Last-gasp Evans kick can lift Wales while Eddie Jones slams late defeat
The Principality crowd were finally able to see a Wales home win
©PA
Wales ended their 10-match losing run at the Principality Stadium in dramatic fashion with a 24-23 win over Japan.
A late penalty from replacement fly-half Jarrod Evans sealed a breathless contest that featured three Japanese yellow cards and a 20-minute red card for Wales wing Josh Adams.
The lead changed hands several times, with Wales crossing through Dan Edwards, Louis Rees-Zammit and Nick Tompkins, while Japan struck back through 13 points from the boot of Seungsin Lee as well as tries from Kippei Ishida and Faulua Makisi.
But how did Steve Tandy’s side hang in there to claim the head coach’s first win in charge and end an 833-day home drought?
Evans holds his nerve to win it
Evans entered the fray in the 79th minute with Wales pinned inside their own half after a kick from scrum half Naoto Saito evaded replacement Kazuma Ueda and bounced into touch.
Evans was involved in six of the next seven phases as Wales worked their way out of the 22, with his short pass to Rhys Carré creating space before Alex Mann was tackled illegally by Harry Hockings.
Instead of taking the immediate penalty, Evans kicked to the corner. The resulting maul surged towards the line before Saito conceded a no-arms tackle, handing the fly-half the chance to win the match.
The Harlequins No.10 reflected on similar pressure moments from his club career - including match-winning kicks for Cardiff against Connacht in 2017 and Leinster in 2022."
"I’ve experienced it for my club, but that was the first time doing it for my country," he said. "I was pretty relieved it went over - that’s why you put in the hours.
"I am just the guy that is fortunate to get that moment at the end, but I was more proud with how we worked our way up the field. We retained the ball and didn't cough it up, which we probably did for large parts of the game to give Japan a leg up."
Head coach Steve Tandy admitted he could barely watch.
"I was hiding away at the side. I could see the crowd and I could see Jarrod going to take the kick, but I couldn’t see the posts.
"Then you could just hear the eruption from the support and everyone getting up on their feet. Fair play to the group for the last period, but that kick is some kick under pressure.
Wasteful Japan denied a famous win
Despite the result, Japan were the better side for long stretches of this Test match and were arguably deserving of their first win in Cardiff, but were cruelly denied by the last-minute penalty.
Captain Warner Deaves led from the front with 16 carries and 10 tackles to his name while full-back Yoshitaka Yazaki topped the carry charts with 20 made, seven more than any Welsh player. He also made 384 post-contact metres and seven line breaks.
Head coach Eddie Jones was furious with the manner of the defeat, admitting he "wanted to kill someone" after the final whistle.
"That is what I felt like. Anybody I could find. When you lose the game in the last minute at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, it’s tough. We had a lead and should have been able to keep that for the rest of the game.”
Japan responded well after Adams’ red card, scoring through Makisi from close range following a break by Dylan Riley off a loose ball.
But wastefulness cost them. They made 11 entries into the Welsh 22 and averaged just 1.5 points per visit, while Wales averaged four points from their six entries.
In the closing stages, Japan had chances to finish the job particularly with a rolling maul that didn't go to plan. If the ball had bounced upwards to replacement Ueda, we would have been talking about a historic Japanese victory.
Improvement needed ahead of All Blacks visit
Wales now face a formidable test when New Zealand arrive in Cardiff this coming Saturday.
With the All Blacks wounded from their defeat to England at the Allianz Stadium, Scott Robertson’s side are expected to come out firing. Wales have not beaten New Zealand since 1953.
There were positives for Wales at the weekend, though. Clinical finishing inside the 22, huge defensive efforts - Olly Cracknell and Dafydd Jenkins both made over 20 tackles - and another strong showing from Alex Mann.
But issues persist: 19 turnovers conceded and an inconsistent kicking game for a second straight match.
Tandy acknowledged work is needed ahead of matches against New Zealand and world champions South Africa.
"I think we showed elements of smartness and bravery in certain parts of the game, but ultimately we spoke about discipline and we can’t be giving another red card away.
"We gave away some cheap penalties from kick-off so we have to be much, much better in that aspect of the game but this is where the beauty of this group is.
"I think they’ll come back in Monday and we’ll analyse because we have to get better and keep growing because we can’t just hide away because we won.
"We have to look at our performance in those aspects and be tough on ourselves."
