PREVIEW: Japan v New Zealand
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Japan captain Michael Leitch said that the Brave Blossoms are capable of pulling off a shock victory over the mighty All Blacks.
The New Zealand-born skipper evoked the spirit of Japan’s astonishing 34-32 win over South Africa at the 2015 Rugby World Cup on the eve of Saturday’s clash with the World Cup holders in Tokyo.
New Zealand’s new-look squad has just 178 combined Tests between them and Leitch believes Japan could take advantage.
“When you look at the number of test matches collectively in the team, it’s not so much and their test match experience is not so much there,” said Leitch, pointing to a second-string All Blacks squad that includes eight new caps.
“There is an opportunity to pressure the leadership group. If we are going to take the All Blacks down, then it is going to be tomorrow.”
The 30-year-old also praised the influence of (Japan head coach) Jamie Joseph’s assistant John Plumtree, who has been helping the 2019 World Cup hosts as defence coach since last October.
“Plumtree has been excellent for us,” he said. “Him coming into the team has been fantastic… He’s one of the best defence coaches in the world.
“The Japanese have always been a passive team,” added Leitch. “He is always telling us to get off the line and to pressure them with line speed so he has been great for us.”
Meanwhile, New Zealand head coach Steve Hansen defended his decision to select a squad of 51 players ahead of this year’s end-of-year internationals.
The All Blacks have eight debutants in their matchday squad to face Japan this Saturday after 23 players flew to Europe after their Bledisloe Cup win against the Wallabies in Yokohama.
The All Blacks were criticised for giving so many Test caps away, but Hansen believes larger squads are needed in modern day rugby due to the number of games players are asked to play each year.
“Over the last few years we’ve looked at different ways of trying to skin the cat,” Hansen told allblacks.com.
“Last year we split the squad to Argentina and South Africa. This year the opportunity to play the Bledisloe up here [Japan] was too good to turn down because of the opportunity to experiment and get a feel for Japan and the idea of having two weeks here was better than one, hence we asked to play Japan.”
New Zealand have met Japan three times previously, racking up a combined 282 points, including a World Cup-record 145-17 demolition of the Brave Blossoms in 1995.
However, Hansen believes his opponents are a different prospect these days.
“They like lightning-quick ball, they don’t want a physical type contest a la South Africa or Argentina, they want to hit and run.
“They’ll take quick taps. Brownie’s [Tony Brown] coaching them so he’ll come up with one or two little tricks for sure. He’s innovative. And at the same time, they’ll do the basics well because Jamie [Joseph] is strong on that.
“We just need to be awake all the time and if we haven’t got the ball switch on and don’t switch off. When we do have the ball engage them and make sure we can control the game by controlling the football,” he said.
Players to watch:
For Japan: The midfield combination of William Tupou and Timothy Lafaele have the potential to trouble the All Blacks out wide if they get enough ball, while flyhalf Yu Tamura makes good decisions on attack. There is plenty of power up front in the form of Hendrik Tui and Michael Leitch. Both players are aggressive at the breakdowns and they are pretty good with ball in hand. Lock Wimpie van der Walt brings a big physical presence to Japan’s tight five.
For New Zealand: The whole team is brimming with x-factor players. Flyhalf Richie Mo’unga has been outstanding all season and he will be a handful on attack. Centre Ngani Laumape is a hard man to stop when he gets momentum with ball in hand, while Nehe Milner-Skudder is a lethal finisher out wide. In the pack, all eyes will be on Dalton Papalii in the back row. He was a star for the New Zealand Under-20 side and fans will be eager to see how he goes on the big stage.
Head to head: The midfield battle should be a good one with Matt Proctor and Ngani Laumape providing a stern test for William Tupou and Timothy Lafaele. Both teams have dynamic loose trios and the likes of Hendrik Tui and Michael Leitch will want to welcome Dalton Papalii to Test match rugby with a few big hits. There will be plenty of speed out wide in this match. Kenki Fukuoka and Nehe Milner-Skudder will keep each other busy with their skill sets.
Recent results:
2013: New Zealand won 54-6, Tokyo
2011: New Zealand won 83-7, Hamilton (WC Pool match)
1995: New Zealand won 145-17, Bloemfontein (WC Pool Match)
Prediction: Japan will be motivated to do well against the world champions. Although the All Blacks are missing a few big players they will still have too much firepower in their team for this Japanese side. The All Blacks to take this one by 20 points.
Teams:
Japan: 15 Ryohei Yamanaka, 14 Jamie Henry, 13 William Tupou, 12 Timothy Lafaele, 11 Kenki Fukuoka, 10 Yu Tamura, 9 Yutaka Nagare, 8 Hendrik Tui, 7 Kazuki Himeno, 6 Michael Leitch (captain), 5 Samuela Anise, 4 Wimpie Van Der Walt, 3 Hiroshi Yamashita, 2 Atsushi Sakate, 1 Keita Inagaki.
Replacements: 16 Yusuke Niwai, 17 Masataka Mikami, 18 Asaeli Ai Valu, 19 Uwe Helu, 20 Isileli Nakajima, 21 Fumiaki Tanaka, 22 Rikiya Matsuda, 23 Ryoto Nakamura.
New Zealand: 15 Jordie Barrett, 14 Nehe Milner-Skudder, 13 Matt Proctor, 12 Ngani Laumape, 11 Waisake Naholo, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, 8 Luke Whitelock (captain), 7 Dalton Papalii, 6 Vaea Fifita, 5 Jackson Hemopo, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu, 3 Angus Ta’avao, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Ofa Tuungafasi.
Replacements: 16 Liam Coltman, 17 Tim Perry, 18 Tyrel Lomax, 19 Dillon Hunt, 20 Gareth Evans, 21 Mitch Drummond, 22 Brett Cameron, 23 George Bridge.
Date: Saturday, November 3
Venue: Ajinomoto Stadium, Tokyo
Kick-off: 14.45 (18.45 NZ time; 05.45 GMT)
Expected weather: It will be partly cloudy with a high of 19°C around kick-off time. There will be a very slight breeze.
Referee: Matthew Carley (England)
Assistant referees: Damon Murphy (Australia), Graham Cooper (Australia)
TMO: Damien Mitchelmore (Australia)
@rugby365com, @AllBlacks & AFP
Guess who’s back?! Give us a 👍 if you are looking forward to seeing Dane Coles back in the black jersey against Japan this weekend! #JAPvNZL 🇳🇿🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/FRJSUfwd8V
— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) November 1, 2018
