add some lineout expertise in the second row where he takes over from Hitoshi Ono. Shinya Makabe takes the second row reserve spot on the bench, where dynamic loose forward Amanaki Mafi and Hendrik Tui also lie in waiting.

The big change in the backs sees Male Sa’u replaced by Craig Wing, presumably due to injury, with Harumichi Tatekawa moving to the unfamiliar role of outside centre. Yoshikazu Fujita is in ahead of concussed Akihito Yamada on the wing in the only other change to the side.

Japan had a five-game win streak against the Eagles snapped earlier this year in the Pacific Nations Cup when they lost 23-18 at Bonney Field in Sacramento.

JAPAN
1 Keita Inagaki 2 Shota Horie 3 Hiroshi Yamashita 4 Luke Thompson 5 Justin Ives 6 Michael Leitch (capt.) 7 Michael Broadhurst 8 Koliniasi Holani 9 Fumiaki Tanaka 10 Kosei Ono 11 Kotaro Matsushima 12 Craig Wing 13 Harumichi Tatekawa 14 Yoshikazu Fujita 15 Ayumu Goromaru

16 Takeshi Kizu 17 Masataka Mikami 18 Kensuke Hatakeyama 19 Shinya Makabe 20 Amanaki Mafi 21 Hendrik Tui 22 Atsushi Hiwasa 23 Karne Hesketh