What the coach said

“I was pleased with last week’s performance. Obviously, we didn’t prepare for that weather, so I was really pleased with the patience we displayed and the way we managed the game was really good.

“We have a really good squad here and I think it’s really important during a Rugby World Cup year that we use this competition to get used to playing different teams. That means that we have adapt our team, selecting the right blend to take on this Japanese team and select a side that can ultimately win us the game.”

How the teams line up

CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL SAKURA FIFTEEN LINE UP.

The previous meetings

27/10/2023: Scotland Women 38 – 7 Japan Women, Athlone Sports Stadium, Cape Town
14/11/2021: Scotland Women 36 – 12 Japan Women, Hive Stadium, Edinburgh
24/11/2019: Scotland Women 20 – 24 Japan Women, Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow

The stats

• Expect a bit impact from the bench; Evie Gallagher made 14 carries and hit 20 rucks in Scotland’s game against Italy last weekend, whilst Emma Orr completed 19 tackles, with a 100% success rate.
• Lana Skeldon scored her 18^th Scotland try last week against Italy, cementing her title as the Scotland hooker (men or women) with the most tries scored for Scotland.
• A win would give Scotland their third consecutive win over the Sakura Fifteen out of four tests.