Rugby World Cup team news, betting news & odds

South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus has laid down a marker for the first big game of Rugby World Cup 2019 by naming 23-man squad early for Saturday's Pool B opener with current champions New Zealand in Yokohama.

It is exactly the same Springbok side and replacements bench that beat Japan 41-7 in Kumagaya at the start of the month in their final warm-up game and 22 of the players who featured in green in July's Rugby Championship 16-16 draw with the All Blacks in Wellington.

Favourites New Zealand are a general 4-9 to open up with victory, while the Boks are 9-4 with Hills and another draw is as big as 33-1 with BoyleSports. Most firms have their choice handicap line at New Zealand -6, but Hills give South Africa a seven-point start.

Hosts Japan and Russia have named their squads for Friday's tournament-opener at the Tokyo Stadium in Chofu.

Brave Blossoms head coach Jamie Joseph has brought in Lomano Lemeki on the left wing for injured flyer Kenki Fukuoka and Kazuki Himeno at number eight for Amanaki Mafi, while Yutaka Nagare, Shota Horie, Asaeli Ai Valu, Wimpie van der Walt and James Moore also come into the team dismantled by South Africa.

Bears head coach Lyn Jones has somewhat surprisingly left two of the seven players who featured at the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand out of his 23-man squad entirely - heavyweight number eight Victor Gresev and electric outside back Denis Simplikevich.

Japan are 1-60 favourites to prevail with Russia 40-1 shots to stun the hosts and the draw available at 125-1 with Coral. The Bears get a start from the bookmakers of between 39 and 41 points.

Brave Blossoms skipper Michael Leitch is not resting on any laurels after scoring a late try to secure a 32-27 success when the teams met in Gloucester last November.

He said: “We were very lucky to win the last time we played Russia. We went into that Test match last year and we prepared really well, very similar to this week.

"But they put us under a whole lot of pressure and we conceded penalties, they built a lead and when those sorts of things happen, then teams don’t play to their potential. I guess, as that’s our only experience as a team against Russia, I wouldn’t say we’re favourites.

"I would say we’re even going into the match, and if we don’t play to our best, we’ll really struggle because we’ve experienced that before.”

England remain tight-lipped about the fitness of backs Joe Cokanasiga, Jack Nowell and Henry Slade going into Sunday's Pool C tussle with Tonga in the Sapporo Dome.

However, Ireland assistant coach Andy Farrell has suggested that experienced backs Rob Kearney and Keith Earls are winning their races to recover in time for Sunday's starter with Scotland and confirmed that back-up fly-half Joey Carbery is fully fit after a spell on the sidelines. Centre Robbie Henshaw is out with a hamstring strain.

Japan: W Tupou; K Matsushima, T lafaele, R Nakamura, L Lemeki; Y Tamura, Y Nagare; K Inagaki, S Horie, A Ai Valu; W van der Walt, J Moore; M Leitch, P Labuschagne, K Himeno.

Replacements: A Sakate, I Nakajima, J koo, L Thompson, H Tui, F Tanaka, R Matsuda, R Yamanaka.

Russia: V Artemyev; G Davydov, V Ostroushko, D Gerasimov, K Golosnitsky; Y Kustinarev, V Dorofeev; V Morozov, S Selski, K Gotovtsev; A Ostrikov, B Fedolko; V Zhivatov, T Gadzhiev, N Vavilin.

Replacements: E Matveev, A Polivalov, A Bitiev, A Garbuzhov, A Sychev, D Perov, R Gaisin, V Sozonov.

South Africa: W le Roux; C Kolbe, L An, D de Allende, M Mapimpi; H Pollard, F de Klerk; S Kitshoff, M Marx, F Malherbe,; E Etzebeth, G Mostert; S Kolisi, P-S du Toit, D Vermuelen.

Replacements: M Mbonambi, T Mtawarira, T Nyakane, RG Snyman, F Louw, H Jantjies, F Steyn, J Kriel.

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