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Eddie Jones names 124kg former Australia U20 lock in new Japan squad
By Josh Raisey
Former Australia U20 lock Harry Hockings is one of eight uncapped players named in Eddie Jones’ Japan squad for their training camps in Miyazaki and Oita.
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The former Reds second-row, 27, qualifies for the Brave Blossoms on residency grounds having joined Tokyo Sungoliath in 2021.
Hockings will be joined by fellow uncapped Australian-born lock David van Zeeland in the squad, as well as South African-born Tyler Paul.
Jones will also welcome back veteran captain Michael Leitch to the squad, who missed the recent Pacific Nations Cup campaign, where Japan finished runners-up, narrowly losing to Fiji in the final.
The Brave Blossoms take on Australia, South Africa, Ireland, Wales and Georgia in consecutive weeks across October and November.
Japan squad
Loosehead props: Kenta Kobayashi (Tokyo Sungoliath, 4 caps), Ryosuke Iwaihara (Yokohama Canon Eagles, 2 caps), Taishi Tsumura (Black Rams Tokyo, 0 caps)
Hookers: Hayate Era (Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay, 5 caps), Kenji Sato (Saitama Wild Knights, 4 caps), Shodai Hirao (Tokyo SG, 0 caps)
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Tighthead props: Shuhei Takeuchi (Tokyo SG, 19 caps), Keijiro Tamefusa (Tokyo-Bay, 15 caps), Sanshiro Kihara (Tokyo SG, 0 caps)
Second-rows: Warner Dearns (Hurricanes, 27 caps), Jack Cornelsen (Saitama, 24 caps), Tiennan Costley (Kobelco Kobe Steelers, 9 caps), Waisake Raratubua (Kobe, 5 caps), Tyler Paul (Tokyo-Bay, 0 caps), Harry Hockings (Tokyo SG, 0 caps), David van Zeeland (Tokyo-Bay, 0 caps)
Back-rows: Michael Leitch (Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo, 89 caps), Faulua Makisi (Tokyo-Bay, 20 caps), Kanji Shimokawa (Tokyo SG, 18 caps), Amato Fakatava (BR Tokyo, 18 caps), Ben Gunter (Saitama, 14 caps), Akito Okui (Toyota Verblitz, 2 caps)
Scrum-halves: Shinobu Fujiwara (Tokyo-Bay, 16 caps), Kenta Fukuda (Tokyo SG, 5 caps), Shuntaro Kitamura (Shizuoka BlueRevs, 1 cap)
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Fly-halves: Lee Seung Sin (Kobe, 24 caps), Sam Greene (Shizuoka, 4 caps), Shinya Komura (Toyota, 0 caps)
Centres: Dylan Riley (Saitama, 33 caps), Siosaia Fifita (Toyota, 16 caps), Shogo Nakano (Tokyo SG, 10 caps), Charlie Lawrence (Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars, 4 caps), Yuya Hirose (Tokyo-Bay, 4 caps), Yuki Ikeda (BR Tokyo, 1 cap)
Wingers: Tomoki Osada (Saitama, 21 caps), Kippei Ishida (Yokohama, 5 caps), Haruto Kida (Tokyo-Bay, 2 caps), Kazuma Ueda (Kobe, 0 caps)
Full-backs: Takuro Matsunaga (BL Tokyo, 5 caps), Ichigo Nakakusu (BR Tokyo, 3 caps)
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