Japan is currently home to some of sport's biggest athletes – but Tommy Bowe says Ireland should be most afraid of a man just five foot six and barely 12 stone.
The former Ireland flyer is happily retired, putting his days of tackling powerful wingers like Sitiveni Sivivatu or Joe Rokocoko long behind him.
But it's his memories of trying to deal with a unique opponent like Shane Williams – the tricky 5'7” Welsh wizard – that sticks out most.
And with the opening game of the World Cup just hours away, the ex-Ulster winger has picked out the flyers who will give defenders sleepless nights in Japan.
“I would have least liked to mark a Cheslin Kolbe,” he said, selecting the tiny South Africa winger who enjoyed a stunning season with Toulouse.
“I hated playing Shane Wiliams because you know if you come up against Rieko Ioane or a Sivivatu or a Rokocoko back in my era, they’d be electrically quick and powerful, they’d have a good step, but generally when they’re moving, it would be a small step.
“Whereas with Shane, like Kolbe, he had an incredibly ability to be running at 90 per cent, almost side step to the right or left five metres, and still be able to keep going at speed so you just didn’t know...
“You always had to defend him in twos so I always had to kind of drift defend when you come up hard on a guy like that. You'd never lay a finger on him so that's why the small guys are who I'd hate defending against.
“When you see someone like Kolbe, a small guy in the Williams mould, playing in a World Cup it’s important to see players like that, so it’s not just all be these power based Billy Vunipolas running over people.
“I think having players with that bit of flair and people who can create something out of nothing will be very exciting.”
Kolbe will start against New Zealand in South Africa's crunch pool game on Saturday – a game the Irish squad will be watching closely.
Joe Schmidt's men will likely face one of the two in the quarter-final, but Kolbe is not the only player Bowe would pay to watch.
“Makazole Mapimpi, the other South African winger, is unbelievable at the minute,” he said of the former Cheetahs winger who scored a hat trick against Japan two weeks ago.
“I always liked (Ben) Smith from the All Blacks too, and you can't forget Rieko Ioane. They're always players that I enjoy seeing.”
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