Japan to unleash ‘new Kolbe’ against Wales

Japan will hand a debut to Yokohama Canon Eagles wing Kippei Ishida against Wales on Saturday after head coach Eddie Jones reiterated his belief that the newcomer can be the ‘next Cheslin Kolbe’.

Former Japan sevens captain Ishida, 25, scored 11 tries last season in League One which was three more than Suntory Sungoliath superstar Kolbe.

Brave Blossoms head coach Jones said previously that Ishida has the potential to be a better player than his South African counterpart and again talked up the Japan newcomer during Thursday’s press conference.

"Ishida, he can be a Japanese version of Cheslin Kolbe,” said the former Wallabies and England head coach.

“They're a similar size. He has great feet, great aerial skills. In training he's impressed. It was impossible not to put him in." 

Ishida with club teammate Jesse Kriel

Pocket rocket Ishida, who is 5ft 6in (167cm) and weighs 11.6 stone (74kg), started playing rugby at the age of 5 at Amagasaki Rugby School in Hyogo Prefecture and his dazzling speed and footwork - while playing at Josho Gakuen High School – saw him identified as a potential sevens player.

Yokohama’s speedster won bronze at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Argentina and represented his country at the Tokyo Olympics and last year, as captain, in the Paris showpiece.

The Meiji University graduate turned his attentions to the 15-man game last season and ignited Japan’s top-flight with 11 tries in 16 games, 18 line breaks and he gained 751 metres for Yokhama where he plays alongside Kolbe’s Springboks teammates Jesse Kriel and Faf de Klerk.

Ishida, who revealed last year that Kolbe is his favourite player, is yet to play against the two-time World Cup winner.  

Picture courtesy of JRLO

All eyes will be on the Test rugby rookie who Japan are looking to announce himself on the international stage at the first opportunity and ease to absence of Fiji-born livewire Jone Naikabula, the 2024-2025 joint top try scorer (15) who has been out injured since May.  

Free-scoring Shizuoka wing Malo Tuitama returns to the line-up on the left-wing while Kubota Spears scrum-half Shinobu Fujiwara reforms his international half-back pairing with Kobe Steelers’ Lee Seungsin who plays at inside-centre for his club.

Suntory Sungoliath’s Shogo Nakano partners Saitama Wild Knights ace Dylan Riley in the midfield with Toshiba’s back-to-back League One winner Takuro Matsunaga at full-back.

Kubota Spears prop and League One runner-up Yota Kamimori has also been handed his first cap and forms a front row alongside Toshiba Brave Lupus hooker Mamoru Harada and free agent Shuhei Takeuchi who left Urayasu D-Rocks at the end of the season.

Mitsubishi Dynaboars lock Epineri Uluviti rpartners Hurricanes-bound starlet Warner Dearns in the second row.

Black Rams' Amato Fakatava features at number eight with Toshiba and Japan captain Michael Leitch at blindside-flanker and Saitama's Jack Cornelsen at openside.  

Japan (1-15): Yota KAMIMORI, Mamoru HARADA, Shuhei TAKEUCHI, Epineri ULUIVITI, Warner DEARNS, Michael LEITCH (c), Jack CORNELSEN, Amato FAKATAVA, Shinobu FUJIWARA, Seungsin LEE, Malo TUITAMA, Shogo NAKANO, Dylan RILEY, Kippei ISHIDA, Takuro MATSUNAGA

Replacements: Hayate ERA, Sena KIMURA, Keijiro TAMEFUSA, Waisake RARATUBUA, Ben GUNTER, Shuntaro KITAMURA, Ichigo NAKAKUSU, Halatoa VAILEA