Japans coach John Kirwan announced his team on Thursday for the IRB Rugby World Cup Pool B match against Australia in Lyon on Saturday. Flanker Takamichi Sasaki will wear the captains armband.
Japan V Australia Team
Backs: Tatsuya Kusumi, Tomoki Kitagawa, Koji Taira, Nataniela Oto, Hirotoki Onozawa, Kosei Ono, Yuki Yatomi.
Forwards: Masahito Yamamoto, Taku Inokuchi, Ryo Yamamura, Takanori Kumagae, Luatangi Samurai Vatuvei, Yasunori Watanabe, Takamichi Sasaki(c), Hajime Kiso.
Replacements: Yuji Matsubara, Tomokazu Soma, Hitoshi Ono, Hare Makiri, Tomoki Yoshida, Bryce Robins, Kosuke Endo.