Michael Leitch admitted Friday that the Sunwolves' Super Rugby game with the Chiefs on Saturday will be "bigger than normal."

The Japan captain played three seasons with the Hamilton, New Zealand-based franchise before joining the Sunwolves this year as part of the build-up to Rugby World Cup 2019.

And he would like nothing better than getting one-up on his old teammates.

"We left some players in Japan when we went to South Africa (for games against the Sharks and Lions) and we are preparing to win this game," he told Kyodo News following Friday's captain's run at Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground.

Leitch said the Sunwolves needed to "create chaos and play a lot of unstructured rugby" if they were to beat the 2012 and 2013 Super Rugby champions.

But they will have to do so with injuries having once again raised their ugly head.

Kotaro Matsushima watched the captain's run from the sidelines and told Kyodo News he would not be playing Saturday as the result of a groin injury. His place on the wing will be taken by Semisi Masirewa in his Sunwolves debut.

Meanwhile, William Tupou (bruised thigh) did not even make it to Chichibunomiya and Lomano Lava Lemeki is poised to take his place on the bench.

"We have a good stock of wings so it might be a blessing as Kotaro will be able to rest before the June tests and Semisi will be wanting to put his best foot forward," Leitch said.

The Sunwolves may have opened with four defeats but their performance last week -- when they lost to two-time finalists the Lions 40-38 in Johannesburg -- showed they can score tries against the best teams in the competition.

But as assistant coach Tony Brown pointed out, they are giving up too many soft tries.

"We are conceding simple, soft tries that don't cost the opposition any energy," he said. "And when we attack we are using up a lot of energy to score points. The best teams score tries in one or two phases and that allows them to then defend well. At the end of the day that's how the All Blacks win all their tests."

One player who knows that is Chiefs captain Sam Cane.

The openside flanker -- capped 53 times by New Zealand -- said his side had shown a lot of character in their opening three games: a loss to the Crusaders followed by wins over the Blues and Bulls.

"This weekend we will be looking to play with the same character and heart but bring a sharper skill set and execute more accurately," he said.

Cane was a member of the Chiefs when they lifted the silverware in 2012 and 2013 alongside Brodie Retallick, whom Leitch described as the man the Sunwolves need to stop.

"He just gets stuck into everything," Leitch said of the All Blacks lock, who scored two tries in last week's 41-28 home win over the Pretoria-based Bulls.

Playing alongside Cane and Retallick in that championship-winning team was Robbie Robinson, who starts on the bench for the Sunwolves on Saturday.

"There's quite a lot of new faces in that team so there's probably only half a dozen from when I was still there," Robinson said.

However, the 28-year-old will have no problem identifying two of the Chiefs's backs.

"That's the most exciting part for me," he said of coming up against his cousins, Damian and Marty McKenzie. "I get to watch them run around live, which I haven't done for a while and then maybe get to have a go against them."

Leitch and his back-row partners Willie Britz and Ed Quirk will need to be at their best to prevent Damian McKenzie from implementing his running game.

Meanwhile, the Sunwolves pack will need to provide quick ball for returning halfbacks Fumiaki Tanaka and Yu Tamura, so they can make the most of Hosea Saumaki on the wing.

The Daito Bunka University graduate has been in superb form and his ability to break tackles will be key if the Sunwolves are to avenge the 27-20 defeat they suffered at the hands of the Chiefs last year, and pick up their first win of the 2018 season.