The second year of the HSBC Asian Five Nations Top 5 kicks off on Saturday when defending champions Japan host Kazakhstan in Osaka and newcomers Singapore travel to Seoul to face Korea.
Representing the elite of Asian rugby, the Top 5 operates on a round robin basis with matches spread over five consecutive weekends, Hong Kong the side to have the first bye although they were due to play New Zealand Universities in a friendly on Friday.
The Top 5 tournament also doubles as qualifying for Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand.
Singapore, who have replaced the relegated Arabian Gulf as last year's Division I champions, will face a Korean side with a new captain in hooker Park Sung Ku, a veteran of 20 caps who plays his rugby in Japan.
The Korean pack, though, will be without the services of hard-charging number 8 Young Yun Nam through injury with the Korea Army's Han Kun Kyu his replacement. Yang Yun Han and Hong Jun Ki will combine at half back, while Korea's most-capped player Kim Keun Hyun will assume his normal full back role.
He already has 59 caps to his name, almost half the total number of the Singapore starting fifteen (124) for the match at Seongnam Stadium with two players, centre Mohamed 'Izzy' Ismail Kadir (32) and scrum half Tong Chin Hong (31) accounting for the majority of those. Korea by comparison boast 455 caps.
Staying put is Singapore goal
Singapore coach Danny Tauroa is therefore realistic about his expectations for the Top 5 campaign: "To succeed at this level we know we need to do things better than Singapore Rugby has ever done them before, as players, as coaches and as a Union.
"This is because we have never played at this level before over such an extended period; having said that, we will be disappointed if we don't stay up."
The strength of Tauroa's side lies in its loose forward trio of Andrew Bennett, James Valintine and captain and number 8 Ben Wheeler - the son of former England and Lions hooker Peter Wheeler and a former Leicester and England Schools player in his own right - along with fly half John Forrester and centres Ryan Cumbers and Kadir.
Tauroa, a New Zealander from Waikato who also coaches Singapore club side Bedok Kings, has been with the team since January 2008 and sees progress in the way the team is gelling to date.
"We are much fitter than ever before but we are still a bit conscious of the fitness levels of some individuals. Our game plan will be simple on Saturday and hinges on maintaining possession. We are more focused on the performance than the results and are playing with an eye towards our matches against Hong Kong and Kazakhstan in May."
Despite this progress, Singapore will have their work cut out in their first taste of Top 5 rugby as assistant coach Harry Woods added: "We will struggle as a fully amateur team in what in many ways is a professional competition.
"We only have four top grade sides in Singapore to select from which is why staying up is hugely important for us. If we can remain in the Top 5 it will bring a lot more exposure for rugby in Singapore."
Key man missing for Kazakhstan
A similar challenge awaits Kazakhstan, who finished fourth in the Top 5 last year but could have no harder opening match than against defending champions Japan at the Hanazono Stadium in Osaka.
Kazakhstan will be without full back Maxim Lifontov, the top scorer in last year's competition who has an excellent record with the boot and scored 31 of his side's points in their crucial 56-27 victory over Arabian Gulf to preserve their Top 5 status.
On a more positive note, flanker Anton Rudoy has been released from his Russian club to link up with his team-mates in Japan, while captain Timur Mashurov is also expected to be fully fit from a knee injury to lead the side.
Both players have been attracting attention from Japanese clubs since their performances in the Top 5 last season and are eager to showcase their talents to Japanese rugby.
While Rudoy and Mashurov are monumental figures in the Kazakhstan back row, it is worth keeping an eye out for young centre Alexandr Zaharov. The man from the north of Kazakhstan is renowned for his savage tackling and line breaks. With some possession he will look to make the breaks that will allow his back row to link up with the backline and score tries.
Strong set piece play from Kazakhstan, particularly at the lineout, could also give their forwards the chance to outmuscle the Japanese and score a couple of early tries.
Japan with one eye on 2011
As always Japan, who secured four bonus point victories en route to the title in 2008, will be ready for the challenge despite their World Cup winning coach John Kirwan ringing in the changes as he builds towards the 2011 tournament in his native New Zealand.
This year's Top 4 forms part of the region's qualifying process for that tournament, although it is the 2010 champion that will take their place as Asia 1 in Pool A with hosts New Zealand, France, Tonga and Americas 1 (Canada or USA).
"Last year was a transition year for us, where we kept some of the older players to help the younger guys, but this year we've only selected players who will be still playing at the 2011 Rugby World Cup," explained the former All Black.
This year's Top 5 marks a new chapter in Japan's rugby progress with Kirwan injecting youth into the squad alongside the addition of a new captain in athletic flanker Takashi Kikutani.
The three tight-head props are just pups; two are 23 and the youngest one, Shinsuke Nakamura, is just 21-years-old. Nakamura may be young, but Kirwan quips that at 192cm and 132 kilos he is not exactly ripe for bullying.
Taking it step by step
"Nakamura is in the squad for experience. He is a massive unit, and we are looking forward to giving 'Jumbo Baby' as he is called, some playing time off the bench."
Kirwan has named two new caps in his starting XV in prop Hiroshi Yamashita and number 8 Touetsu Taufu, while wing Hirotoki Onozawa, who scored six tries in last season's competition, is the only player in his 30s.
There are two university students on the bench in Sevens star Michael Leitch, who won two caps in November against the USA Eagles, and Nihon University prop Nakamura. The bench also features uncapped prop Tateo Kanai and wing Jack Tarrant, while flanker Phil O'Reilly returns to the national side having missed all of last year with injury.
There are plenty of changes, but the canny Kirwan has a plan: "We are looking to improve 25 percent this year, 10 percent next year and go to the World Cup as the best team we can be. We want to play consistently and with a style that is Japanese."
It sounds remarkably similar to Kaizen, the Japanese philosophy that focuses on continuous improvement throughout all aspects of life. But of course the other teams in Asia will keep developing as well, a fact that's not lost on Kirwan.
"Singapore has crept in under the radar, Hong Kong has a new coach and we hear they have improved, and we are always wary of Korea," said Kirwan.
