Japan select training squad for Pumas test

Japan coach Jamie Joseph has named 36 players to prepare for their match against Argentina on November 5. The squad to be trimmed prior to departing on a three week tour to Europe following the game in Tokyo. With several World Cup players unavailable through injury or retirement, Joseph has called in 15 uncapped players in his first official selection as Head Coach after arriving in Japan following his commitments to the Highlanders in Super Rugby.

Among the new players are Olympic semi-finalists Lomano Lemeki and Yoshitaka Tokunaga, with Kenki Fukuoka also recalled after committing to the sevens program full-time for several months. The Yamaha Jubilo front row of Koki Yamamoto, Takeshi Hino, and Heiichiro Ito are selected en bloc after a strong start to their Top League season. Fijian lock Samuela Anise and New Zealand-born loose forward Malgene Ilaua are new additions while Sunwolves three-quarter Amanaki Loto’ahea joins the Brave Blossoms for the first time having previously represented Japan at sevens.

No captain has been named but veterans Shota Horie and Harumichi Tatekawa are expected to fill in for injured skipper Michael Leitch. Second row Hitoshi Ono is set to become the first Japanese player to accumulate 100 test caps should be appear in two of the four matches on the November schedule.

FORWARDS
Kensuke Hatakeyama (Suntory Sungoliath), Keita Inagaki (Panasonic Wild Knights), Heiichiro Ito (Yamaha Jubilo), Masataka Mikami (Toshiba Brave Lupus), Koki Yamamoto (Yamaha Jubilo), Takeshi Hino (Yamaha Jubilo), Shota Horie (Panasonic Wild Knights), Takeshi Kizu (Kobelco Steelers), Samuela Anise (Canon Eagles), Naohiro Kotaki (Toshiba Brave Lupus), Hitoshi Ono (Toshiba Brave Lupus), Kazuhiko Usami (Canon Eagles), Malgene Ilaua (Toshiba Brave Lupus), Kyosuke Kajikawa (Toshiba Brave Lupus), Amanaki Mafi (NTT Shining Arcs), Shuhei Matsuhashi (Ricoh Black Rams), Yuhimaru Mimura (Yamaha Jubilo), Shunsuke Nunomaki (Panasonic Wild Knights), Yoshitaka Tokunaga (Toshiba Brave Lupus)

BACKS
Takahiro Ogawa (Toshiba Brave Lupus), Fumiaki Tanaka (Panasonic Wild Knights), Yuki Yatomi (Yamaha Jubilo), Junpei Ogura (NTT Shining Arcs), Kosei Ono (Suntory Sungoliath), Hikaru Tamura (Toshiba Brave Lupus), Yu Tamura (NEC Green Rockets), Tim Bennetts (Canon Eagles), Amanaki Loto’ahea (Ricoh Black Rams), Male Sa’u (Yamaha Jubilo), Harumichi Tatekawa (Kubota Spears), Yoshikazu Fujita (Panasonic Wild Knights), Kenki Fukuoka (Panasonic Wild Knights), Karne Hesketh (Sanix Blues), Lomano Lemeki (Honda Heat), Kotaro Matsushima (Suntory Sungoliath), Yasutaka Sasakura (Panasonic Wild Knights)

FIXTURES
Nov 5 – vs Argentina – Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium, Tokyo
Nov 12 – vs Georgia – Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, Tbilisi
Nov 19 – vs Wales – Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Nov 26 – vs Fiji – Stade de la Rabine, Vannes