Japan coach Jamie Joseph named his side Friday for their Rugby World Cup quarterfinal against South Africa, saying injury forced one change from his 15 that started last weekend's win over Scotland.

William Tupou suffered a concussion during the Brave Blossoms' final pool game and failed a Head Injury Assessment.

(Japan head coach Jamie Joseph speaks at a press conference in Tokyo on Oct. 18, 2019, to announce his squad for a Rugby World Cup quarterfinal against South Africa.)

As a result Ryohei Yamanaka will start at fullback with Lomano Lava Lemeki back on the bench, which shows two other changes from that 23 used against Scotland.

Lock Wimpie van der Walt and No. 8 Amanaki Lelei Mafi have been added to the replacements with Uwe Helu and Hendrik Tui dropping out of the match-day 23, as Joseph looks "to add some physicality."

Michael Leitch once again leads the team from blindside flanker, the 33rd time he has captained his country. Only Takuro Miuchi (45) and Takashi Kikutani (34) have led Japan more.

Leitch, hooker Shota Horie, lock Luke Thompson, scrumhalf Fumiaki Tanaka and wing Kotaro Matsushima were all in the starting XV when Japan beat South Africa four years ago at the World Cup in England, a game dubbed "The Brighton Miracle."

Leitch was keen to point out, however, that times had changed.

"Four years ago Japan had not won a World Cup game for 24 years," he said. "Now we have a different mentality. Now we go into test matches believing we can win if we do our jobs properly."

Thompson will become the first player to play 14 World Cup matches for Japan, and the veteran lock said while the lead-up to Japan's first ever knockout game was a "special time, I've not had a lot of time to reflect on the emotions."

Thompson and his fellow forwards have been behind Japan's superb form of late, laying the foundations from which the backs have shone with their speed, and the 38-year-old said the team "was doing all we can to play to our potential."

"If we do get everything right then we have a good chance of beating South Africa."

The teams last met on Sept. 6 at Kumagaya Rugby Stadium with the Springboks winning 41-7. But Joseph does not read too much into that game.

"We find ourselves in a unique position in that the September game was a rehearsal for us and a warm-up for them," he said.

"No other side in the quarterfinals has had that so it's going to be big for us."

With South Africa having loaded their bench with forwards, the general belief is they will try to bash Japan out of the game.

"What is clear is how South Africa will approach the game," Joseph said. "Their selection of six forwards on the bench, while not unique, shows how they are physically going to approach the game with their forwards."

But if Japan can keep things close they have players who are also able to make an impact and who have a point to prove.

Van der Walt missed the September game against the land of his birth, while Mafi has not played since getting injured against Ireland, and Lemeki was dropped after being named man-of-the-match against Samoa.

Props Isileli Nakajima and Aseali Ai Valu were both sensational against Scotland when they came on and Nakajima was clear in what he had to do.

"We know South Africa focus on the forwards with their maul and scrum. We need to stop that. And when we do stop it, they have no other option. So we will stop it."

Joseph, meanwhile, finished his segment of Friday's press conference with a little teaser.

"We have been preparing all week for (South Africa's physical approach). What is not so clear is what we are going to do and that's what I am looking forward to."