Preview - Japan v Italy
Berbizier to blood young talent
Italy coach Pierre Berbizier has named his side for Sunday's encounter with Japan in Tokyo, selecting a mix of experienced forwards and fresh-faced backs.
Montpellier utility back David Bortolussi and Amatori Catania wing Benjamin De Jager will both make their Test debuts at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground.
Meanwhile, Viadana centre Andrea Masi with partner Mirco Bergamasco, making his return to the international scene after spending the past season nursing a knee injury.
Treviso wing Denis Dallan also returns to the Azzurri after a long injury absence, his last international appearance coming in the 51-6 win over Canada in 2004.
Berbizier has kept faith in the halfback pairing that served in the Six Nations, and has decided against tinkering with the pack – but Treviso flank Silvio Orlando gets a run on the blindside.
Narbonne lock Marco Bortolami will skipper the italian side for 22nd time.
Five further places could make their debuts from the bench – hooker Leonardo Ghiraldini (aged 21), prop Fabio Staibano (23), flank Robert Barbieri (22), fly-half Andrea Marcato (23) and utility back Michele Sepe (19).
The Brave Blossoms are currently contesting the inaugural Pacific Five Nations and will be eager to iron out some of the problems that befell their 57-16 defeat to Tonga in Fukuoka last Sunday.
But it will take a big performance to knock over the Azzurri; Italy and Japan have one met twice with the spoils going to the Italians on both occasions, winning 25-3 in Padua in 1976 and 32-19 in Tokyo in 2004.
The teams:
Italy: 15 David Bortolussi (Montpellier), 14 Benjamin De Jager (Amatori Catania), 13 Andrea Masi (Arix Viadana), 12 Mirco Bergamasco (Stade Français), 11 Denis Dallan (Benetton Treviso), 10 Ramiro Pez (Perpignan), 9 Paul Griffen (Ghial Calvisano), 8 Josh Sole (Arix Viadana), 7 Mauro Bergamasco (Stade Français), 6 Silvio Orlando (Benetton Treviso), 5 Marco Bortolami (Narbonne, captain), 4 Santiago Dellapé (Agen), 3 Carlos Nieto (Arix Viadana), 2 Fabio Ongaro (Benetton Treviso), 1 Andrea Lo Cicero (Conad L'Aquila).
Replacements: 16 Leonardo Ghiraldini (Ghial Calvisano), 17 Fabio STaibano (Overmach Parma), 18 Carlo Antonio del Fava (Bourgoin), 19 Robert Barbieri (Overmach Parma), 20 Simon Picone (Benetton Treviso), 21 Andrea
Marcato (Benetton Treviso), 22 Michele Sepe (HDI UR Capitolina).
Japan: 15 Keiji takei (NEC Green Rockets); 14 Kosuke Endo (Toyota Motor Verblitz), 13 Aatsushi Moriya (Yamaha Jubilo), 12 Yuta Imamura (Waseda University), 11 Nataniela Oto (Toshiba Brave Lupus); 10 Shotaro Onishi (Yamaha Jubilo), 9 Wataru Ikeda (Sanyo Wild Knight); 8 Hajime Kiso (Yamaha Jubilo), 7 Ryota Asano (NEC Green Rockets, captain), 6 Tomoaki Nakai (Toshiba Brave Lupus); 5 Tomoaki Taniguchi (Toyota Motor Verblitz), 4 Takanori Kumagae (Nec Green Rockets); 3 Ryo Yamamura (Yamaha Jubilo), 2 Yuji Matsubara (Kobe Kobelco Steelers), 1 Tomokazu Soma (Sanyo Wild Knight).
Replacement: 16 Takashi Yamaoka (Suntory Sungoliath), 17 Yuichi Hisadomi (NEC Green Rockets), 18 Hitoshi Ono (Toshiba Brave Lupus), 19 Takashi Kikutani (Toyota Motor Verblitx), 20 Mamoru Ito (Toshiba Brave Lupus), 21 Hideyuki Yoshiba (Kubota Spears), 22 Hiroki Mizono (Toyota Motor Verblitz).
Date: Sunday, June 11
Kick-off: 14.00 (05.00 GMT)
Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo
Referee: Scott Young (Australia)
Touch judges: Lyndon Bray (New Zealand), Paul Marks (Australia)
