Rugby-Japan make five changes to team despite win over Wales last week
Two changes in the pack and three in the backline were announced on Thursday with Faulua Makisi replacing Amato Fakatava at the base of the scrum and Keijiro Tamefusa taking over from Shuhei Takeuchi in the front row.
Naoto Saito is back at scrumhalf after helping Toulouse win France's Top 14 competition, which means Shinobu Fujiwara drops to the bench.
Halatoa Vailea, who came on and scored a try in Kitakyushu in the first test, gets a start on the wing and Ichigo Nakakusu, another try scorer at the weekend, replaces the injured Takuro Matsunaga at fullback.
The uncapped duo of Kazuma Ueda and Australian-born Sam Greene were named among the replacements as Jones continues to bolster his squad with an eye on the next World Cup. Last week he named eight uncapped players in his match-day 23.
Wing Ueda was in Japan's sevens team at last year's Olympic Games while 30-year-old Greene is a former Queensland Reds flyhalf.
Team: 15-Ichigo Nakakusu, 14-Kippei Ishida, 13-Dylan Riley, 12-Shogo Nakano, 11-Halatoa Vailea, 10-Lee Seungsin, 9-Naoto Saito, 8-Faulua Makisi, 7-Jack Cornelsen, 6-Michael Leitch (captain), 5-Warner Dearns, 4-Epineri Uluiviti, 3-Keijiro Tamefusa, 2-Mamoru Harada, 1-Yota Kamimori
Replacements: 16-Hayate Era, 17-Sena Kimura, 18-Shuhei Takeuchi, 19-Waisake Raratubua, 20-Ben Gunter, 21-Shinobu Fujiwara, 22-Sam Greene, 23-Kazuma Ueda.
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
28 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Prosecutors seek trial for PSG's Hakimi over rape charge
NANTERRE, France: French prosecutors on Friday called for Paris Saint-Germain star Achraf Hakimi to face trial for the alleged rape of a woman in 2023 which the Moroccan international denies. The Nanterre prosecutor's office told AFP that they had requested that the investigating judge refer the rape charge to a criminal court. "It is now up to the investigating magistrate to make a decision within the framework of his order," the prosecutor's office told AFP in a statement. Hakimi, 26, played a major role in PSG's run to their first Champions League title, the full-back scoring the opener in the 5-0 rout of Inter Milan in the final in May. Hakimi, who helped Morocco to their historic progress to the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup, was charged in March, 2023 with raping a 24-year-old woman. Hakimi allegedly paid for his accuser to travel to his home on 25 Feb, 2023, in the Paris suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt while his wife and children were away on holiday. The woman went to a police station following the encounter alleging rape and was questioned by police. Although the woman refused to make a formal accusation, prosecutors decided to press charges against the player. She told police at the time that she had met Hakimi in January 2023 on Instagram. On the night in question she said she had travelled to his house in a taxi paid for by Hakimi. She told police Hakimi had started kissing her and making non-consensual sexual advances, before raping her, a police source told AFP at the time. She said she managed to break free to text a friend who came to pick her up. Contacted by AFP after Friday's development Hakimi's lawyer Fanny Colin described the call by prosecutors for a trial as "incomprehensible and senseless in light of the case's elements." "We, along with Achraf Hakimi, remain as calm as we were at the start of the proceedings. "If these requisitions were to be followed, we would obviously pursue all avenues of appeal," she continued. According to Colin, her client had "been the target of an attempted extortion." "Nothing in this case suggests an attempted extortion," Rachel-Flore Pardo, the lawyer representing the woman, said. "My client welcomes this news with immense relief," she told AFP. "We will not tolerate any smear or destabilisation campaign, as is unfortunately still too often the case for women who have the courage to report the rape of which they are victims," she added. The son of a cleaning lady and a street vendor, both Moroccans who have lived in Spain since the 1980s, Hakimi was born in Getafe, a southern suburb of Madrid. Hakimi came through the youth system at Real Madrid before joining Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund in 2018. He went on to make 73 appearances for the German club. He moved to Inter Milan in 2020 and then on to PSG in 2021 where he has established himself as an integral part of the team. In Qatar, Hakimi was a cornerstone of the Morocco team that became the first African or Arab nation to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup.--AFP
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Red Bull reprimanded after Verstappen throws towel on track
FORMULA ONE stewards issued a reprimand to Red Bull on Friday following an unusual incident involving Max Verstappen discarding a face towel from his car during practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix. The four-time world champion was called to explain the incident after the second session at the Hungaroring, with stewards reviewing video evidence. 'Shortly after Car 1 was released from its garage, the driver of Car 1 (Verstappen) was observed to have thrown a towel out of the cockpit,' the stewards stated. Verstappen clarified that the towel had slipped from his lap to the side of the seat while in the garage, and the team was unaware it remained inside. 'When the driver realised it was there, he moved to the far right of the track and attempted to throw it as far away from the car and the track as possible,' the statement continued. Despite his efforts, the towel landed on the asphalt and remained there until the session concluded. Stewards acknowledged that leaving the towel inside the cockpit posed a greater risk, as it could have obstructed the footwell and hindered Verstappen's control of the car. They ruled that Red Bull had released the car in an unsafe condition, though the violation was deemed less severe than if a hard object had been left inside. - Reuters
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Prosecutors seek trial for PSG's Achraf Hakimi over rape allegations
FRENCH prosecutors have requested that Paris Saint-Germain footballer Achraf Hakimi stand trial over allegations of rape dating back to 2023. The Moroccan international denies the charges. The Nanterre prosecutor's office confirmed to AFP that they had formally asked the investigating judge to refer the case to a criminal court. 'It is now up to the investigating magistrate to make a decision within the framework of his order,' the office stated. Hakimi, 26, played a pivotal role in PSG's Champions League victory earlier this year, scoring in the final against Inter Milan. He was charged in March 2023 after a 24-year-old woman accused him of rape. The accuser alleged that Hakimi arranged for her transport to his home in Boulogne-Billancourt while his family was away. She later reported the incident to police, claiming non-consensual advances. Though she initially declined to file a formal complaint, prosecutors proceeded with charges. Hakimi's lawyer, Fanny Colin, called the prosecution's request 'incomprehensible and senseless,' maintaining his innocence and suggesting an 'attempted extortion.' The accuser's lawyer, Rachel-Flore Pardo, dismissed these claims, stating her client felt 'immense relief' at the development. Born in Spain to Moroccan parents, Hakimi rose through Real Madrid's academy before stints at Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan. He joined PSG in 2021 and starred in Morocco's historic 2022 World Cup run. - AFP
