Japan Name Extended Roster for Uruguay

Japan has named a longlist of players for 2022 international duty. The list of 63 players contains 36 forwards and 27 backs. Of Jamie Joseph’s players 21 are uncapped. Japan will play host to Uruguay for two test matches next month. It will be followed by matches against France in July.

The matches mark Los Teros first tour to Asia since 2015. Japan played host to Uruguay in a two-match series which doubled as warm-up’s for Rugby World Cup 2015. Some players remain on both teams from that tour as do many who played in Japan during RWC 2019.

Japan’s extended roster has all positions covered. It varies in quantity from three fullbacks to twelve back-rowers. Among the back-rowers are Michael Leitch who captained Japan against Uruguay in 2015 and current captain Lappies Labuschagne.

Of note on the roster is the return of veteran hooker Shota Horie. On the flip side there is no place for prop Koo Jiwon, second-rowers James Moore, and Naohiro Kotaki, flanker Shota Fukui, scrum-half Takahiro Ogawa, fly half Rikiya Matsuda . All of whom are out for the season through injury.

Newcomers are spread across the roster. Up front they include props Takato Okabe, Yukio Morikawa, Shunsuke Asaoka and Rento Tsukayama, and hooker Shunta Nakamura. Fijian Sanaila Waqa is  an uncapped second-rower. He is well-placed to make the position his own. Additional uncapped locks are Amanaki Saumaki, Daichi Akiyama, Takayasu Tsuji, and Ryota Hasegawa. Uncapped flankers include Naoto Shimada, Kanji Shimokawa, and Jose Seru.

New names in the backs include the creative trio of Takuya Yamasawa, Lee Seung Sin and Hayata Nakao. There are also opportunities for centers Harumichi Tatekawa, and Yusuke Kajimura.and outside backs Koga Nezuka, Koki Takeyama, Jone Naikabula, Gerhard van den Heever, and Rakuhei Yamashita.

 

JAPAN ROSTER 2022

LOOSE HEAD
Keita Inagaki (Saitama, 39 caps), Craig Millar (Saitama, 6 caps), Kengo Kitagawa (Tokyo-Bay, 3 caps), Takato Okabe (Yokohama, uncapped), Yukio Morikawa (Tokyo SG, uncapped)

HOOKER
Shota Horie (Saitama, 66 caps), Atsushi Sakate (Saitama, 27 caps), Kosuke Horikoshi (Tokyo SG, 4 caps), Daigo Hashimoto (BL Tokyo, 2 caps), Shunta Nakamura (Tokyo SG, uncapped)

TIGHT HEAD
Asaeli Ai Valu (Saitama, 20 caps), Shinnosuke Kakinaga (Tokyo SG, 10 caps), Yusuke Kizu (Toyota, 3 caps), Shunsuke Asaoka (Toyota, uncapped), Rento Tsukayama (Yokohama, uncapped)

SECOND-ROW
Wimpie van der Walt (Osaka, 18 caps), Jack Cornelsen (Saitama, 6 caps), Yuya Odo (Shizuoka , 4 caps), Warner Dearns (BL Tokyo, 1 cap), Sanaila Waqa (Hanazono, uncapped), Amanaki Saumaki (Yokohama, uncapped), Daichi Akiyama (Toyota, uncapped), Takayasu Tsuji (Tokyo SG, uncapped), Ryota Hasegawa (Saitama, uncapped)

BACK-ROW
Michael Leitch (BL Tokyo, 72 caps), Kazuki Himeno (Toyota, 22 caps), Yoshitaka Tokunaga (BL Tokyo, 15 caps), Lappies Labuschagne (capt. – Tokyo-Bay, 13 caps), Tevita Tatafu (Tokyo SG, 9 caps), Hiroki Yamamoto (BL Tokyo, 5 caps), Ben Gunter (Saitama, 2 caps), Masato Furukawa (Toyota Verblitz, 2 caps), Faulua Makisi (Tokyo-Bay, 2 caps), Naoto Shimada (Yokohama, uncapped), Kanji Shimokawa (Tokyo SG, uncapped), Jose Seru (Hanazono, uncapped)

SCRUM HALF
Yutaka Nagare (Tokyo SG, 27 caps), Kaito Shigeno (Toyota, 13 caps), Naoto Saito (Tokyo SG, 6 caps), Takahiro Ogawa (BL Tokyo, 2 caps), Daiki Nakajima (Kobe, 2 caps)

FLY HALF
Yu Tamura (Yokohama, 68 caps), Takuya Yamasawa (Saitama, 3 caps), Lee Seung Sin (Kobe, uncapped), Hayata Nakao (BL Tokyo, uncapped)

CENTER
Harumichi Tatekawa (Tokyo-Bay, 55 caps), Timothy Lafaele (Kobe, 27 caps), Dylan Riley (Saitama, 4 caps), Sione Teaupa (Tokyo-Bay, 3 caps), Shogo Nakano (Tokyo SG, 2 caps), Yusuke Kajimura (Yokohama, 1 cap), Shane Gates (Urayasu, 1 cap)

WING
Siosaia Fifita (Hanazono, 6 caps), Ataata Moeakiola (Kobe, 4 caps),  Koki Takeyama (Saitama, uncapped), Jone Naikabula (BL Tokyo, uncapped), Gerhard van den Heever (Tokyo-Bay, uncapped), Koga Nezuka (Tokyo-Bay, uncapped), Taichi Takahashi (Toyota, uncapped), Rakuhei Yamashita (Kobe, uncapped)

FULLBACK
Ryohei Yamanaka (Kobe, 22 caps), Ryuji Noguchi (Saitama, 13 caps), Seiya Ozaki (Tokyo SG, 3 caps)