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The Japan Brave Blossoms' final test and match of the Lipovitan D Tour 2025 is against Georgia this weekend on Saturday, 22 November at Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, Tbilisi and as has been par for the course this year, another debutant has been selected in the Japanese matchday squad.
Following last week's one-point 24-23 loss to Wales at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, both Head Coach Eddie Jones and captain Warner Dearns already gave a nod ahead to this weekend's match.
Georgia has beaten both the USA and Canada in recent weeks, two teams the Japanese have also had the better of in the Pacific Nations Cup, and the margin of the scoreline and the placement of Georgia (#11) and Japan (#13) in World Rugby’s ranking suggests it will be a close game.
In the head-to-head, Japan has a healthy 5-2 lead over the Lelos, but the Europeans were the 25-23 victors when they last met, and it was in Japan in 2024. Georgia has been a happy hunting ground for the Brave Blossoms, winning on two of their three trips.
The Japanese will try to break this 5-match losing streak, which runs back to the final PNC loss against Fiji. One of the areas they need to address is discipline. Although the whole of November has been impacted by excessive use of the TMO and the issuance of yellow and red cards by the official, Japan can not hope to win games by playing with 14 players every Test.
They had three yellows against Wales, which brought the total tally to 8 in the past four games (and losses) to Australia, South Africa, Ireland, and Wales.
The hosts have been guilty of ill-discipline too. In their win over Canada, they, for the second time this year, had three players sin-binned in a single match.
They have also had to send more players home due to knocks picked up on tour. Already without the likes of Ben Gunter and Michael Leitch, post-Wales, the following players have been withdrawn from the tour: Yuya Hirose, Yoshihira Ishida, Kotaro Ito, and fullback Yoshitaka Yazaki.
Jones said last week that around 25 players had earned their first caps in 2025, and second row Shu Yamamoto from RICOH BlackRams Tokyo became the latest as he was named among the reserves. He is one of four personnel and one positional switch for the match.
Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath has the biggest representation in the squad with 6 of the 23 players selected.
Changes in the front row see Shuhei Takeuchi come in for Keijiro Tamefusa (among the reserves), while the second row is unchanged with Epineri Uruivaiti and Warner Dearns offering some height and bulk. Tyler Paul starts this game with Kanji Shimokawa absent from the squad.
The scrumhalf and fly half pairing remains the same for the third consecutive test, with Naoto Saito and Seungsin Lee. The midfield is also unchanged, with Charlie Lawrence and vice-captain Dylan Riley, but Kazuma Ueda earns his first start after winning his first cap last week, and Sam Greene earns his 6th cap this year, replacing the injured Yoshitaka Yazaki.
Among those on the bench is Harry Hockings, who had his card from last week’s loss rescinded. The entire bench only has 33 Test caps (and 19 of those belong to Keijiro Tamefusa).
Eddie Jones said of the match against Georgia, “We’ve got to pick ourselves up, get on the plane to Tbilisi and front up," while Dearns said of the final Test, “Our next match against Georgia will be a physical game, with a lot of scrums. We will make sure to correct what we didn't do (against Wales)."
The Japanese can still sneak into the top 12 ranking if they win, which will guarantee a place in Band 2 for the Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 Draw; otherwise, they will remain in Band 3.
They are fine words, but with all of the new blooded talent as Jones tries to build depth and new experience, the results have been poor in 2025. With the Nations Championship including Japan in 2026 and being a vital part of his plans and preparation for RWC 2027, the Brave Blossoms will face Italy, Ireland, and France in July, and Wales, England and Scotland in November 2026.
Jones added of the new tournament, “Consistent exposure to this level of competition is vital for us to grow into the team we aspire to be. The inaugural Nations Cup in 2026 will be a springboard for us ahead of the 2027 World Cup in Australia.”
If 2025 was the springboard to a busy year ahead, a win in Tbilisi would seem important for the psyche of the team, and earning a victory is not beyond their abilities. But they need to finally put in a disciplined 80 minutes and show how the fabled Chosoku style Jones wants to achieve and run a physical Georgian team off their feet. Wishful thinking?
