Japan select uncapped Kitahara at flyhalf against Wales
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Nov 5 - Japan have handed a debut to flyhalf Riku Kitahara against Wales as coach Eddie Jones named his matchday squad for the Nations Championship clash in Cardiff on Saturday.
• The 27-year-old Kitahara will start in the number 10 jersey as part of a halfback pairing with co-captain Naoto Saito
• The rest of the backline features Samisoni Tua and Dylan Riley in the centres, wings Inoke Burua and Kippei Ishida, and fullback Kazuma Ueda
• Mamoru Harada packs down at hooker with props Yota Kamimori and Shuhei Takeuchi either side of him, while Harry Hockings and co-captain Warner Dearns make up the second row
• Jack Cornelsen is at number eight in a loose trio with Ben Gunter and Kanji Shimokawa
• Japan also face England on November 14 and travel to Edinburgh to meet Scotland a week later
Japan: 15-Kazuma Ueda, 14-Kippei Ishida, 13-Dylan Riley, 12-Samisoni Tua, 11-Inoke Burua, 10-Riku Kitahara, 9-Naoto Saito (co-captain), 8-Jack Cornelsen, 7-Kanji Shimokawa, 6-Ben Gunter, 5-Warner Dearns (co-captain), 4-Harry Hockings, 3-Shuhei Takeuchi, 2-Mamoru Harada, 1-Yota Kamimori
Replacements: 16-Kenji Sato, 17-Sojiro Otsuka, 18-Opeti Helu, 19-Michael Stolberg, 20-Tiennan Costley, 21-Kenta Fukuda, 22-Shinya Komura, 23-Jisu Lee REUTERS