Japan are are “out to win at all costs” according to skipper Takuro Miuchi and O’Donovan’s men will have little on their minds other than an eighth win and a happy ending to their 10-game season.

Eddie O’Sullivan’s deputy has made four changes to his side and resisted the temptation to stick his youngsters in from the start.

There is once again an experienced backbone to the Irish side with Girvan Dempsey, David Humphreys, back after his facial injury last week, Peter Stringer and Frankie Sheahan starting consecutive Tests.

The changes see Northampton signing David Quinlan given a shot at inside centre, linking up with Gavin Duffy in a new-look midfield, and a complete backrow overhaul.

Flankers Denis Leamy, David Wallace and number eight Eric Miller come in as straight swaps for the first Test trio of Alan Quinlan, Johnny O’Connor and Roger Wilson.

Wallace and Miller, both former Lions, have become the forgotten men of the Irish pack in recent times.

Sunday will mark Munster man Wallace’s first outing in an Ireland shirt for a full year.

His last involvement came exactly 12 months ago on tour to South Africa, while Miller – used four times as a replacement during the recent RBS 6 Nations - makes only his second Test start since lining out against Namibia at the 2003 World Cup.

Both will be eager to make a big impact at the compact Prince Chichibu Memorial ground, and O’Donovan is expecting a strong display.

He said: “Japan were very competitive at the breakdown last week. The back row we’ve selected is a strong one, as was the one we lined out with in the first Test.

“Denis, David and Eric are all over six foot and 16 stone and offer us a good deal of ball-carrying options. It will be interesting to see how they fit together as a unit.”

With Ireland’s opening fixture of the 2005/06 season in November when Lansdowne Road plays host New Zealand, Tokyo offers a last opportunity to catch the eye.

“One of the most important aspects of this tour, apart from picking up the two wins, was always finding out more about the players we have, both old and new,” added O’Donovan.

“While we were never going to throw a bunch of young guys together in a full international series, it’s important we take a look at how they can adapt at Test level.

“The senior squad is going through something of a minor transition at the moment, and if players can come through and press our regular players then it only adds to the success of the tour and the pool of talent available.”

O’Donovan, who has delayed his replacements selection until Friday, added: “We want to win and win well on Sunday. I think the side selected is set up to do that – and the players on the bench can expect to be involved.

“We have a couple of guys carrying some bumps and bruises so we’ll take a further look at them in training before confirming our replacements.”

Young backs Kieran Lewis and Conor McPhillips will hope to be involved as the only uncapped players left in the travelling party.