Stephen Perofeta and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck. Photo / Getty
All you need to know ahead of the one-off test between the All Blacks and Japan at the National Stadium in Tokyo (kickoff at 6.50pm):
Fullback Stephen Perofeta and No 12 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck will start a test for the first time when the All Blacks play Japan in Tokyo on Saturday in the opening match of their Northern Hemisphere tour.
Until now Perofeta has measured his All Blacks in seconds: he played less than a minute as a replacement in New Zealand's Rugby Championship test against Argentina in Christchurch in August.
The talented Blues utility, who also plays at first-five, has been handed his first start in an All Blacks lineup which is slightly makeshift because of the absence of players who are injured or unavailable.
League convert Tuivasa-Sheck has been named in a new-look midfield combination with Braydon Ennor for his third test and first start. Ennor also is making a return to the New Zealand starting lineup and will play his sixth test on Saturday.
Head coach Ian Foster found midfield resources stretched in the absence of Rieko Ioane who was late leaving New Zealand because of an ear infection. With Quinn Tupaea out for the season, Jordie Barrett unavailable and David Havili making his return from a head injury on the bench, Foster has had to improvise.
The wider selection was difficult because of the absence of several players. The Barrett brothers, Jordie, Beauden and Scott, also were delayed in New Zealand because of a family bereavement.
The unavailability of lock Scott Barrett and veteran Sam Whitelock who also has an ear infection left Foster with only three fit players in the second row.
Brodie Retallick will combine there on Saturday with Tupou Vaa'i while Patrick Tuipulotu has been named on the bench for his first test since his return from Japan.
Finlay Christie will make his second test start at halfback in combination with No 10 Richie Mo'unga.
Sam Cane returns to the captaincy after his recent head injury and veteran Dane Coles will start at hooker between props Nepo Laulala and George Bower.
The All Blacks' strong bench includes hooker Samisoni Taukei'aho, scrumhalf Aaron Smith, Havili and center Anton Lienert-Brown who may make his first appearance of the year after recovering from shoulder surgery.
Lienert Brown said Japan are a "feared opponent now and it's about us getting our stuff right, making sure we're switched on for the whole week and we prepare as best we can. We know the challenge ahead".
Foster is hoping on Saturday to see continuing performance from the All Blacks after their defence of the Rugby Championship. After the Japan test, New Zealand will play Wales, Scotland and England over successive weekends.
"This northern tour is going to be huge," Foster said. "We see four incredibly tough tests ahead and this one against Japan will ask some serious questions of us.
"We want to show that we are ready to respond. We want to show that we have put in the work required to lift our game even further after the Rugby Championship."
The All Blacks are playing Japan on their way to Britain, where they will play Wales in Cardiff on November 6, Scotland in Edinburgh on November 14 and England at Twickenham on November 20.
Young New Zealand lock Werner Dearns will line up for Japan against the All Blacks for the first time. Dearns will team in the Brave Blossoms' second row with Jack Cornelsen, son of former Wallabies captain Greg Cornelsen.
Former captain Michael Leitch has another opportunity to play against his native New Zealand.
Australian-born Dylan Riley gives Japan strength in midfield while Takuya Yamasawa will start at flyhalf with Seungsi Lee on the bench.
All Blacks: Stephen Perofeta, Sevu Reece, Braydon Ennor, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Caleb Clarke, Richie Mo’unga, Finlay Christie; Hoskins Sotutu, Sam Cane (captain), Shannon Frizell, Tupou Vaa’i, Brodie Retallick, Nepo Laulala, Dane Coles, George Bower. Reserves: Samisoni Taukei’aho, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Tyrel Lomax, Patrick Tuipulotu, Dalton Papali’i, Aaron Smith, David Havili, Anton Lienert-Brown.
Japan: Ryohei Yamanaka, Kotaro Matsushima, Dylan Riley, Ryoto Nakamura, Siosaia Fifita, Takuya Yamasawa, Yutaka Nagare; Tevita Tatafu, Kazuki Himeno, Michael Leitch, Jack Cornelsen, Warner Dearns, Jiwon Gu, Atsushi Sakate, Keita Inagaki. Reserves: Takeshi Hino, Craig Millar, Shuhei Takeuchi, Kanji Shimokawa, Faulua Makisi, Naoto Saito, Seungsi Lee, Gerhard van den Heever.
All Blacks: $1.03
Japan: $8.50
Draw: $41.00
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
Assistant Referees: Jordan Way (Australia), Graham Cooper (Australia)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
The All Blacks, led by Buck Shelford, first toured Japan in 1987 for a five-match tour including two tests. They defeated Japan B, the Asian Barbarians and the J.R.U. Presidents XV while winning the tests 74-0 and 106-4. They wouldn't tour again until another 26 years later but they did meet at the 1995 World Cup in Bloemfontein when the All Blacks ran riot in their final pool game. They scored 21 tries in a record 145-17 win with Marc Ellis dotting down six times and Simon Culhane successfully converting 20 of the tries.
It would be another 16 years before they met in World Cup pool play again, when despite the All Blacks resting a number of big names for the Hamilton game, the home team still eased to an 83-7 victory.
New Zealand returned to face Japan in 2013, after playing the Wallabies for the DHL Cup in Tokyo four years earlier, winning 54-6 in an error-ridden test as Frank Halai, Dominic Bird, Luke Whitelock and Jeffery Toomaga-Allen all made their test debuts.
The last test between the two nations was the closest. Japan scored first against an inexperienced side captain by Luke Whitelock. The All Blacks led 38-19 at halftime at Tokyo Stadium in 2018 before winning 69-31.
2018 All Blacks 69 Japan 31 2013 All Blacks 54 Japan 6 2011 All Blacks 83 Japan 7 1995 All Blacks 145 Japan 17 1987 All Blacks 106 Japan 4
All Blacks: W, W, W, L W Japan: L, L, W, W, L
According to Accuweather, Tokyo will have a blend of sun and clouds with a high of 20 degrees. Three percent chance of rain.
The Herald will be live blogging the test, while radio commentary is running live on Newstalk ZB, Gold Sport and on iHeartRadio.
The match is screening on Sky Sport 1 and live streaming on Sky Sport Now.