Further despair as Wales feel the heat in Japan
Wales revealed their devastation at wilting in the Kitakyushu heat to lose 24-19 to Japan and suffer a record 18th successive Test defeat.First-half tries from Ben Thomas and Tom Rogers, as well as a penalty try, gave Wales a 19-7 half-time lead and hopes of a first victory since beating Georgia at the 2023 World Cup in October 2023.But Japan dominated the second half as Wales suffered in the extreme heat and humidity.Tries from Takuro Matsunaga, Ichigo Nakakusu and Halatoa Vailea, plus nine points from the boot of Seungsin Lee, piled on more misery for Wales.Wales captain Dewi Lake was close to tears after the final whistle with Wales' 21-month wait for an international victory continuing."I don't want to speak for everyone but we are gutted," said Lake."It's very tough to take because we have worked hard. "We take nothing away from Japan for the way they played and coming out on top, but we had moments to win that game and put it to bed."
Wales interim head coach Matt Sherratt says the whole squad had been affected."You could see the feelings not just from the squad but the whole staff as well," said Sherratt."They are a very passionate group. We had a lead going into half-time so to lose the game at the end is very disappointing."
Wales slump to new low
The defeat means Wales have again slumped to a new all-time low as they are still searching for a first Test win in 21 months. Wales have slipped two places to a lowest place ever of 14th in the world rankings, now below Japan and Samoa.Sherratt says Wales can not feel sorry for themselves with the second Test in Kobe next Saturday."Already we have got to quickly use the hurt to fuel us for next week," said Sherratt."The great thing about this tour is we get the chance to put it right."Japan head coach Eddie Jones warned Wales they will face an improved side next weekend."We're really happy with the win," said Jones."We will enjoy it and get ready to go again in Kobe, where we'll need to play much better than today."Sherratt confirmed Wales lock Ben Carter will miss that game after he took a heavy hit to the side of the head after just 34 seconds.Carter slumped to the ground after attempting to make a tackle and there was a lengthy stoppage before the second row was taken away on a stretcher.The Dragons captain was up and about in the changing room afterwards but will not be available next weekend.
Wales not blaming the conditions
The oppressive conditions - with the temperature above 30 degrees Celsius as well as high humidity - meant a three-minute water break in each half and an extended interval of 20 minutes were introduced.Wales faded badly in the second half as Japan scored 19 unanswered points but Sherratt refused to blame the heat and humidity for the tourists' demise."I would be making excuses if I said that [conditions played a part]," said Sherratt."If you look at the game, we took pretty much every chance we got bar one in their 22."Every ball that hit the floor bounced for us and we were on the right side of the penalty count."In the second half there were some big moments. We had a lineout around 45 minutes to take the game to three scores and it was a tough call by the referee to penalise us."We have a young group, we have not had a win for a while and those little scars can start to run deep."In the second half every bounce went for them, we had some key lineout positions we did not make the most of and the penalty decisions went away from us."Maybe the conditions added to that also but my instinct is not so much."Lake says Wales will look at themselves first."Conditions are going to play a factor but we're not blaming that," said Lake. "We weren't clinical enough in the 22 and we didn't come away with points."Jones was proved right when he said before the match the team that coped with conditions would win the game, but the Australian also praised his opposition."For Wales to come from the northern hemisphere into those conditions is difficult," said Jones. "Like every Wales team, they were always tough to beat. They're a proud rugby nation and produce tough, good players."
Second success for Jones and Japan
Jones, who masterminded a second success against Wales for Japan following the win in 2013, praised his side's resilience after a slow start."For a young team's perspective, that's a very good win," said Jones"In the first-half, we were getting beaten in territory and possession. "We had a lot of nerves and frequently gave the ball back early in the phase count. "As a result, we were being beaten fair and square. But I sensed at half-time the players knew what to do."Jones praised the leadership of his captain Michael Leitch."With Mike's leadership in the second half, I thought they played a good 40 minutes of rugby and were really tough," said Jones."At times, we were able to break the Wales defence and our set-piece was absolutely outstanding. "I can't remember the last time I saw a front-row play 80 minutes in a Test match, especially in difficult conditions."
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