Lions v Japan: Duhan van der Merwe against the brilliant Kotaro Matsushima in an intriguing match-up

Duhan van der Merwe practises his bull juggling during a training session at BT Murrayfield ahead of the British & Irish Lions' match against Japan. Picture: Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

Rugby-playing leopards may sometimes change their spots, but it’s rare for them to do so. Looking at the Lions’ back division for today’s match against Japan doesn’t suggest that Warren Gatland has any intention of playing the Japanese at their own game which features speed of thought and foot, speed at releasing the ball from the breakdown, and getting it wide as quickly as possible.

That was the game that they played so daringly and beautifully in the first half of their World Cup match against Scotland, when indeed they showed that they can play the handling game better than most, and every bit as well as anybody.

Well, it’s usually sensible not to play your opponents at their own game. So Gatland has Dan Biggar and Conor Murray at half-back. Biggar is more expansive than he used to be. He makes half-breaks and passes well. But his first instinct is to kick the ball, to boot it high in the air and give chase. Even his critics, of whom there are quite a few in Wales, recognise that he does this very well indeed. Meanwhile, his scrum-half partner, Murray, is the box-kicker supreme, tormenting wing three-quarters or anyone covering back. Murray has done much to make Johnny Sexton the player he is, because over the years he has very seldom shipped on bad ball to him.

Then in the centre Gatland has paired Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw, both masters of the bullocking game. They will, one assumes, both be expected to breach the gain-line and put Japan on the back foot. Both are likely to do this very well. Henshaw however has a much wider range of talents – he was, I thought, the outstanding centre in this year’s Six Nations – and since he is equally comfortable at 12 and 13 will surely be a Test match starter if his form holds up.

Kotaro Matsushima evades Stuart Hogg during Japan's win over Scotland at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images