The Albany Gazette - Japan make two changes to take on Samoa in World Cup

Dylan Riley, who started the opening win over Chile but dropped to the bench for the 34-12 loss to England, comes back at outside centre in place of Tomoki Osada. Lomano Lemeki comes in at full-back for the injured Semisi Masirewa.

Samoa are second in Group D, nine points behind leaders England and ahead of Japan on points differential.

For the game in Toulouse on Thursday, Japan start four players who also started victories over Samoa in the last two World Cups: hooker Shota Horie, prop Keita Inagaki, flanker Michael Leitch and winger Kotaro Matsushima.

Japan won 26-5 in Milton Keynes in 2015 and 38-19 on home soil in Toyota in 2019, when Matsushima scored the bonus-point try in the 80th minute -- his eighth try of the competition.

The nations also met in 1999, when Samoa thrashed Japan 43-9 in Wrexham.

The countries played in Sapporo in September when Samoa won 24-22. Seungsin Lee, who will make his World Cup debut if he comes off the bench in Toulouse, kicked 17 points and lock Amato Fakatava scored the lone Japanese try.

Japan team to play Samoa in Rugby World Cup Pool D match in Toulouse on Thursday (kick-off: 1900 GMT):

Team (15-1):

Lomano Lemeki; Kotaro Matsushima, Dylan Riley, Ryoto Nakamura, Jone Naikabula; Rikiya Matsuda, Yutaka Nagare; Kazuki Himeno (capt), Pieter Labuschagne, Michael Leitch; Amato Fakatava, Jack Cornelsen; Jiwon Gu, Shota Horie, Keita Inagaki

Replacements: Atsushi Sakate, Craig Millar, Asaeli Ai Valu, Warner Dearns, Kanji Shimokawa, Naoto Saito, Seungsin Lee, Tomoki Osada

Coach: Jamie Joseph (NZL)

(B.Hartmann--BBZ)