Japan’s 20-year-old prodigy Yoshitaka Yazaki may be handed his senior debut against England next week despite still being a University student Eddie Jones has revealed.
Japan hosts England on Saturday 22 June at the National Stadium in Tokyo as Jones comes up against his former employers in his first game back in charge of the Brave Blossoms.
Niigata native Yazaki, who was born in 2004, is a highly-rated full-back who has caught the eye of the two-time Wallabies head coach after scoring two tries for Japan’s Junior Team against the Fiji Warriors at the World Rugby Pacific Challenge in April.
The 5ft 9in, 85kg talent started playing rugby at the age of five at Suita Rugby School in Osaka which has produced famed players such as Japan legend Shota Horie.
Yazaki (below - centre) then joined the renowned Toin Gakuen High School in Kanagawa and his pace and footwork earned him comparisons to Japan's livewire full-back Kotaro Matsushima who also emerged from the same school.
In his second year of high school he earned a call-up for Japan’s High School National Team and featured in their impressive victory over the Ireland U19 National Team.
After joining Waseda University he was fast-tracked onto the U20 Japan national team where he was deployed on the wing.
Yazaki, whose cousin Makoto Yazaki is a staff member of the Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights, played a starring role for his country at the World Rugby U20 Championships last year in South Africa.
While Japan suffered three heavy defeats in the pool stage against France, New Zealand and Wales, their blossoming number 15 was widely regarded as one of the best players at the tournament.
Yazaki, who is naturally yet to sign for a professional League One club as he's still at student, is a player who’s composed beyond his years and has an X-factor to his game which could see him quickly become a fan favourite and household name.
Jones, who after returning to the Japan post said he’s searching for rugby’s answer to baseball megastar Shohei Ohtani, invited three University students to join the Brave Blossoms’ ongoing training camp in Miyazaki and singled out Yazaki - who was said to have featured the most - for praise after his first training session.
Yazaki himself also spoke to the media on Tuesday.
The youngster told journalist Makoto Taniguchi of NIKKEI: “Eddie told me that there is a possibility that I will play. I don't need to do anything special, I just want to play super-fast rugby while paying attention to the details in each play."
After hosting England, a Japan XV will play the Māori All Blacks in two non-capped matches on Saturday 29 June and Saturday 6 July.
Pictures courtesy of Japan Rugby
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