Hookers: Scott Baldwin v Shota Horie
Baldwin made his international debut in the second Test against Japan in 2013, the only match Wales have ever lost against the Brave Blossoms, facing Shota Horie after coming off the bench for the closing stages. The pair will be keen to renew hostilities, with Baldwin since winning 26 caps and starting all five of their Rugby World Cup matches in 2015.
Horie also played a starring role in the Rugby World Cup, starting all four Pool games and making 10 tackles in the historic win over South Africa. The 30-year-old is the complete modern hooker, quick around the park with a strong handling game and excellent in the tackle and at the breakdown.
At 6ft 3in and 18 stone, Baldwin is considerably bigger and heavier than his opposite number, packing a punch in the tackle and at the set-piece, where his line-out throwing is also a real asset. It will be a fierce duel on Saturday between two world-class hookers.
Number 8s: James King v Amanaki Mafi
Starting at number 8 on Saturday, James King also made his debut against Japan in 2013, albeit at openside flanker in a 22-18 Welsh victory in the opening Test, leading the tackle count with 10. Since then, the Ospreys forward has only added eight Test caps, a victim of Wales’ extraordinary strength in the back row.
Amanaki Mafi is also a relative newcomer to Test match rugby but, since making his debut against Romania in 2014, the bulky ball-carrier has been a mainstay of Japan’s pack when not injured. The number 8, who has signed for Super Rugby side Melbourne Rebels for next season, has scored four Test match tries, including Rugby World Cup efforts against Scotland and the USA. Hugely powerful with ball in hand, Mafi also has a good offloading game and fronts up in defence.
King, whose last start in Test rugby also came at number 8, has yet to score for his country, but his all-round game and defence is outstanding and offers a useful option in the line-out too. King will need to be on his mettle to stop Japan’s biggest strike runner.
Scrum-halves: Lloyd Williams v Fumiaki Tanaka
Williams has won 27 caps but this is a rare start for the Blues number nine, with 22 of his Test appearances coming from the bench. Since his debut against Argentina in 2011, Williams has played at two Rugby World Cups and both his international tries have come on rugby’s biggest stage, against Namibia and Fiji in the 2011 tournament.
Arguably his best moment for Wales came when pressed into emergency service on the wing against England in the 2015 tournament, producing a perfect cross-kick for Gareth Davies to score a hugely important try to defeat the hosts.
Tanaka – one of the few Japan squad members who plies their trade in Super Rugby – has also featured in two World Cup squads for Japan, but is very much the first-choice scrum-half. He is a real leader on the pitch, organising Japan’s high-tempo brand of rugby and firing passes from the base of ruck, rarely taking the ball on himself.
Williams, son of former Wales international number nine Brynmor, has a much better running game and poses a real threat around the fringes. It will be an intriguing clash of styles on Saturday.
