Japan welcome Ireland to their shores in the first game of the sides' two-match series at Ecopa Stadium in Shizuoka on Saturday.
The Brave Blossoms are coming off the back of a 33-21 dismantling of Romania. Coach Jamie Joseph has made five changes from the side that started the clash against Romania.
Experienced campaigners William Tupou and Timothy Lafaele beef up the Japanese midfield while Yu Tamura takes the place of Jumpei Ogura at fly-half.
The last time Japan met Ireland was way back in 2005 and they have come on in leaps and bounds since then, highlighted by their 2015 Rugby World Cup win over the mighty Springboks.
Now they boast some of Super Rugby's finest in their ranks, among them Chiefs back-row Michael Leitch and Rebels number eight Amanaki Mafi.
However, they face an Ireland side who have had an excellent season beating New Zealand in that historic win in Chicago and denying England successive Grand Slams.
Ireland ran in nine tries last weekend against the USA, putting 55 points on the board in the process. This, despite the fact that 11 of their usual starters are in New Zealand doing duty with the British and Irish Lions.
They possess dangerous strike runners in Garry Ringrose and Keith Earls. Ringrose is a definitely a player that was unlucky to miss out on Lions selection due to his blistering form over the last 12 months.
If Japan are to continue to improve, they need to test themselves against the best. And this Irish side are definitely one of the best.
Players to Watch
For Japan: Watch out for Amanaki Mafi, a tireless tackler possessing an all-round polished skill-set. A modern number eight who can fit seamlessly into the backline, Mafi is one of the hardest workers around. Michael Leitch lines up alongside Mafi in the loose trio and he too is extremely dangerous. He had a monumental game against the Romanians, making nine carries, beating four defenders and scoring a well-deserved try.
For Ireland: Keep an eye on Irish winger Keith Earls who bagged a brace in his side's demolition of the USA last weekend. Not only that, he also had three try assists and beat seven defenders. Irish captain Rhys Ruddock is fast developing a reputation for leading from the front. He was his side's top tackler in the USA match with 12 tackles to his name.
Head-to-head: Japan's skipper, Shota Orie, and Ireland hooker Niall Scannell are on a collision course in the front row. Both men will be integral to their respective scrums and lineouts. Both sides possess excellent loose trios and lock combinations so if they are not accurate with their throwing at lineout-time, it could have dire consequences for their respective sides.
Previous results:
2005: Ireland won 47-18 in Tokyo
2005: Ireland won 44-12 in Osaka
2000: Ireland won 78-9 in Dublin
1995: Ireland won 50-28 in Bloemfontein
1991: Ireland won 32-16 in Dublin
1985: Ireland won 33-15 in Tokyo
1985: Ireland won 48-13 in Osaka
Prediction: Ireland will look to run riot and continue their impressive recent try-scoring record. Ireland by 15.
Japan: 15 Ryuji Noguchi, 14 Kotaro Matshima, 13 William Tupou, 12 Timothy Lafaele, 11 Kenki Fukuoka, 10 Yu Tamura, 9 Fumiaki Tanaka, 8 Amanaki Mafi, 7 Yoshitaka Tokunaga, 6 Michael Leitch, 5 Uwe Helu, 4 Kotaro Yatabe, 3 Heiichiro Ito, 2 Shota Horie (c), 1 Keita Inagaki
Replacements: 16 Yusuke Niwai, 17 Shintaro Ishihara, 18 Takuma Asahara, 19 Hendrik Tui, 20 Shuhei Matsuhashi, 21 Yutaka Nagare, 22 Derek Carpenter, 23 Rikiya Matsuda
Ireland: 15 Simon Zebo, 14 Andrew Conway, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Rory Scannell, 11 Keith Earls, 10 Paddy Jackson, 9 Luke McGrath, 8 Jack Conan, 7 Dan Leavy, 6 Rhys Ruddock (c), 5 Devin Toner, 4 Quinn Roux, 3 John Ryan, 2 Niall Scannell, 1 Cian Healy
Replacements: 16 James Tracy, 17 Dave Kilcoyne, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Kieran Treadwell, 20 Jack O’Donoghue, 21 Kieran Marmion, 22 Rory O’Loughlin, 23 Tiernan O’Halloran
Date: Saturday, June 17
Venue: Ecopa Stadium, Shizuoka
Kick-Off: 14:00 local (05:00 GMT)
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)
Assistant Referees: JP Doyle (England), Alex Ruiz (France)
TMO: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)
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