Goromaru v Sunwolves: bumper crowd expected as World Cup hero takes on Super Rugby newbies from Japan

Japanese poster boy Ayumu Goromaru is expected to draw one of Queensland Reds' biggest crowds of the Super Rugby season when he faces the Tokyo-based Sunwolves on Saturday.

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Ayumu Goromaru of the Queensland Reds looks over the top of a ruck during a Super Rugby match against the Waratahs in Sydney in February. The Rugby World Cup hero from Japan will face his country’s new Super 18 franchise Sunwolves this weekend in Brisbane. Photos: AFP

Published: 3:00pm, 20 May 2016Updated: 2:59pm, 20 May 2016

Japanese poster boy Ayumu Goromaru is expected to draw one of Queensland Reds' biggest crowds of the Super Rugby season when he faces the Tokyo-based Sunwolves on Saturday.

The 30-year-old fullback and Hendrik Tui will line up against some of their Japanese international team-mates when the Sunwolves play in Australia for the first time.

World Cup hero Goromaru controversially snubbed the newly formed Sunwolves to join the Reds, but he has struggled to hold down a regular spot.

Goromaru will make only his third start on Saturday, with regular fullback Karmichael Hunt sidelined with a groin injury.

While Goromaru enjoys celebrity status in Japan, he is less well known in Brisbane where the Reds compete with sports like rugby league and Australian Rules for attention.

Ayumu Goromaru gives a demonstration of what he does best in the Reds-Tahs clash in Sydney.

He said this week it had been a tough season in the newly expanded Super Rugby competition, which he joined from Japan's domestic league.

“It’s really been a trial by fire,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.