TOKYO (Reuters) -At the start of the year few Australian sports fans would have had heard of Nick Champion de Crespigny, but on Saturday the 29-year-old will lead his nation against Japan as the 92nd Wallabies captain.

The burly loose forward, who returned to Australia from France at the start of the season, was an unexpected inclusion in Joe Schmidt's squad for the British & Irish Lions series and a shock debutant starter in the first test in Brisbane.