Hooker Atsushi Sakate will lead Japan from the front as the Brave Blossoms' captain against the All Blacks this weekend in head coach Jamie Joseph's squad, announced Thursday.
Japan have lost their first six matches against New Zealand, and look to end that run on Saturday at Tokyo's National Stadium, where Joseph's crew kick off their autumn test series.
Sakate, in line to win his 31st cap according to the Japan Rugby Football Union, will be joined by Keita Inagaki and Gu Ji Won on the front row, with props Warner Dearns and Jack Cornelsen in the second row. Seventy-five-time-capped former captain Michael Leitch and Kazuki Himeno will pack down behind them alongside 124-kilogram No. 8 Tevita Tatafu.
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For his backs, Joseph selected scrumhalf Yutaka Nagare with Takuya Yamasawa at flyhalf. Ryoto Nakamura will start at inside center with Dylan Riley on the outside. Siosaia Fifita and Kotaro Matsushima will be the wings with Ryohei Yamanaka the fullback.
Joseph said his Japan XV side's three matches against Australia A this month illustrated some concerns ahead of the autumn tests that will conclude in Europe against England and France.
"Against Australia A, we learnt the need to be consistent when the pressure comes on," Joseph said on the JRFU website. "In the last match, we were up by 20 points, and through some mental lapses, we allowed them back into the game, and they put us under real pressure."
"This week we need to ensure we've got really experienced, highly competent players coming on during those tough parts of the match."
For his bench, Joseph chose a mix of experience and promise.
Hooker Takeshi Hino, with five caps, will be joined by replacement props Craig Millar, with six caps and 24-year-old Shuhei Takeuchi, who made his test debut against Uruguay this summer. Kanji Shimokawa earned a shot at his first cap after having started in all three Australia A matches, and will provide backrow cover along with Faulua Makisi.
Exciting Naoto Saito had been named as replacement scrumhalf, and is joined among the reserve backs by 21-year-old Lee Seung Sin and Gerhard van den Heever.
"The All Blacks like to control the game through the set piece, so we've done a lot of work with our scrum and lineout knowing that we're playing a very big and experienced pack that will try and dominate us up front," Joseph said.
"We have to manage that and then, when we can create quality ball for our backs, as we showed against Australia A, we can score some quality tries as well."
New Zealand's selectors have handed inside center Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and fullback Stephen Perofeta their first start for the All Blacks, who are captained by flanker Sam Cane in his 86th test appearance.
"This Northern Tour is going to be huge," head coach Ian Foster told allblacks.com. "We see four incredibly tough tests ahead and this one against Japan will ask some serious questions of us."
