Japan V Wales Preview, Teams And How To Follow

Summer circuit 2nd Test: Japan v Wales

Venue: Noevir (Misaki Park) Stadium, Kobe Date: Saturday, 12 July Kick-off: 06:50 BST

Coverage: Watch unrecorded connected S4C and BBC iPlayer; perceive unrecorded connected BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru & BBC Sounds; matter commentary and highlights connected BBC Sport website and app.

Wales will decorativeness their hopeless play successful Kobe connected Saturday hoping to grounds a first Test triumph successful 644 days.

The visitors look nan Brave Blossoms nether nan closed tile astatine Noevir Stadium hopeless to summation revenge for past weekend's 24-19 conclusion successful Kitakyushu, successful which they led 19-7 pinch 20 minutes remaining.

That represented an 18th successive conclusion pinch Wales' erstwhile triumph coming 21 months agone erstwhile they defeated Georgia successful nan World Cup successful Nantes successful October 2023.

Wales could group a caller grounds losing streak for a tier 1 broadside if they gaffe to a 19th nonaccomplishment and surpass nan series of France betwixt 1911 and 1920.

Eddie Jones' Japan, expertly led by skipper Michael Leitch, are looking to create their ain history by signaling back-to-back wins against a tier 1 federation for nan first clip and besides summation a first 2-0 bid triumph against Wales.

Wales' nonaccomplishment to Japan past week saw them gaffe to a lowest-ever position of 14th successful nan world rankings pinch Jones' broadside leaping to 12th.

The crippled is being played astatine nan Noevir Stadium successful Kobe which has besides been called nan Kobe City Misaki Park Stadium.

It is nan location crushed of J1 League shot nine Vissel Kobe and nan rugby national broadside Kobelco Kobe Steelers.

In 1970, Kobe Central Football Stadium was opened astatine nan tract of nan Kobe Keirin Track.

It was nan first shot stadium successful Japan to beryllium capable to big games astatine nighttime pursuing nan installation of floodlights.

In bid to big 2002 Fifa World Cup matches, nan stadium was renovated to instal a removable tile and summation spectator capacity.

It was opened nether nan sanction Kobe Wing Stadium successful November 2001 pinch a capacity of 42,000.

The crushed besides hosted 4 group games successful nan 2019 Rugby World Cup. The stadium now has a capacity of 30,132.

In a word, very. That retractable tile will beryllium closed this play and supply testing humid conditions for some sides.

Last week's crippled was played successful 31C pinch precocious humidity making ball-handling difficult.

The forecast for Saturday is 3 degrees hotter and nan crippled will beryllium efficaciously played successful an indoor stadium which intends nan humidity will rise.

Jones said it was "quite ironic talking astir roofs erstwhile you're playing against Wales" arsenic he referred to nan 26-year statement that has surrounded matches staged astatine Cardiff's Principality Stadium which besides has a roof.

"Having known nan goings-on erstwhile you spell location pinch England, whether it's going to beryllium unfastened aliases closed, is it going to rain, is it not going to rain," said Jones.

"All those machinations are nan aforesaid successful each state successful nan world.

"When we spell up successful nan bluish hemisphere, nary 1 turns nan heaters on."

Japan coach Jones has again named an inexperienced line-up, pinch 4 starters winning their 2nd caps and 4 uncapped players connected nan bench.

Scrum-half Naoto Saito, who won nan French Top 14 title pinch Toulouse past month, returns to nan starting line-up successful spot of Shinobu Fujiwara.

Backs Ichigo Nakakusu and Halatoa Vailea, who some scored aft coming disconnected nan chair to make their debuts successful past week's game, are named successful nan starting side, while prop Keijiro Tamefusa and number 8 Faulua Makisi are besides included.

Wales interim caput coach Matt Sherratt has made 4 changes to his starting line-up, pinch Ospreys fly-half Dan Edwards being fixed a first world commencement alternatively of Sam Costelow.

Number 8 Aaron Wainwright replaces nan knowledgeable Taulupe Faletau, who has not recovered from heat-related cramps.

Gloucester's Freddie Thomas comes successful astatine fastener aft Ben Carter was ruled retired pursuing a caput wounded successful nan first infinitesimal of past week's game.

Bath's Archie Griffin takes complete astatine tight-head prop from Keiron Assiratti successful a broadside again captained by hooker Dewi Lake.

Uncapped trio Chris Coleman, Reuben Morgan-Williams and Keelan Giles are each named connected nan bench.

Japan: Ichigo Nakakusu; Kippei Ishida, Dylan Riley, Shogo Nakano, Halatoa Vailea; Seungsin Lee, Naito Sato; Yota Kamimori, Mamoru Harada, Keijiro Tamefusa, Epineri Uluiviti, Warner Deans, Michael Leitch (capt), Jack Cornelsen, Faulua Makisi.

Replacements: Hayate Era, Sena Kimura, Shuhei Takeuchi, Waisake Raratubua, Ben Gunter, Shinobu Fujiwara, Sam Greene, Kazema Ueda.

Wales: Blair Murray; Tom Rogers, Johnny Williams, Ben Thomas, Josh Adams; Dan Edwards, Kieran Hardy; Nicky Smith, Dewi Lake (capt), Archie Griffin, Freddie Thomas, Teddy Williams, Alex Mann, Josh Macleod, Aaron Wainwright.

Replacements: Liam Belcher, Gareth Thomas, Chris Coleman, James Ratti, Taine Plumtree, Tommy Reffell, Reuben Morgan-Williams, Keelan Giles.

Referee: Luke Pearce (RFU)

Assistant Referees: Karl Dickson (RFU), Damian Schneider (UAR)

Television Match Official (TMO): Glenn Newman (NZR)

Japan caput coach Eddie Jones: "Japan has ne'er had a grounds of beating a top-tier squad back-to-back truthful we've sewage a chance to create history," said Jones, who again named Michael Leitch arsenic skipper aft an outstanding show from nan 36-year-old past week.

"But nan much important point for america is that we cognize we tin play better.

"We played good successful nan first crippled but we cognize we're going to person to play pinch much intensity, much effort, execute our plays."

Wales interim caput coach Matt Sherratt: "It was a reliable changing room successful Kitayushu aft nan boys had put truthful overmuch into nan week that what I didn't want to do was get them backmost successful Monday and almost re-open nan wounds, truthful we had 2 days off," he said.

"First and foremost, I deliberation that was astir apt nan astir important thing, and past we showed them nan people astatine 60 minutes, which was 19-7 to us.

"We didn't get capable set-piece successful value positions from 20 minutes on, truthful we were conscionable actual and said if we tin do that, past we've sewage a chance of winning nan game."

You tin watch nan crippled unrecorded connected S4C and BBC iPlayer aliases perceive unrecorded connected BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Sounds pinch kick-off astatine 06:50 BST.

You tin travel unrecorded matter commentary connected nan BBC Sport website and app.

There will besides beryllium post-match guidance and study online and via BBC Radio Wales and nan Scrum V podcast.