Wales have plenty to work on ahead of All Blacks showdown despite Japan victory

The debates and conversations are still ongoing after Wales won their first home test of the Nations Championship by squeezing past Japan in a 28-21 victory at the Principality Stadium on Saturday afternoon. 

Steve Tandy's side secured a fourth victory in 13 internationals under the head coach, with a brace from Josh Adams accompanied by first-half tries from Archie Griffin and Louis Rees-Zammit.

However, despite getting the job done, the performance raised several questions ahead of a significantly tougher challenge against New Zealand in Cardiff this coming weekend.

There were encouraging individual displays, most notably from Rees-Zammit, but issues with the lineout, ball retention and their ability to control territory and possession will need addressing if they are to compete with the All Blacks.

So, what are the main talking points from the Japan victory, and what must Wales improve before taking on one of the world's leading sides?

Wales' lineout problems remain a major concern

The scoreboard showed a victory, but there was an undeniably scrappy element to Wales' performance against the Brave Blossoms.

Japan arrived having played four internationals since Wales' previous outing, including their involvement in the Pacific Nations Cup, and there were concerning signs of inaccuracy from the hosts, particularly when it came to retaining possession and making the most of their opportunities.

Wales conceded 14 turnovers and struggled to establish any sustained control of the game during a difficult second half, with Japan restricting Tandy' side to just 38% possession and 40% territory.

That resulted in a significant defensive workload, with Wales making 227 tackles compared to Japan's 115.

Jac Morgan, Dafydd Jenkins, Alex Mann and Aaron Wainwright all made 20 or more tackles, highlighting the amount of time the hosts spent without the ball.

However, the biggest concern will undoubtedly be the lineout.

Wales' success rate was just 69%, their lowest of the Tandy era. You have to go back to the Autumn defeat against Australia in 2024 to find a comparable struggle in the set-piece.

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Against the physical second-row pairing of Warner Dearns and Harry Hockings, Japan's lineout defence caused significant problems, particularly when Wales attempted to target the back of the lineout.

The visitors were able to anticipate several throws, disrupt possession and prevent the hosts from building the driving maul that has become such an important attacking weapon.

Captain Dewi Lake expressed his frustration following the game.

“We’ve got to be better in that area,” said Lake. “When we did get it right, I thought we got a lot of joy from there, but we’d have loved to have gone to that driving maul a lot more often.

“You have to credit Japan in that area for the defensive work that they do. They are number one in the world for a reason around that area, but we’ve got to look at ourselves first - whether it’s throw-in, movement in the lineout or our speed.

“We have to be more ruthless at how much we want to win the ball around lineout time. We’ve got dangerous backs, and if we secure the ball there they’re going to do damage.”

It is an area that will need attention before New Zealand arrive. The All Blacks demonstrated against Scotland how effective they can be from set-piece situations, scoring twice from pre-planned lineout moves before adding a more traditional driving-maul try.

Giving them similar opportunities in Cardiff could prove extremely costly.

Are Wales becoming too reliant on Tomos Williams?

Another question emerging from Tandy's opening 12 months in charge concerns the scrum-half position and the reliance on Tomos Williams.

The Saracens nine remains one of the more talented players in the current Welsh squad, particularly given his performances in the Gallagher Prem, but his recent international displays have not quite matched that club form.

There are factors behind this, especially when you consider the difficulties Wales have experienced up front in recent games and the impact that has on the speed and quality of possession.

Nevertheless, Williams was partly at fault for Japan's opening try, dropping the ball when attempting a quick tap inside his own half before a scrappy ruck situation allowed Ben Gunter to cross.

With Ospreys' Kieran Hardy injured during the opening block of the URC season, the remaining scrum-halves in the squad are Reuben Morgan-Williams and uncapped youngster Che Hope.

Hardy has featured on the bench in 10 of Tandy's 13 Tests, with his only start coming against South Africa in a fixture Williams missed because it was played outside the international window.

Across those 10 appearances, Hardy has played just 41 minutes and was an unused substitute on four occasions.

Meanwhile, Morgan-Williams has been among the replacements for the last two Nations Championship fixtures against South Africa and Japan, managing just seven minutes of rugby.

It is not necessarily a case of calling for Williams to be dropped ahead of the All Blacks, but Saturday's victory arguably represented a missed opportunity to give Morgan-Williams or Hope some valuable international experience.

With Wales looking to build greater depth and competition across the squad, the scrum-half position is one that Tandy will need to keep under consideration.

The threat of Will Jordan and the All Blacks 

The All Blacks will arrive in Cardiff this weekend having started their November fixtures with an impressive 43-21 victory over Scotland in Edinburgh.

Dave Rennie's side scored 19 unanswered points in a brilliant second-half display, demonstrating the physicality and attacking quality that make them such a dangerous opponent.

There were some disciplinary issues, with first-half try-scorers Wallace Sititi and Peter Lakai both receiving yellow cards, but New Zealand still showed why they remain one of the leading teams in international rugby.

Alongside reigning world champions South Africa, they are the only other side to have claimed maximum points from their four Nations Championship fixtures.

And while they might not possess quite the same star quality as the outstanding 2015 side that lifted the Rugby World Cup, any All Blacks team represents an enormous challenge.

Wales have not beaten New Zealand since 1953, demonstrating the size of the task facing Tandy's side.

Wing Rees-Zammit played an important role in the victory over Japan, beating 14 defenders and finishing off a try on the stroke of half-time, but acknowledged the significance of the occasion when the All Blacks arrive in the Welsh capital.

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“It is special, it’s always special playing the All Blacks,” said Rees-Zammit.

“But ultimately we want to win games and no matter what the opponent is we want to win the game.

“We’re going to look at what we did wrong and what we did right in today's [the Japan] game and really go after it.

“That game last year [the 52-26 defeat], I think we’re in it until the 60th minute and it’s about hard work and putting your body on the line against those boys and then when you get the ball and you get chances be brave with it and be fearless because we’ve got a really strong backline and we’ve got players that can play with the ball and we’ve got players in the back three that can finish off chances as well.”

The Bristol Bears wing also highlighted the threat posed by New Zealand's Will Jordan, who may have had a relatively quiet afternoon against Scotland but remains one of the most dangerous finishers in world rugby.

“I think he’s a really good player,” added Rees-Zammit.

“He’s a great finisher, and his stats show it and defensively he’s great as well, and it will be a great challenge.”