Japan names travel team for Canada trip

Highlanders scrumhalf Fumiaki Tanaka is one of 25 players named by interim Japan coach Mark Hammett to travel to Canada for the one-off test at BC Place in Vancouver on June 11. A group of 9 players have been rested ahead of the two-match series against Scotland, with loose forwards Shohei Kin and Kyosuke Horie called into the team after being left out of the 33-man list just days ago.

Newly-named captain Shota Horie will not make the trip, with centre Harumichi Tatekawa instead given the armband for the Canada match. Also staying in Japan are back rowers Hendrik Tui, Koliniasi Holani, and Amanaki Mafi. Record cap-winner Hitoshi Ono misses out with suspension from a headbutt thrown while on Super Rugby duty. The backs will be without midfielders Ryoto Nakamura and Male Sa’u, as well as outside backs Karne Hesketh, Kentaro Kodama, and Ryuji Noguchi.

FORWARDS
Kensuke Hatakeyama (Newcastle Falcons), Keita Inagaki (Sunwolves), Shinnosuke Kakinaga (Sunwolves), Masataka Mikami (Sunwolves), Takeshi Kizu (Sunwolves), Futoshi Mori (Sunwolves), Naohiro Kotaki (Toshiba), Kazuhiko Usami (Sunwolves), Kotaro Yatabe (Panasonic), Taiyo Ando (Sunwolves), Kyosuke Horie (Yamaha), Yoshida Hosoda (Sunwolves), Shohei Kin (NTT Comm), Hiroki Yamamoto (Toshiba)

BACKS
Kaito Shigeno (Sunwolves), Fumiaki Tanaka (Highlanders), Keisuke Uchida (Panasonic), Rikiya Matsuda (Teikyo), Kosei Ono (Suntory), Yu Tamura (Sunwolves), Tim Bennetts (Canon), Harumichi Tatekawa (capt., Sunwolves), Kotaro Matsushima (Rebels), Mifiposeti Paea (Sunwolves), Yasutaka Sasakura (Sunwolves)