Wales aim to finish the international year on a high on Saturday as they seek to complete a double over Japan in the WXV Global Series. Sean Lynn's side have already secured two wins from three matches, including a 17-0 victory in Tokyo last weekend. Wales are ranked 11th in the world, one place above Japan.
Match Preview
Despite being favourites, Lynn insists his team will not take the Sakura Fifteen lightly, pointing to Japan's efficient and regimented defensive displays against Ireland. A victory would not lift Wales back into the world's top 10 but would represent significant progress for a side that previously went nine Test matches without a win. The match kicks off at 07:00 GMT on 31 October at Kumagaya Rugby Stadium in Saitama Prefecture, with live coverage on BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and app, and audio commentary on BBC Sounds, BBC Radio Wales Extra, and BBC Radio Cymru.
Team News
Lynn has made five starting changes, rewarding players who impressed off the bench last weekend. Bethan Lewis, Gwenllian Pyrs, Lleucu George, Gwen Crabb, and Courtney Keight — boasting a combined 248 Test caps — return to the starting XV. Keight replaces the injured Freya Bell, while co-captain Alex Callender shifts to number eight. Japan have made three changes: Komachi Imakugi starts at full-back, Mele Yua Havili Kagawa comes onto the wing, and Nduka Jennier is the only change in the pack. Savannah Bodman and Sophie Akiko Langford retain their places after impressive debuts, and scrum-half Moe Tsukui will captain the side.
Form Guide
Japan's last victory came against Hong Kong China in May, securing their seventh consecutive Asia Rugby Women's Championship. They have since pushed Ireland close in Galway and suffered defeats to Ireland (43-19 and 31-24), Italy (55-21), and Fiji (12-15), while thrashing Hong Kong China 71-12. Wales' recent results include the 17-0 win over Japan, a narrow 24-26 loss to USA, a 50-19 win over South Africa, a 24-43 loss to Italy, and heavy defeats to Ireland (33-12) and England (62-24). Wales are looking to secure back-to-back Test wins for the first time since June 2024 and to record their first clean sheet in eight years.
Camp Reaction
Co-captain Alex Callender acknowledged frustration in the camp after the Tokyo win but described nilling an opponent away from home as "a pretty good scoreline." She expects a wounded Japan to play for 80 minutes and wants Wales to back up the result with a more free-flowing performance. BBC Wales commentator Gareth Rhys Owen noted that Wales "won ugly" but found a way to win in difficult conditions, highlighting a mentality shift as the team now identifies shortcomings in victory. He also flagged the selection of Lleucu George at fly-half as intriguing, suggesting Wales need to settle on a first-choice number 10.
Line-ups
Japan: Imakugi; Tsunokawa, Langford, Kataoka, Havili Kagawa; Harada, Tsukui; Komaki, Nagaoka, Kitano, Kawamura, Sato, Asari, Jennifer, Bodman. Replacements: Kuge, Mine, Fuji, M Nishimura, Korai, Seo, Ito, S Nishimura. Wales: Neumann; N Metcalfe, Cox, Keight, A Williams; George, Lockwood, Pyrs, K Jones, Tuipulotu, B Metcalfe, Crabb, K Williams (co-capt), Lewis, Callender (co-capt). Replacements: Reardon, Davies, E Jones, Aiono, Evans, King, Bevan, De Vera. Referee: Julianne Zussman (RC). Assistants: Sunny Lee (HKCR), Hibiki Ikeda (JRFU). TMO: Matt Rodden (HKCR). FPRO: Koki Yamauchi (JRFU).
