Japan forced to make two more replacements

Japan have called in two replacement players after scrum half Tomoki Yoshida and inside centre Yuta Imamura were forced to return home injured.

Yoshida suffered a left hamstring strain, while Imamura sustained a right ankle ligament injury in Friday's match against New Zealand.

The replacements, Ippei Asada and Bryce Robins, should be in New Zealand before Japan's next Pool A match against Tonga in Whangarei on Wednesday.

Robins, a former Hurricanes centre and originally from Taranaki, New Zealand, has secured a two-year contract with Honda in the southern Japanese city of Suzuka. Asada plays for Toyota.

Japan had already lost two players to injury. New Zealand-born second row Justin Ives went back to Japan before the tournament started for treatment to a knee injury.

And number 8 Ryukoliniashi Holani returned after Japan's first pool match against France, also suffering from a knee injury.