Wales v Japan TV channel finally announced days before game as Eddie Jones refuses to move kick-off
Wales v Japan TV channel finally announced days before game as Eddie Jones refuses to move kick-off
Just days away from the first Test, there
Japan national rugby union team head coach Eddie Jones
(Image: Getty Images )
BBC Wales and S4C will each show one of Wales' summer Tests from their tour of Japan next month - with the coverage being announced just days before Wales take on the Brave Blossoms.
The first Test in Kitakyushu on July 5 will be shown on BBC Two Wales, while the second Test the following week in Kobe will be broadcast by S4C. The first Test will kick-off at 6am UK time, with the second Test being slightly later at 6.50am.
It's understood S4C's coverage of the second Test will have English-language commentary available on the red button.
With the eight-hour time difference, Wales will be kicking off in the middle of the afternoon in Japan - with temperatures likely to be just above 30°C in Kitakyushu this weekend.
WalesOnline understands that the BBC did try to move the kick-off back so that it wouldn't be so early in the UK.
However, Brave Blossoms coach Eddie Jones has remained steadfast on the 2pm and 2.50pm local kick-off times.
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The former England and Australia coach promised to "really run Wales off their feet" in the heat.
The British and Irish Lions tour of Australia - with their warm-up matches against the Waratahs and Invitational AU & NZ side both on the same day as Wales' Tests in Japan - also made moving the kick-off time complicated, with the Lions matches kicking off at 11am UK time.
An announcement had been expected on a TV deal last week, although the situation with the kick-off time is understood to have delayed things. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack for the exclusive five-week tour diary from Wales in Japan and the Lions in Australia.
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This is the second year in a row that a summer tour in Japan has seen the TV broadcast deal go down to the wire.
Last year, England played a Test in Japan before their two-Test tour of New Zealand.
However, no broadcaster came forward to cover the Test before RugbyPass ultimately ended up showing the match.
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