Wales head to Japan seeking an end to painful run

BBC News

3 days ago

Wales set off for Japan on Wednesday hoping the Two-test trip will see them end their painful run of international defeats.Wales, who are under the guidance of caretaker coach Matt Sherratt, will face Eddie Jones' Japan side in Kitakyushu on Saturday, July 5, with the second Test in Kobe a week later.Wales suffered a 17th straight Test defeat - a record for a tier one nation - when they were hammered 68-14 at home by England in March.The miserable stretch has seen Wales sink to an all-time lowest position of 12th in the world rankings, with Japan one position below them. Wales will arrive in Japan on Thursday for nine days of preparation as they seek a first international win since October 2023, with Sherratt's side aiming to give the chaotic Welsh rugby scene a much-needed boost.
Lake leads squad featuring six uncapped players
There are six uncapped players in the travelling party, while hooker Dewi Lake has been given the captaincy.Lake leads the 33-man squad in the absence of flanker Jac Morgan, who is with the British and Irish Lions in Australia along with Gloucester scrum-half Tomos Williams.Cardiff captain Liam Belcher, Dragons prop Chris Coleman, Ospreys trio Garyn Phillips, Keelan Giles and Reuben Morgan-Williams and Scarlets back Macs Page are the fresh faces in Japan.Dragons second row Ben Carter, Scarlets fly-half Sam Costelow and Bath tight-head prop Archie Griffin return for Wales having missed the Six Nations due to injury, while Kieran Hardy, Alex Mann, Josh Macleod, James Ratti, Johnny Williams and Cameron Winnett have been handed recalls.Cardiff number eight and Wales centurion Taulupe Faletau will provide experience alongside the likes of Josh Adams, Nicky Smith, Aaron Wainwright and Elliot Dee, who are the four survivors from the squad which went to the 2019 World Cup in Japan. Some notable absentees are Dafydd Jenkins, Adam Beard, Will Rowlands, Henry Thomas, Ellis Mee, Gareth Anscombe, Max Llewellyn, Nick Tompkins, James Botham, Evan Lloyd and Morgan Morse, who are missing due to a combination of injuries, being rested and non-selection.Forwards: Nicky Smith, Gareth Thomas, Garyn Phillips, Keiron Assiratti, Chris Coleman, Archie Griffin, Dewi Lake (capt), Liam Belcher, Elliot Dee, Ben Carter, Teddy Williams, Freddie Thomas, James Ratti, Taine Plumtree, Aaron Wainwright, Alex Mann, Taulupe Faletau, Tommy Reffell, Josh Macleod.Backs: Kieran Hardy, Reuben Morgan-Williams, Rhodri Williams, Sam Costelow, Dan Edwards, Ben Thomas, Johnny Williams, Joe Roberts, Macs Page, Josh Adams, Tom Rogers, Blair Murray, Keelan Giles, Cameron Winnett.
Who are the coaches?
Wales are still searching for a permanent successor to Warren Gatland, who left his role as head coach in February after a Six Nations defeat to Italy.Cardiff coach Sherratt was asked to take charge for the final three games of that tournament and was then given the caretaker role for Japan.Sherratt's backroom staff will feature his Cardiff defence coach Gethin Jenkins, Harlequins duo Danny Wilson (forwards) and Adam Jones (scrum) and Gloucester's Rhys Thomas (assistant forwards coach).Wilson and Jenkins are new additions just for this trip before they return to their clubs, while former full-back Leigh Halfpenny has taken what the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) describe as a skills coach role.This will include responsibility for kicking with the senior squad, a role occupied by Neil Jenkins for almost 20 years.Other coaches who were part of Gatland's backroom staff, including Jonathan Humphreys, Mike Forshaw, Alex King and Rob Howley, will - like Jenkins - not be involved in Japan.
What about the opposition?
Wales have won 13 of their 14 matches against Japan since they first met in 1973.Japan's solitary victory came in 2013, with a 23-8 win in Tokyo masterminded by Australian Jones, who is now back in charge of the Cherry Blossoms.Jones' return to Japan came in the wake of the 2023 World Cup, where he was in charge of an Australia side who were dumped out in the group stages.Their disappointing display in that tournament included a 40-6 hammering by Gatland's Wales in Lyon.Japan have won four games and lost seven since Jones' re-appointment, and were beaten by 40 points or more by New Zealand, France and England last year.They have not played a game since November 2024 but face a Maori All Blacks side from New Zealand on Saturday, 28 June in Tokyo.Jones named a 37-strong training squad that included university student Jingo Takenoshita as one of 16 uncapped players. There was just one player with more than 50 caps in the training camp, with 87-cap back-row Michael Leitch - a veteran of four World Cups with the Brave Blossoms – likely to be a familiar face to Welsh fans.Jones hopes the heat and humidity in Kitakyushu and Kobe could give Japan an advantage over Wales, who have been preparing for the brutal conditions with intense fitness sessions in a heat chamber at their training base in the Vale and Glamorgan hotel.
Wales v Japan head-to-head
Non-capped TestsWales 62-14 Japan, Cardiff, 6 October 1973Japan 12-56 Wales, Osaka, 21 September 1975Japan 6-82 Wales, Tokyo, 24 September 1975Wales 29-24 Japan, Cardiff, 22 October 1983.Full TestsWales 55-5 Japan, Cardiff, 16 October 1993Wales 57-10 Japan, Bloemfontein, 27 May 1995 Wales 64-15 Japan, Cardiff, 9 October1999Japan 10-64 Wales, Osaka, 10 June 2001Japan 30-53 Wales, Tokyo, 17 June 2001Wales 98-0 Japan, Cardiff, 26 November 2004Wales 72-18 Japan, Cardiff, 20 September 2007Japan 18-22 Wales, Osaka, 8 June 2013Japan 23-8 Wales, Tokyo, 15 June 2013Wales 33-30 Japan, Cardiff, 19 November 2016.