Forwards shuffle gives Adam Butterfield and ‘Moses’ Bailey a chance to shine

Debutant forwards Adam Butterfield and Damian "Moses" Bailey will be thrown in the deep end when Hong Kong take on champions Japan in their second match of the Asia Rugby Championship in Tokyo on Saturday.

Towering lock forward Butterfield will start, while number eight Bailey will come off the bench. Both will have their hands full, with Japan expected to extend their supremacy in the region, although Hong Kong head coach Andy Hall has promised a much better performance than in last Saturday's opening 33-26 loss to South Korea.

"We are not going to Tokyo to be polite second best. This is not going to be a training session for Japan and our mindset is to play to win," said Hall. This year's revamped tournament, limited to the "top three", is being played on a home-and-away basis.

Hong Kong have rung the changes, including a shuffling of the front row which now comprises Leon Wei Hon-sum, Alex Harris and Jack Parfitt.

"Adam is an impressive athlete. He is Hong Kong-born and has come home after finishing university in Exeter. He has had a trial at Saracens and we expect a lot from him, although this will be a huge step up. I have paired him off with Paul [Dwyer] who is a seasoned campaigner and can guide and counsel him," Hall said.

"Moses is a dynamic player. He is South African and is now eligible to play for Hong Kong. He will bring a lot of energy to the side."

The backline has been shuffled too. Ben Rimene will replace Chris McAdam at fly-half with Cado Lee Ka-to, who had a good game against Korea, retaining his place at scrum-half. Hong Kong sevens captain Jamie Hood comes in at midfield replacing the injured Tyler Spitz with Max Woodward occupying the other centre berth.

Last week's debutant Charlie Higson-Smith, who didn't even catch the ball coming on in the dying seconds, will start on the left wing, replacing Salom Yiu Kam-shing, with the McQueen brothers Tom and Alex completing the back three.