Eddie Jones is working with an extended training squad of 38 players as Japan prepares to open their account in the Pacific Nations Cup against Canada this coming weekend. It’s a mixed group that includes 20 players who appeared against Wales in July, but also 13 who have yet to make their test debut.
Regular skipper Michael Leitch is the most notable absentee, unavailable for personal reasons, while scrumhalf Naoto Saito has returned to French Top 14 club Toulouse. Back row star Kazuki Himeno is also missing, having only recently returned to training from a long-term hamstring injury.
Candidates to lead the side in Leitch’s absence could be hooker Mamoru Harada, who has previously captained the non-cap Japan XV, experienced back row Jack Cornelsen, or outstanding midfielder Dylan Riley – currently the most-capped member of the group. Notably the team now counts former USA Eagles Head Coach Gary Gold among the assistants to Jones.
Having already secured qualification for the 2027 World Cup, the Brave Blossoms will instead be focused on winning the PNC to advance their world ranking ahead of the tournament draw which is expected in December or January. Japan host Canada in Sendai on Saturday before traveling to Sacramento to face the Eagles on September 6. The PNC finals will be played in Denver starting on September 14.
LOOSEHEAD PROP
Sena Kimura (Toshiba Brave Lupus) 1 cap
Kenta Kobayashi (Suntory Sungoliath) uncapped
Taishi Tsumura (Ricoh Black Rams) uncapped
HOOKER
Hayate Era (Kubota Spears) 1 cap
Mamoru Harada (Toshiba Brave Lupus) 12 caps
Shodai Hirao (Suntory Sungoliath) uncapped
Kenji Sato (Panasonic Wild Knights) uncapped
TIGHTHEAD PROP
Ryosuke Iwaihara (Canon Eagles) uncapped
Sanshiro Kihara (Suntory Sungoliath) uncapped
Shuhei Takeuchi (Suntory Sungoliath) 15 caps
Keijiro Tamefusa (Kubota Spears) 11 caps
SECOND ROW
Warner Dearns (Toshiba Brave Lupus) 23 caps
Amato Fakatava (Ricoh Black Rams) 14 caps
Shohei Ito (Toshiba Brave Lupus) uncapped
Waisake Raratubua (Kobelco Steelers) 2 caps
BACK ROW
Jack Cornelsen (Panasonic Wild Knights) 22 caps
Tiennan Costley (Kobelco Steelers) 6 caps
Ben Gunter (Panasonic Wild Knights) 11 caps
Faulua Makisi (Kubota Spears) 16 caps
Akito Okui (Toyota Verblitz) uncapped
Amanaki Saumaki (Canon Eagles) 5 caps
Kanji Shimokawa (Suntory Sungoliath) 14 caps
Shu Yamamoto (Ricoh Black Rams) uncapped
SCRUMHALF
Shinobu Fujiwara (Kubota Spears) 12 caps
Kenta Fukuda (Suntory Sungoliath) 1 cap
Shuntaro Kitamura (Shizuoka BlueRevs) 1 cap
FLYHALF
Seung-Sin Lee (Kobelco Steelers) 20 caps
Ichigo Nakakusu (Ricoh Black Rams) 2 caps
CENTER
Yuya Hirose (Kubota Spears) uncapped
Charlie Lawrence (Mitsubishi Dynaboars) uncapped
Shogo Nakano (Kubota Spears) 10 caps
Dylan Riley (Panasonic Wild Knights) 30 caps
WING
Kippei Ishida (Canon Eagles) 2 caps
Karuto Kida (Kubota Spears) uncapped
Tomoki Osada (Panasonic Wild Knights) 17 caps
Malo Tuitama (Shizuoka BlueRevs) 8 caps
FULLBACK
Sam Greene (Shizuoka BlueRevs) 1 cap
Jingo Takenoshita (Meiji University) uncapped
