“Let's hope it's the start of something” - Wales set for key battle with Eddie Jones’ Japan
Wales are closing in on two years without a Test win - their last coming against Georgia in the 2023 World Cup
©Photo by Pauline Ballet - World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Image
Whether it's the sweltering heat or a slippery match ball, Wales will need to keep their cool in what feels like a crucial Test match this weekend.
Matt Sherratt’s side head into their summer tour still searching for their first Test victory since the 2023 Rugby World Cup, as they face Japan hoping to avoid an 18th consecutive defeat.
The 2025 Six Nations brought a second successive whitewash for Wales and led to the departure of Warren Gatland as head coach in February.
Sherratt was appointed as interim head coach, taking charge of the final three matches of the tournament, before it was confirmed last month that he will remain in the role for the two-Test series, while the search for a permanent successor continues.
Standing in Wales' way is a Japan side that managed just four wins from 11 Tests last year, with Eddie Jones reportedly under pressure after a poor return to the helm of the Brave Blossoms.
Sherratt’s latest selection
The interim head coach highlighted the importance of club form when discussing his team selection for the opening Test in Kitakyushu.
Sherratt hasn’t been shy to ring the changes - 11 in total - with four survivors from the side that suffered a record 68-14 defeat against England back in March: No.8 Taulupe Faletau, prop Nicky Smith, centre Ben Thomas, and full-back Blair Murray.
The experienced Josh Adams will join Murray in the back three alongside Tom Rogers, while Johnny Williams returns to the squad for the first time since the 2023 World Cup to partner the aforementioned Thomas in the centres.
Hooker Dewi Lake captains the side, but other than Faletau - who is set to win his 109th cap on Saturday - the rest of the back five is relatively inexperienced.
The lock combination of Ben Carter and Teddy Williams (18 caps between them) will be backed up by Alex Mann (5 caps) and Josh Macleod (2 caps).
However, there is some nous to come off the bench for Wales with Gareth Thomas, Aaron Wainwright and Tommy Reffell part of a 6-2 split, while there could be an international debut for Cardiff captain Liam Belcher.
Sherratt said: “We’ve had three weeks prep and it (selection) is a mixture of recent club form and trying to get some combinations that we’ve seen in training.
“We feel conditions are probably going to be tough to start with, and to have some real quality experience off the bench will be massive.
“I should probably add to that [to say] I was trying to spread the experience out, so what we have done is put some experienced players on the bench, the likes of Wainwright, Gareth Thomas, Tommy Reffell. It’s not really a 15 we’ve picked. It’s a genuine 23.
“I’ve learned at Cardiff that you don’t throw on all your experience at once because between 60 and 80 (minutes) is where some of the crucial decision-making comes in.”
Importance of needing a win
It has been over 600 days since Wales have won a Test match, which came against Georgia during the pool stages of the Rugby World Cup.
And Sherratt is under no illusions about what a victory could mean for the nation.
“I think it’s massive,” he said. “I spoke to the players before we came away and wondered what their motivation was and why they were coming here.
“The short answer was they want to win for Wales. For the future, it's probably the end of something, this tour. Let's hope it's the start of something and they [the new Wales head coach] can start on a level playing field.”
Conditions could play a factor…
Wales are set to kick off at 2pm local time in Kitakyushu on Saturday, with temperatures expected to reach around 30°C in Japan.
The squad prepared in a heat chamber before departing for Asia and have since relied on ice baths, cold towels, and flannel hats to stay cool.
“The Japanese players will be more used to it, but I’ve got to credit Huw Bennett [assistant coach]. He’s done everything we can to prepare for them,” Sherratt explained.
“The players weren’t hugely excited about the heat chamber in Cardiff, but they’ve worked really hard.
“It was as close as we would get in the UK to the temperatures in Japan, but it’s obviously different here because we’re training in it for 80 minutes rather than five or 10 minutes.
“We saw a lot of wet balls and we’ve trained in the middle of the day here to get used to the heat.
“If I’m honest, it’s not the heat, it’s the ball. It’s very difficult to keep the ball dry.
“It’s probably going to be a game on TV where the conditions look perfect but for the players, the ball is really greasy so it’ll test your skill set.”
Eddie Jones also described the ball like “a cake of soap” due to the difficult conditions, but admitted his side are ready to go.
Whilst the likes of Michael Leitch, Warner Dearns and Dylan Riley all start for the Brave Blossoms, if Sherratt’s men can obtain some front full ball and set-piece dominance, it could go a long way to ending Wales’ drought.
Elsewhere internationally…
Freddie Steward has been recalled to England’s starting XV for their tour opener against Argentina, while Will Muir and Seb Atkinson will make their debuts.
George Ford - who is set for his 100th appearance for England - will co-captain the team alongside Jamie George as Steve Borthwick’s side aim for a winning start in La Plata.
Scotland face the Maori All Blacks in Whangarei on Saturday, and Stafford McDowall will captain the side from centre, lining up in midfield alongside Rory Hutchinson. Ollie Smith returns at full-back for his first Scotland appearance since the 2023 World Cup.
Harry Paterson and Sale’s Arron Reed take up the wing positions, while the Glasgow duo of George Horne and Adam Hastings form the half-backs.
In the forwards, Saracens’ Andy Onyeama-Christie returns at openside to make his first Scotland appearance in over a year.
And Ireland interim head coach Paul O’Connell has handed debuts to Tommy O’Brien and Darragh Murray for Saturday’s Test against Georgia in Tbilisi.
With 16 players away on Lions duty, Ireland have an opportunity to blood new talent, including O’Brien, who has caught the eye for URC champions Leinster.
He starts on the wing alongside Jimmy O’Brien and Jacob Stockdale in the back three. Connacht’s Murray partners Ulster’s Cormac Izuchukwu in the second row.
There could also be first caps from the bench for props Michael Milne and Jack Aungier as well as Tom Ahern and Ben Murphy.
Craig Casey captains Ireland for the first time, partnering Sam Prendergast at half-back, while Stuart McCloskey and Jamie Osborne form the midfield.
Jack Boyle, Gus McCarthy, and Thomas Clarkson start in the front row, with a back row of Ryan Baird, Nick Timoney, and Gavin Coombes.
.jpg "Henry Pollock, who was part of the England U20s set-up last term, scored two tries off the bench")
