Wales stumbled to an unconvincing 28-21 bonus-point victory over Japan at Principality Stadium, a result that did little to ease the growing concerns for head coach Steve Tandy.
A Win, But Barely
The Dragons secured their fourth win in 13 internationals under Tandy, but it mirrored their last-gasp one-point victory against Eddie Jones’ Japan 12 months ago. Tries from prop Archie Griffin, wing Josh Adams, and the “rejuvenated” Louis Rees-Zammit built a 21-14 half-time lead. Japan stayed in the fight with scores from flanker Ben Gunter and lock Warner Dearns. The second half was a nervy affair, with Adams bagging his second try. But Japan replacement Kenta Fukuda scored, ensuring the visitors left with a losing bonus point and setting up a frantic finale that Wales barely survived.
Cracks Show Through Despite Star Power
Louis Rees-Zammit, playing back at his favored wing position, was named player of the match, delivering a strong ball-carrying performance that included a searing early break to set up Griffin’s first Test try. Full-back Blair Murray, back-row duo Morgan and Wainwright, and centre Eddie James also contributed solid ball-carrying. However, Tandy has serious headaches to address. The line-out was a major malfunction, losing six throws. Wales allowed Japan to stay in the game too easily, suffered from worrying indiscipline, and wasted attacking opportunities with silly handling errors. Scrum-half Tomos Williams was caught, leading to a Japan steal and try. The team also struggled to protect possession at the breakdown, even after a Wainwright break deep into Japan’s territory. This side, which included a record nine English-based club players in the starting XV, and 12 of the 23-strong squad based outside of Wales, needs to tighten up. They even fielded one of their biggest ever centre combinations in James (6ft 4in, 16st 3lbs) and Max Llewellyn (6ft 6in, 16st 12lbs).
Campaign Struggles and What’s Ahead
This unconvincing performance keeps Wales in fifth place in the northern hemisphere table of the inaugural Nations Championship. Their campaign started in July with a home win over Fiji, but they then suffered defeats in Argentina and South Africa, including a 43-0 rout by the Springboks. Japan, for their part, had defeated Italy but lost to Ireland and France. The match saw 52,425 fans in attendance, an increase of 2,000 from the Argentina game last November but still 9,000 fewer than when Japan visited Cardiff in 2025. Wales will host New Zealand next Saturday before wrapping up their regular league campaign against Australia. Japan travels to face England and Scotland. If the table standings hold, these two “familiar foes” will meet *again* for the fifth-placed finish at the three-day finals weekend at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham at the end of November.
So, a win is a win, but serious questions loom as Wales prepares to host New Zealand next Saturday. They will need a much sharper performance to avoid another unconvincing outing against a top-tier opponent, especially if they want to avoid a rematch with Japan for fifth place.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by BBC Sport.
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