England promised to target Japan’s rookie fullback when they play a rugby Test on Japanese soil for the first time on Saturday in Tokyo.

Eddie Jones, starting his second tenure as Japan coach after an ill fated second stint with Australia, boldly chose Yoshitaka Yazaki, an uncapped university student not playing for a professional side.

The 20-year-old Yazaki impressed Jones in a Japan XV which won the Pacific Challenge in April involving other ‘A’ teams from Samoa, Fiji and Tonga.

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Picking Yazaki was “quite easy,” Jones said.

“You’re always aware with a younger player of whether they’ve got the emotional maturity to handle it,” he added.

“Everything we’ve seen from him shows that he can handle the situation.”

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Yazaki will be tested at the National Stadium, England captain Jamie George said.

“He’s in for a tough day,” he vowed.

“There isn’t a fullback in the world who’ll want to play against us in terms of the athletes that compete against us in the air.”

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England has stopped in Tokyo en route to a two Test tour of New Zealand, and are hoping to retune the attacking game with which it finished the Six Nations so well.

England loosened up during the tournament, spreading the ball wider.

They beat eventual champion Ireland 23-22 at Twickenham and lost to France 33-31 in Lyon.

Coach Steve Borthwick showed his intent by picking 11 of the starting team against France to help a new era gather pace and prevent Jones from getting one over his old team and former assistant.

Jones was fired by England 18 months ago.

England’s nous up front from George, Dan Cole, Maro Itoje and Sam Underhill is complemented by ambitious backs Ollie Lawrence, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Tommy Freeman.

Sale winger Tom Roebuck could debut off the bench.

Only seven Japan starters were at last year’s Rugby World Cup, where Japan lost to England 34-12 in the pool stage.

There are four uncapped players in the starting side, including both props, and eight in the 23.

With Kazuki Himeno injured, flanker Michael Leitch has been restored as captain.

“You only get better by playing against better players,” Jones said.

“We know this is going to be a difficult game, but I’m sure that the learnings from this game are going to be absolutely fantastic for these young players.”

JAPAN (15-1): Yoshitaka Yazaki, Jone Naikabula, Dylan Riley, Tomoki Osada, Koga Nezuka, Seungsin Lee, Naoto Saito, Faulua Makisi, Tiennan Costley, Michael Leitch (c), Warner Dearns, Sanaila Waqa, Shuhei Takeuchi, Mamoru Harada, Takayoshi Mohara

Reserves: Atsushi Sakate, Shogo Miura, Keijiro Tamefusa, Amanaki Saumaki, Kai Yamamoto, Shinobu Fujiwara, Rikiya Matsuda, Samisoni Tua

ENGLAND (15-1): George Furbank, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Henry Slade, Ollie Lawrence, Tommy Freeman, Marcus Smith, Alex Mitchell, Ben Earl, Sam Underhill, Chandler Cunningham-Smith, George Martin, Maro Itoje, Dan Cole, Jamie George (c), Bevan Rodd

Reserves: Theo Dan, Joe Marler, Will Stuart, Charlie Ewels, Tom Curry, Harry Randall, Fin Smith, Tom Roebuck

Meanwhile, circumstances have made South Africa and Wales consider the 2027 Rugby World Cup in picking the lineups for their one off Test on Saturday at Twickenham.

In South Africa’s first match since winning the World Cup last October, they chose four new caps, as many as Wales, who are making their first appearance since finishing bottom of the Six Nations for the first time in 21 years.

Both teams have been hit by injuries and, with the match outside World Rugby’s international window, restrictions on who they can pick.

Players in England and France are ineligible, and Bulls players are tied up with the United Rugby Championship final, also on Saturday.

The Springboks still have 10 players from the World Cup final win against New Zealand in Paris, and 16 of their tournament squad.

They are odds on to repeat the record 52-16 home defeat they handed Wales in Cardiff when they last met in August in a World Cup warmup.

Flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit will captain a forward pack crammed with experience.

Lock Eben Etzebeth’s 119 caps are one less than the entire Wales pack.

Hooker Malcolm Marx returns from the knee injury which ended his World Cup in the first game.

None of the three World Cup flyhalves are around: Handre Pollard is unavailable, Damian Willemse is injured and Manie Libbok has been overlooked to give a debut to Lions playmaker Jordan Hendrikse.

He’s the younger brother of Jaden, who was a World Cup winner in France but is out injured.

In a five/three reserves split, Hendrikse’s flyhalf backup is Stormers utility Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

The other new caps are Lions winger Edwill van der Merwe and Stormers flanker Ben-Jason Dixon.

“A fantastic opportunity to blood a few youngsters and expose them to the national setup, which will be vital in the next few years as we build a squad capable of trying to win the Rugby World Cup in 2027,” coach Rassie Erasmus said.

Wales are on a six Test losing streak and counterpart Warren Gatland has scraped his side together.

Flanker James Botham – the grandson of England cricket legend Ian – is starting after joining the camp on Monday, after World Cup co-captain Jac Morgan was ruled out of the summer Tests by a hamstring injury.

Uncapped Ospreys forward James Ratti is in the reserves after coming in on Tuesday.

Tighthead prop Keiron Assiratti was promoted on Thursday and the recalled Henry Thomas was ruled out by a foot injury in training.

The second row has been notably problematic.

Six Nations captain Dafydd Jenkins and Christ Tshiunza are unavailable, Will Rowlands has been rested for the summer, and the other World Cup lock Adam Beard is injured.

Also injured are Rhys Davies and Cory Hill, and Seb Davies is suspended.

Matthew Screech will make his first Test start beside Dragons clubmate Ben Carter, who last appeared for Wales in the August loss to South Africa.

“We have our backs to the wall a little bit this week,” Gatland said.

SOUTH AFRICA (15-1): Aphelele Fassi, Edwill van der Merwe, Jesse Kriel, Andre Esterhuizen, Makazole Mapimpi, Jordan Hendrikse, Faf de Klerk, Evan Roos, Pieter-Steph du Toit (c), Kwagga Smith, Franco Mostert, Eben Etzebeth, Vincent Koch, Malcolm Marx, Ox Nche

Reserves: Bongi Mbonambi, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Frans Malherbe, Salmaan Moerat, Ben-Jason Dixon, Grant Williams, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Damian de Allende

WALES (15-1): Cameron Winnett, Liam Williams, Owen Watkin, Mason Grady, Rio Dyer, Sam Costelow, Ellis Bevan, Aaron Wainwright, James Botham, Taine Plumtree, Ben Carter, Matthew Screech, Keiron Assiratti, Dewi Lake (c), Gareth Thomas

Reserves: Evan Lloyd, Kemsley Mathias, Harri O’Connor, James Ratti, Mackenzie Martin, Gareth Davies, Eddie James, Jacob Beetham