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Jones's Japan aim to take the game to the All Blacks

channelnewsasia.com

YOKOHAMA :Coach Eddie Jones has promised his Japan team will challenge the All Blacks with a fast-paced game for the full 80 minutes when the sides meet at Yokohama's International Stadium on Saturday.The Brave Blossoms have never beaten New Zealand in five previous attempts but got as close as they ever have to an upset two years ago when they lost 38-31 in Tokyo."We want to play like Japan from the first minute to the 80th minute of the game and not stop challenging New Zealand with our style of play," Australian Jones told a news conference after naming his team on Thursday."I think whenever you play against New Zealand, the first thing you've got to do is be prepared to take them on. "Like any team in the world, New Zealand are a team that if you go at them you can put them under pressure, and the way we play ...

we can really put some pressure on them with our collective speed and we intend to do that from the first minute."Jones named a bench with a 5-3 split in favour of the forwards for what is likely to be a physical contest against the big but relatively inexperienced All Blacks pack named by Scott Robertson on Tuesday.The return of exciting youngster Yoshitaka Yazaki at fullback is one of five changes to the starting line-up from the team that lost 41-17 to Fiji in the final of the Pacific Nations Cup last month.Fijian-born winger Jone Naikabula returns to start on the right wing and former skipper Kazuki Himeno comes in at openside flanker for Kanji Shimokawa, who drops to the bench.Playmaker Harumichi Tatekawa will captain the side and loosehead prop Opeti Helu and flyhalf Takuro Matsunaga are set to win their first test caps off the bench."Both of them have been very impressive in the lead up to the game,"

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