The Albany Gazette - Japan face Italy without banned coach Jones

Jones is serving the last game of a four-match suspension imposed by the Japan Rugby Football Union for abusing match officials on a tour of Australia this year.

Forwards coach Neal Hatley will fill in for the visit of Italy, who are riding high after beating England for the first time this year and matching their Six Nations record with a fourth-place finish.

Japan have named uncapped university student Ryunosuke Ito to start at fly-half and Hatley is expecting "a heavy-fought battle" against the physical Italians.

"The sides from the northern hemisphere have a very good scrum, very good drive," he said.

"They're very forward-dominated, so that's where we expect the hardest part of the game to be and we're prepared for that."

Ito is one of four uncapped players in Japan's matchday squad, with the three others among the replacements.

The team is captained by Warner Dearns, who arrives fresh from winning the Super Rugby title in his first season with the Wellington Hurricanes.

Naoto Saito, who will start at scrum-half, also tasted club success this season, winning the French Top 14 title with Toulouse.

Dearns said Japan were looking to crank their preparations for next year's World Cup up a notch.

"This is the third year since Eddie starting coaching us, and in the first year there were a lot of new things and everyone was trying to make a connection so it was a difficult year," he said.

"We got a lot better last year and this year we want to get better again."

Japan also face Ireland in Newcastle, Australia, and France in Tokyo in the Nations Championship this month.

"I feel that there's no point in playing rugby if you don't want to win every game," said Dearns.

"I want to give good performances leading up to the World Cup but I also want to win every game."

- Italy debutants -

Italy have two debutants in their starting line-up in the shape of flanker Alessandro Ortombina and winger Malik Faissal.

There is experience elsewhere in the team, with Juan Ignacio Brex partnering Tommaso Menoncello in the centres and fly-half Paolo Garbisi alongside scrum-half Stephen Varney.

Head coach Gonzalo Quesada said the team's preparations have not been ideal, with players rusty after a post-season break and tired from a long flight to Tokyo.

Quesada said his players were "really committed" but also wary of the threat Japan pose.

"They showed the kind of exciting rugby they want to play, full of speed," Quesada said of Japan.

"We know it can be super challenging for us but we have worked on the strategy that can beat their style and try to also impose our rugby we want to play."

Italy will travel to face New Zealand in Wellington and Australia in Perth in the Nations Championship after their game against Japan.

Quesada said his team's schedule was "terribly hard but we are really excited to start".

"We know that we have to start playing the best rugby we can and not waste time and miss opportunities," he said.

"Just go to the basics and do well."

(W.Williams--TAG)