Shizuoka memories still strong as Iain Henderson and Lions brace for Japan

Ireland fell to the World Cup hosts in 2019 so the Ulster second row isn't about to underestimate the Japanese threat this weekend

Iain Henderson and Lions head of strength & conditioning Jon Clarke

Iain Henderson has no intention of overlooking the part Japan will play in Murrayfield this Saturday when the 2021 British and Irish Lions play their first competitive game of the summer tour and, with it, their bow on Scottish soil.

The Ulster skipper is just one among a baker’s dozen of players in Warren Gatland’s squad who know what it’s like to lose to a Brave Blossoms side that saw off both Ireland and Scotland in the 2019 World Cup.