O'Donovan wary of battle-hardened Japan

Stand-in Ireland coach Niall O’Donovan is not underestimating the power and pace of tomorrow’s Test opponents Japan.

Historically, the Irish, who first travelled to the land of the Rising Sun 20 years ago for two non-cap successes, have held the edge over the plucky Asians.

Three Test wins from three matches, with the most recent coming in 2000’s 11-try 78-9 romp at Lansdowne Road, have seen the Irish well on top.

But Mitsutake Hagimoto’s current Cherry Blossom crop, arguably the most active of the world’s top 20 sides in recent times thanks to six outings in the past two months, are an improving outfit.

Japan lost narrowly to Canada (15-10) in the Toshiba Super Cup final last month, after three consecutive wins over Romania (23-16), South Korea (50-31) and Hong Kong (91-3) in the Asian Nations Series.

March saw former France ’B’ coach Jean-Pierre Elissalde and ex-Morocco boss Edmond Jorda take charge of Japan’s forwards and backs respectively, and O’Donovan believes there is an added steel to Ireland’s two-Test hosts.

“Japan will have the benefit of a number of games in recent weeks, and they turned in some battling performances against Canada, Romania and Argentina this year,” said O’Donovan, who tonight takes his squad to watch local football side Cerezo Osaka line up in the J-League cup competition at the Nagai Stadium – the venue for tomorrow’s first Test.

“They are no pushovers. Their flanker (Hare) Makiri has played for the New Zealand Maori, their outside centre Reuben Parkinson is another Kiwi and the winger Daisuke Ohata is lightning quick and loves a breakaway, so in defence and attack we’ll have to be on our toes.

“We’ve arrived here with a number of new players eager to make an impression. We want the opportunity to look at how they adapt to certain situations in certain positions.

“The heat may also make us play to a different strategy, but we have a set game plan and will stick to it, no matter what the weather.”

Thankfully for the fair-skinned Irish, the midweek temperatures of 30-degrees plus will have cooled to a projected high of 27 by game-time tomorrow, with rain even forecasted for the 30,000 attendance.

“The humidity has been high but not unbearable so far,” said stand-in Irish captain David Humphreys, a replacement against the Japanese five years ago.

“The conditions are far better than they were in Tonga a couple of seasons back.

“The boys are just dying to get out there and play. To end the Six Nations with two defeats was very disappointing for the squad as a whole.

“Looking at the young players who have come into the tour squad, it seems like a fresh start for us all and two good results here will ideally springboard us into next season and the World Cup beyond that.”

Since their exit from the 2003 World Cup, Ulster fly-half Humphreys has only started one of Ireland’s last 15 internationals – against the US Eagles last November.

“I’m happy to get my chance. It’s important for the team as a whole that we have two or three players consistently competing for the number 10 spot,” he declared.

“Injuries are on the increase in the professional game so you have to take your chance to impress when it comes along,” added 33-year-old Humphreys, a qualified solicitor whose plans for life after rugby include “delaying 9-5 work for as long as possible.”