Ajinomoto Stadium in Tokyo, the venue for the opening fixture of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, will host Saturday’s rematch between Ireland and Japan as Joe Schmidt’s men target a 2-0 series win and a strong finish to their summer tour.
SUMMER TOUR – SECOND TEST: Saturday, June 24
JAPAN v IRELAND, Ajinomoto Stadium, Tokyo, 2.40pm local time/6.40am Irish time (live eir Sport 2/Premier Sports/IRFU Live Blog)
Team News: Meath man Devin Toner, who made his Ireland debut against Samoa in November 2010, is set for his 50th Test appearance in the second row. He is the eighth lock to hit the half-century for Ireland, joining a select group which includes Moss Keane, Donal Lenihan, Paddy Johns, Willie John McBride, Malcolm O’Kelly, Donncha O’Callaghan and Paul O’Connell.
Toner will be partnered in the engine room by Kieran Treadwell who won his first cap off the bench during last week’s 50-22 win over Japan. At 21, he is Ireland’s second youngest starting lock of the professional era. Bob Casey, who made his bow against England in 2000, beats him by just 28 days.
Head coach Joe Schmidt has made six changes in personnel for this second clash with the Brave Blossoms, along with two positional switches. Treadwell and Leinster hooker James Tracy come in for their first starts up front.
The side is captained again by Rhys Ruddock who is joined in an all-Leinster back row by number 8 Jack Conan, who has scored in both tour games so far, and Josh van der Flier who returns at openside flanker.
Tracy, Cian Healy, who is set for his 70th cap, and John Ryan, who will make his third start of the tour, will join forces in the front row. That means the Munster tighthead will have played in all eight of Ireland’s Tests in 2017, including five appearances as a replacement during the Six Nations.
The selected back-line sees Ulster duo Luke Marshall and Jacob Stockdale slot back in at outside centre and on the left wing respectively. Marshall pairs up with Garry Ringrose, while Stockdale’s inclusion sees record breaker Keith Earls revert to the right wing and Andrew Conway takes over the full-back position vacated by Simon Zebo who has some fluid on his knee. Dan Leavy (head wound) and Luke McGrath (eye) also have slight knocks.
Paddy Jackson, who has scored 185 points in his Ireland career to date, will win his 25th cap this weekend when he starts at half-back alongside Connacht’s Kieran Marmion.
Marmion’s fellow scrum half John Cooney could become the eighth and final debutant of the tour. He is listed on a bench which also contains brothers Niall and Rory Scannell, Dave Kilcoyne, Andrew Porter, James Ryan, Sean Reidy, who is set to add to his first cap won a year ago in South Africa, and Tiernan O’Halloran.
Meanwhile, Japan head coach Jamie Joseph has settled on eight personnel changes and two positional switches for this second Test against the world’s third-ranked team.
Flanker Michael Leitch will captain the Japanese side on the occasion of his 50th cap, with last week’s skipper Shota Horie among the players to drop to the bench.
Five of the eight changes come in the pack where Shintaro Ishihara, Yusuke Niwai and Takuma Asahara, who have 14 caps between them, make up an all-new front row. Luke Thompson, who played at Blackrock College RFC during the early part of his career, returns for his first appearance since the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
The Christchurch-born Thompson will make his comeback 18 months on from announcing his international retirement. With the Japan squad hit by injuries, he slots back in alongside Uwe Helu in the second row.
Openside Shuhei Matsuhashi joins Leitch and Amanaki Lelei Mafi in the back row, and there are new combinations both at half-back (Jumpei Ogura and Yutaka Nagare) and in the centre (Kotaro Matsushima and Yu Tamara).
Will Tupou is suspended following a tip tackle on Devin Toner during the Shizuoka match, while fellow centres Timothy Lafaele (pulled groin), Harumichi Tatekawa (calf strain) and Derek Carpenter (leg infection) are absent due to injury.
Akihito Yamada has recovered from a hamstring injury to start on right wing, forming an exciting back-three with Kenki Fukuoka and Ryuji Noguchi – two of the Brave Blossoms’ three try scorers last Saturday.
JAPAN: Ryuji Noguchi (Tokai University); Akihito Yamada (Panasonic Wild Knights), Kotaro Matsushima (Suntory Sungoliath), Yu Tamura (Canon Eagles), Kenki Fukuoka (Panasonic Wild Knights); Jumpei Ogura (NTT Communications), Yutaka Nagare (Suntory Sungoliath); Shintaro Ishihara (Suntory Sungoliath), Yusuke Niwai (Canon Eagles), Takuma Asahara (Toshiba Brave Lupus), Luke Thompson (Kintetsu Liners), Uwe Helu (Yamaha Jubilo), Michael Leitch (Toshiba Brave Lupus) (capt), Shuhei Matsuhashi (Ricoh Black Rams), Amanaki Lelei Mafi (NTT Communications).
Replacements: Shota Horie (Panasonic Wild Knights), Keita Inagaki (Panasonic Wild Knights), Takayuki Watanabe (Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers), Kotaro Yatabe (Panasonic Wild Knights), Yoshitaka Tokunaga (Toshiba Brave Lupus), Fumiaki Tanaka (Panasonic Wild Knights), Rikiya Matsuda (Panasonic Wild Knights), Ryohei Yamanaka (Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers).
IRELAND: Andrew Conway (Garryowen/Munster); Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster), Garry Ringrose (UCD/Leinster), Luke Marshall (Ballymena/Ulster), Jacob Stockdale (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster); Paddy Jackson (Dungannon/Ulster), Kieran Marmion (Corinthians/Connacht); Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster), James Tracy (UCD/Leinster), John Ryan (Cork Constitution/Munster), Kieran Treadwell (Ballymena/Ulster), Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster), Rhys Ruddock (St. Mary’s College/Leinster) (capt), Josh van der Flier (UCD/Leinster), Jack Conan (Old Belvedere/Leinster).
Replacements: Niall Scannell (Dolphin/Munster), Dave Kilcoyne (UL Bohemians/Munster), Andrew Porter (UCD/Leinster), James Ryan (UCD/Leinster), Sean Reidy (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster), John Cooney (Connacht), Rory Scannell (Dolphin/Munster), Tiernan O’Halloran (Buccaneers/Connacht).
Referee: JP Doyle (England)
Assistant Referees: Mathieu Raynal, Alex Ruiz (both France)
Television Match Official: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Japan to win: 9/1; Draw: 50/1; Ireland to win: 1/16
Pre-Match Quotes: Rhys Ruddock (Ireland) – “The changes Japan have made give a bit of an insight into the way they want to play. With Yamada coming in…and keeping Matsushima in the centre shows they want to play with width – the way they finished the game last week.
“Adding Luke Thompson to the second row gives them bags of experience and physicality and he will be a real leader. We are expecting them to be a step above what they were last week.
“I think everyone’s really enjoying the tour and this group has really grown tighter and tighter. This week will hopefully be the most enjoyable experience. Everyone has formed those bonds and it’s a chance to go out and play one last time together.
“This is a really good close group and a lot of good mates that I would have played with at Under-20 level and coming through (at Leinster) so it’s been enjoyable from that perspective. Then also the honour of captaining your country as well, It’s one of the highest honours you could have. That’s been massive. I’ve really enjoyed it.”
Jamie Joseph (Japan) – “We are giving an opportunity to some players who made an impact off the bench last week. We were far from winning last week and I am confident there has been a correction around the attitude – and the leaders have been driving that attitude..
“Michael Leitch is a good player and leader. Having Shota come on in the second half with his energy will make a difference. To win the match we need to play for 80 minutes and we need our experienced leaders to come on and show composure, discipline and intensity in the later stages.”
“We created enough opportunities (in the first game) but didn’t have enough ticker and hunger to put the Irish under pressure. We need to exert more pressure at set piece and if we keep it fast and execute our skills, we can put Ireland under pressure. The key for us is to get our attitude right. I think you will see a very different Japan tomorrow.”
Pre-Match Links –
In Pics: Ireland Captain’s Run At Ajinomoto Stadium
In Pics: Ireland Training On Team Announcement Day
Irish Rugby TV: ‘Seeing It From Other Side Is Really Valuable’ – Felix Jones
Irish Rugby TV: Jack Conan Looking To ‘Finish Season On A High’
Previous Meetings –
1991: Rugby World Cup Pool 2: Ireland 32 Japan 16, Lansdowne Road
1995: Rugby World Cup Pool C: Ireland 50 Japan 28, Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein
2000: Autumn Test: Ireland 78 Japan 9, Lansdowne Road
2005: Summer Tour First Test: Japan 12 Ireland 44, Nagai Stadium, Osaka; Summer Tour Second Test: Japan 18 Ireland 47, Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, Tokyo
2017: Summer Tour First Test: Japan 22 Ireland 50, Ecopa Stadium, Shizuoka
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