Sunwolves assistant coach Scott Hansen named a multinational side Thursday for the Super Rugby opener against the Durban-based Sharks at Singapore National Stadium this weekend.

Hansen -- who has led the team's preparations in Melbourne with head coach Tony Brown away on national team duty -- has picked a 23-man squad for Saturday's match featuring six Japan-born players and seven born in New Zealand, two of whom have played for Japan and are now naturalized Japanese.

The remainder of the foreign-born contingent comprises three from Australia, two from South Africa, two Tongan-born Japan internationals, a Georgian, a Fijian and one New Zealander eligible to play for Italy and Fiji.

"Scott Hansen in his capacity as the Sunwolves acting head coach will be leading the team in Singapore this week for Round 1 against the Sharks," Sunwolves CEO Yuji Watase said.

"National assistant coach Tony Brown and national head coach Jamie Joseph are currently planning for the Rugby World Cup as per the rugby high-performance program and Tony will return to the Sunwolves in late March."

"Scott has done a fantastic job in preparing the team in the pre-season and we look forward to watching the Sunwolves commence the season under Scott's leadership."

The Sunwolves will start their campaign amid rumors that this could be the Japanese franchise's penultimate season in the Southern Hemisphere competition.

With many of Japan's top players remaining in Tokyo for a national training camp, Hansen's side includes a number of new players under the joint captaincy of loosehead prop Craig Millar and center Michael Little, who will start on the bench.

"The team has worked hard the last four weeks and achieved a lot, and that gives us a good base for the season," Millar said.

"We've worked hard on building our Sunwolves' brand of rugby that everyone loved watching last year, and I'm sure we will continue to raise the bar this year."

Millar teams up with Georgian international Jaba Bregvadze and Japan cap Asaeli Ai Valu in the front row ahead of an engine room containing Tom Rowe and Japan veteran Luke Thompson, who will be making his Super Rugby debut two months short of his 38th birthday.

In the back row, Hendrik Tui, capped 41 times by the Brave Blossoms, makes his first appearance for the Sunwolves having spent the last three seasons in Australia with the Reds. Tui is joined by Ed Quirk, one of the few players to be entering his fourth season with the Sunwolves, and Rahboni Warren-Vosayaco.

Hayden Parker, who missed just two kicks from 50 attempts in 2018, pairs up with Kaito Shigeno at halfback with newcomers Phil Burleigh (a "kilted Kiwi" with one Scotland cap to his name) and Shane Gates in the midfield.

Former All Black Rene Ranger, Semisi Masirewa and Gerhard van den Heever make up an exciting multinational back three that mixes power with pace.

"There were a few difficulties with communication early on but we have worked on them on and off the ground to clarify the game plan and have had a good pre-season," Shigeno said.

The replacement bench sees Hansen go with the traditional 5-3 split, with the Japanese pair of Atsushi Sakate and Hiroshi Yamashita and New Zealander Sam Prattley providing the front-row cover and Uwe Helu and James Moore -- both of whom have been named in Japan's extended Rugby World Cup training squad -- the two other back-up forwards.

Keisuke Uchida, Rikiya Matsuda and Little, who was born in Rome when his father, All Black great Walter Little, was playing there, are the reserve backs.

"The conditions are always interesting in Singapore with the high humidity, but it is a challenge we love," said Millar.