Japan v Australia - teams and prediction

INTERNATIONAL SEASON: Eddie Jones is plotting a surprise win when Japan take on his former team Australia on Saturday in Tokyo.

Jones comes up against Australia for the first time since stepping down as Wallabies coach following their disastrous 2023 World Cup campaign to begin a second stint in charge of Japan.

The move sparked anger in Australia, after Jones had repeatedly denied reports that he was set to take the Japan job.

The 65-year-old has led teams against Australia in the past and enjoyed a successful head-to-head record during his time as England coach from 2015 to 2022.

Jones named his team on Thursday for the game at Tokyo’s National Stadium and said he was looking forward to upsetting his countrymen again.

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“I enjoy beating Australia. I coached against them 10 times for England and beat them nine times,” said Jones.

“Playing against your own country, there’s always a certain amount of different feeling involved in it, but it just brings out the extreme competitive spirit within yourself.”

Jones said there was “a winning opportunity” for Japan if they could unsettle an unfamiliar Wallabies line-up.

“When you’re playing a team that has got a lot of players that are playing for a spot and they want to be the starting guys, if things don’t go their way at the start of the game they can get frustrated,” he said.

“Our job is to bring out that frustration. Our job is to be at them the whole time.”

Japan head to Europe after Saturday’s game, taking on world champions South Africa, Ireland, Wales and Georgia.

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Australia made 13 changes and named Nick Champion de Crespigny captain as they begin a five-Test tour on Saturday in Tokyo against Jones’s Japan.

Joe Schmidt’s men will afterwards head to Europe to take on England, Italy, Ireland and France on successive weekends.

Champion de Crespigny was named captain in just his third Test, having made his debut against the British and Irish Lions in July.

The 29-year-old will line up in the back row alongside Carlo Tizzano and Rob Valetini, and Schmidt said his new captain would take it in his stride.

“Nick has been with us consistently week to week throughout and is part of the leadership group anyway, so it was a natural enough progression for him,” Schmidt said as he named his team on Thursday.

“Nick is very much a leader by actions and he’ll want to be in the thick of the action as much as he can be.”

Schmidt made wholesale changes to the team that lost 14-28 to New Zealand earlier this month to draw the curtain on a frustrating Rugby Championship campaign won by South Africa.

The head coach said his selections were about “energy management” after a gruelling few months that have included a home Test against Fiji, the Lions series and the Rugby Championship.

“There is definitely a risk – part of the job of the coaching staff is to manage risk as best we can,” said Schmidt.

“If we don’t give opportunity to the squad, we start to lose energy towards the end of a five-Test window, particularly when you’re travelling such long distances.”

Tane Edmed keeps his place at fly half despite the return of Carter Gordon to the squad after a stint in rugby league.

Gordon was not named in the matchday squad and Schmidt said it was too early for the playmaker after being rushed back into the fold following his move to Super Rugby’s Queensland Reds.

“In such a pivotal position as 10 it’s very hard to go straight in and start leading the team,” said Schmidt.

Players to watch:

For Japan: Japan veteran Michael Leitch has been named in the starting XV for the highly anticipated showdown. Leitch is joined by Australian-born Ben Gunter in the loose forwards. Gunter is one of four Australian-born players in the matchday 23 alongside Dylan Riley and Jack Cornelsen, who have been named at outside centre and lock respectively, and Sam Greene who is one of the replacements backs. Meanwhile, South African utility forward Tyler Paul, who covers lock and the backrow, is set to make his Test debut off the bench.

For Australia: The big talking point, is the captaincy which has been handed to Western Force flank Nick Champion de Crespigny. He will become the 92nd Wallabies captain. He is joined by the strong carrier No.8 Rob Valetini in the backrow. Its a big moment for Queensland prop Zane Nonggorr, who has earned his first Test start in his 17th appearance for his country. In the backline Dylan Pietsch returns from a jaw fracture to start on the left wing. Andrew Kellaway also returns from injury to be selected at fullback. Aidan Ross has the potential to become just the fifth man to represent both Australia and New Zealand in Test rugby, named as a likely debutant as the replacement loosehead prop.

Prediction: 

Rugby365: Australia by 5 points

Teams: 

Japan: 15 Yoshitaka Yazaki, 14 Kippei Ishida, 13 Dylan Riley, 12 Shogo Nakano, 11 Tomoki Osada, 10 Lee Seung-sin, 9 Shinobu Fujiwara, 8 Michael Leitch, 7 Kanji Shimokawa, 6 Ben Gunter, 5 Warner Dearns, 4 Jack Cornelsen, 3 Shuhei Takeuchi, 2 Hayate Era, 1 Kenta Kobayashi
Replacements: 16 Kenji Sato, 17 Ryosuke Iwaihara, 18 Keijiro Tamefusa, 19 Tyler Paul, 20 Tiennan Costley, 21 Kenta Fukuda, 22 Charlie Lawrence, 23 Sam Greene

Australia: 15 Andrew Kellaway, 14 Corey Toole, 13 Josh Flook, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Dylan Pietsch, 10 Tane Edmed, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Rob Valetini, 7 Carlo Tizzano, 6 Nick Champion de Crespigny (captain), 5 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 4 Jeremy Williams, 3 Zane Nonggorr, 2 Josh Nasser, 1 Angus Bell.
Resplacements: 16 Billy Pollard, 17 Aidan Ross, 18 Tom Robertson, 19 Josh Canham, 20 Harry Wilson, 21 Ryan Lonergan, 22 Hamish Stewart, 23 Filipo Daugunu.

Date: Saturday, October 25
Venue: National Stadium, Tokyo
Kick-off: 14.50 (16.50 AEDT; 05.50 GMT)
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Angus Mabey (New Zealand), Morgan White (Hong Kong)
TMO: Richard Kelly (New Zealand)

*Additional Source: AFP