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FULL TIME | ||
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Australia A tour of Japan | ||
| Venue: Yodoko Sakura Stadium, Osaka | ||
| Japan XV | vs | Australia A |
| 52 | Score | 48 |
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The Australia A and Japan XV series finishes on Friday night with the third of three matches in Osaka. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 8:30pm (AEDT).
The match is the last chance for Australian players to make their cases for inclusion on the Wallabies five-match European tour that starts with a Test against Scotland on October 30.
The Wallabies squad is likely to be all but a done deal and was expected to have been announced on Friday. However, a change in plan means there remains a chance for players to play themselves in, or out, of that outift.
Gilmore has shared out game time to the major contenders and stayed true to his promise to high profile NRL recruit Suliasi Vunivalu that he would get three starts.
There is also a starting spot for Waratahs No.10 Ben Do0naldson ahead of Tane Edmed, while Wallabies No.15 Tom Banks starts after impressing off the bench in game two.
Australia A lead the series 2-0. They’ve had to come from behind in both games, inlcuding last week’s thrilling 22-21 win in Fukuoka.
Japan have made several changes as they prepare for an upcoming clash against the All Blacks.
Fan favourite and Rugby World Cup hero, Keita Inagaki returning to the team at loosehead prop. He joins Brave Blossoms captain Atsushi Sakate at hooker, with Shinnosuke Kakinaga retaining his position at tighthead for a second week.
Tevita Tatafu starts at No.8, with Michael Leitch moving back to the blindside, following his peerless performance last week.
“We performed well in the first two matches, but not for the full 80 minutes,” said Japan coach Jamie Joseph.
“We’ve shown our intent and how we want to play the game, and the players are very connected and excited about playing. But we’ve also seen we’re a little rusty and we’re having some key players making mistakes at crucial times.
“That’s not normal, but its normal for a team that hasn’t played for three or four months. I’m expecting the players to keep on improving, but these three games were always about having an opportunity to get our team back into some form in preparation for our upcoming big three Test matches, and I think we’re achieving that.”
Venue: Yodoko Sakura Stadium, Osaka
Kick-off: 8:30pm AEST
Live stream: Stan Sport
Australia A
1.Tom Robertson, 2. Lachlan Lonergan, 3. Pone Fa’amausili, 4. Ned Hanigan, 5. Ryan Smith, 6. Rory Scott, 7. Brad Wilkin, 8. Seru Uru, 9. James Tuttle (c), 10. Ben Donaldson, 11. Mark Nawaqanitawase, 12. Hamish Stewart, 13.Isaac Henry, 14. Suliasi Vunivalu, 15. Tom Banks.
Reserves: 16. Billy Pollard, 17. Richie Asiata, 18. Archer Holz, 19. Cadeyrn Neville, 20. Ollie Callan, 21. Ryan Lonergan, 22. Tane Edmed, 23. Dylan Pietsch.
Japan XV
1.Keita Inagaki, 2. Atsushi Sakate, 3.Shinnosuke Kakinaga, 4. Warner Dearns, 5. Jack Cornelsen, 6. Michael Leitch, 7. Kanji Shimokawa, 8. Tevita Tatafu, 9. Yutaka Nagare, 10. Seungsin Lee, 11. Siosaia Fifita, 12. Ryoto Nakamura, 13. Dylan Riley, 14. Kotaro Matsushima, 15.Ryohei Yamanaka.
Reserves: 16 Takeshi Hino, 17. Shogo Miura, 18. Shuhei Takeuchi, 19. Wimpie Vanderwalt, 20. Faulua Makisi, 21. Naoto Saito, 22. Takuya Yamasawa, 23. Shogo Nakano.
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Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.