All Blacks preparing for ‘passionate’ and ‘well-coached’ Japan under Eddie Jones

Mark Tele’a starts on the wing against Japan in Yokohama on Saturday. Photo / Photosport

The All Blacks are proud of never taking an opponent lightly, but they wouldn’t be blamed for having a stronger focus on their opponent this weekend than previous trips to Japan.

Two years ago Japan got as close as they’ve come to upsetting the All Blacks, losing 38-31 in Tokyo.

The Brave Blossoms were a try away from a stunning upset in the final moments after Brodie Retallick had been sent off for a dangerous cleanout with 15 minutes to play. A late Richie Mo’unga’s penalty sealed the result after the All Blacks defence had done just enough to survive.

It was by far their best effort against New Zealand after the All Blacks had previously left Japan untroubled – 54-6 (2013) and 69-31 (2018).

With a tough stretch of the Northern Tour waiting ahead with tests against England, Ireland and France in consecutive weeks, Scott Robertson and his selectors had a fine balance of picking a side to put up a much better display in Japan while also keeping an eye on the match-days to come.

Favoured No 10 Damian McKenzie starting again, centurion Sam Cane playing alongside Wallace Sititi for the fourth straight test while just two possible debutants sit on the bench is a strong sign the All Blacks have bigger thoughts on their tour opener in Yokohama.

It also may have something to do with new Japanese coach Eddie Jones, who has had his fair share of victories over New Zealand with two different sides. He’ll be out to make it a third on Saturday.

All Blacks assistant Scott Hansen knows more about Japanese rugby than most New Zealanders. He was part of the Japanese coaching set-up from 2019 to 2022 and before that coached at Kobelco Steelers and the Sunwolves. Head coach Robertson played in Japan at the end of his career.

“Passionate, the Brave Blossoms – that’s what they are,” Hansen said of the hosts. “They’ll look for a fast game, they’re well-coached, very passionate people that play well in front of their people.

“They’re growing their game. It’s been really nice to watch around the consistency they’ve got in their game. You look at the set piece, that’s been really strong.

“Japanese rugby is always built on finding weakness and attacking it quickly and we expect that on the weekend around where they’ll come. They’ll turn the ball behind us, they’ll run and play a fast game, they’ll speed it up. They are an exciting team to play against,” he added.

All Blacks winger Mark Tele’a said the players were embracing the Japanese culture and environment, taking in some baseball training and local food in the lead-up to the test. He expects the Japan side to be “fast” and “exciting”.

Tele’a will be marking former Scots College and Wellington Lions player Malo Tuitama, who made his debut for Japan this year after joining the Shizuoka Blue Revs in 2019.

“It’s a massive privilege to travel these ways and experience the culture, you know, just the atmosphere, the food, all the people and the fans, it’s just crazy. You know how passionate they are about rugby and for us players coming this way, we get to see that and get to come to their stomping ground and throw the ball around with them in their backyard. So it’s massive.

“For me, it’s just embracing that and, you know, stepping to the challenge,” Tele’a said.

All Blacks v Japan, Saturday 6.50pm. Live commentary on Newstalk ZB, Gold Sport and iHeartRadio. Live match blog at nzherald.co.nz