TOKYO (AFP) – Japan coach John Kirwan named 41 candidates Monday, including seven uncapped players, for his preliminary squad going to this year's rugby World Cup in earthquake-hit New Zealand.
The All Black legend also said he might consider calling up Christian Loamanu if the Japan Rugby Football Union lifts an indefinite ban it imposed on him in 2009 for alleged marijuana use.
The union is due to make a decision on the 24-year-old Tongan-born wing, now playing for Toulon in France, at its executive committee meeting on March 24.
The squad list will be reduced to 30 for the Asian Five Nations tournament in April and May with a further selection to be made for the Pacific Nations Cup in July, Kirwan said.
The final World Cup squad will be announced by August 22 after the Brave Blossoms tour Italy from late July. The rugby World Cup will be held in September and October.
The squad, captained by 35-capped Takashi Kikutani, is a mixture of youth and experience.
"We wanted a good balance between the experienced players who understand how we play and the young players who keep the enthusiasm up," said Kirwan, 46, who became Japan coach ahead of the 2007 World Cup in France.
He reiterated his goal of winning at least two games in a group with France, New Zealand, Tonga and Canada.
The seven uncapped players included three from Top League champions Sanyo Wild Knights, who lost to Suntory Sungoliath 37-20 in the All-Japan Championship final in Tokyo on Sunday.
The Sanyo trio are Justin Ives (lock), Tadasuke Nishihara (flanker) and Akihito Yamada (wing).
The other newcomers are scrum-halves Ippei Asada (Toyota) and Atsushi Hiwasa (Suntory); centre Taihei Ueda (Honda) and wing Takehisa Usuzuki (Toshiba).
"There were quite a few hotly contested positions, especially at loose forward and out wide," said Kirwan. "As we have matured into a better team the selection has become more difficult."
The team will go into a training camp in the southern Japan resort of Miyazaki on April 1 and face Hong Kong away on April 30 in their Five Nations opener.
source: Yahoo News
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