Japan v France: Five storylines to follow including Charles Ollivon’s return and a chance to recapture World Cup excitement

Ahead of the upcoming two-Test series between Japan and France, we pick out five storylines to follow over the next month.

Japan have regressed somewhat since they hosted their global showpiece and stunned Ireland three years ago, despite the burgeoning strength of their domestic league. Covid hit them at precisely the wrong moment – well, more wrong than even some others – while the actual nationality of their squad becomes ever-more dubious, with tries in the recent win over Uruguay scored by Dylan Riley, Ben Gunter and Gerhard van den Heever.

Their July opposition, meanwhile, have moved sharply in the opposite direction since 2019’s disappointing exit to Wales and are now firmly entrenched in conversations about favourites for the next World Cup, which they are hosting.

Planet Rugby duly takes a look at five talking points ahead of the intriguing series.

Make no mistake, it was a shadow France team, along with George Kruis, which laid waste to England’s hopefuls at Twickenham a week and a half ago. The French Barbarians are on tour in the USA, having a whale of a time, while the actual first-choice French team is about to be unleashed on Japan. But the tour is also notable for the number of front-line players being given a summer off and there will be a chance to gauge just how well another – yet another – crop of international-class youngsters is coming on. Keep your eyes on Antoine Hastoy, Baptiste Couilloud, Yoann Tanga and Dany Priso, for example, most of whom would give any international in their position a run for their money, yet all of whom could be viably assessed as fourth-choice in their positions in the French squad.

Covid certainly wrecked the momentum Japan had created, while many possible fans have had