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Summer tour first Test: Japan v Wales

Venue: Mikuni World Stadium, Kitakyushu Date: Saturday, 5 July Kick-off: 06:00 BST

It is not so much a nation expects. It is more something the Welsh rugby nation is desperate for.

An international win. Any win will do. Wales will hope it finally comes against Japan in Kitakyushu on Saturday before a second Test in Kobe seven days later.

It could help lift some doom and gloom. Welsh rugby is in the doldrums with the men’s side enduring a record international 17-match losing run and currently having no permanent head coach.

Only two players were selected for the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia with flanker Jac Morgan since left flying the flag alone for Wales, following an injury to scrum-half Tomos Williams.

The long-term future of the domestic game is uncertain with fears the number professional sides could be cut. Mostly radio silence from the Wales Rugby Union (WRU) and regions in recent weeks has not helped allay the anxiety of players and fans.

Saturday will represent 637 days since the national men’s side experienced a Test match win when they defeated Georgia in the World Cup in Nantes in October 2023.

That record run of defeats has followed with head coach Warren Gatland departing in the middle of the Six Nations in February.

Cardiff coach Matt Sherratt took over in an interim role for the rest of the tournament which finished with a record 68-14 defeat by England in Cardiff.

With Gatland’s successor yet to be appointed, Sherratt has again accepted the caretaker role for this tour with a new-look coaching staff that includes Danny Wilson, Gethin Jenkins and Leigh Halfpenny.

The old goals have not changed with a first Test victory in 21 months the only outcome desired.

“It’s massive,” said Sherratt.

“I spoke to the players before we came away, I wondered what their motivation was and why they were coming here. The short answer was they want to win for Wales. “

Wing Josh Adams, who has experienced Grand Slam and Six Nations success and reached a World Cup semi-final, says it hurt when some of his younger team-mates mentioned they had not experienced any Wales wins.

Number eight Aaron Wainwright, the current Welsh player of the year, has won one game for club and country this season with 19 defeats.

Tour captain Dewi Lake has led Wales in six of the 17 Test defeats when his inspirational individual displays have deserved more.

Lake knows what is at stake over the next week.

“We understand the importance of a win,” said Lake.

“It’s a huge game for us, to hopefully not only kickstart our Japan tour, but also the new season.

“We’ve had that monkey on our back for a long time, trying to get that win.

Wales have dropped to an all-time low of 12th in the world rankings with their hosts only one place below them.

Defeat in Kitakyushu would mean Wales tumbled to 14th, below Japan and Samoa, which could prove costly in their bid to stay in the top 12 before the 2027 World Cup draw later this year.

The damning statistics shows how far Wales have fallen in such a short space of time.

On the previous occasion Wales travelled to Japan for the 2019 World Cup, that Gatland side had just briefly topped the world rankings for the first time and were the reigning Six Nations and Grand Slam champions.

While Sherratt says he will return to his Cardiff day job after the tour, Japan coach Jones’ future is under scrutiny after an underwhelming first year of his second stint in charge following his controversial return to the Brave Blossoms.

Jones was accused of touting for the Japan job while he was overseeing a failed World Cup campaign in 2023 with Australia, who were eliminated at the group for the first time.

His last experience of coaching against Wales was the 40-6 record drubbing Australia suffered in Lyon in that World Cup two years ago.

But Jones also remains the only Japan boss to beat Wales, doing so 23-8 in 2013.

In their warm-up game last weekend before hosting Wales, Japan lost 53-20 to Maori All Blacks.

Wales find themselves in a home-from-home environment as they aim for away success.

Kitakyushu was the city that took Gatland’s side to its hearts in 2019 when Wales chose it as its World Cup training base. Six years on, the love affair continues.

In 2019, the picturesque Mikuni World Stadium, with the mountain range behind it, was where more than 15,000 locals packed into so they could watch Wales train.

The adopted home fans produced a rousing rendition of the Welsh national anthem that stunned the squad.

This time Wales will play a first Test match against in Japan in the city that will host only its second international after Japan entertained Uruguay in 2022.

Some local media have suggested there might be more home fans supporting Wales.

With the hospitality, comes the heat and humidity with a mid-afternoon kick-off ensuring the game will be played in stifling conditions.

Jones proclaimed whoever deals with those issues will win the game and has promised to try and “run Wales off their feet”.

Temperatures will reach more than 30C and will be coupled with high humidity.

Wales prepared in the heat chamber, nicknamed the “hell room”, at their Vale of Glamorgan base before spending a week in Japan before the first Test.

A slippery ball will present its own challenges. Wales have trained with rugby balls doused in soapy water.

“It’s probably going to be a game on television where the conditions look perfect, but the ball’s going to be greasy and will test your skills,” said Sherratt.

The coach says he will not use the conditions as an excuse.

“I know there’s been a lot of chat about it, but it’s part of the challenge of coming to a different country,” said Sherratt.

“We went to Samoa in 2017 and while the conditions weren’t as hot as here, it was similar.

“They’re not going to change the conditions and part of coming here is accepting them. They’re the same for both teams, so I’m not hugely worried about it. “

World Rugby has produced a new set of heat regulations and some criteria will be implemented on match day.

That will include three-minute water breaks after 20 and 60 minutes and an extended half-time period of 20 minutes rather than the usual 15.

“We’ll just plan for both,” said Sherratt.

The conditions will act as a good leveller and both teams need a win for contrasting reasons.

Wales will hope their heart and soul might just shine through in the searing Japanese afternoon sunshine.

It shows where Welsh rugby currently finds itself that beating Japan in any way possible will be greeted with relief, maybe even a hint of elation.

Lucy Bronze was “shocked” that France did not select Wendie Renard in their Euro 2025 squad and thinks they could be “weakened” without her.

The Lionesses start the defence of their title in Zurich on Saturday (20:00 BST) against France in the first of three group matches.

Chelsea defender Bronze won three successive Women’s Champions League trophies between 2017 and 2020 alongside Renard, who was captain of their Lyon side.

However, France manager Laurent Bonadei said he went with “a different selection” that was “not made in the spur of the moment” when explaining his reasoning for rejecting 34-year-old Renard, who has made 168 international appearances and had been captain.

“Wendie is a good friend of mine. She’s the epitome of what I would describe as a captain figure,” said Bronze.

“When I was at Lyon, everything she did as a person and as a player, there was nothing you could fault. I’m sure she will be devastated not to be part of the Euros.

“The manager went a different way. That’s how football works sometimes. It’s a big shock.

Bronze will face familiar players in England’s tournament opener, including Chelsea’s Sandy Baltimore and former Lyon team-mate Selma Bacha.

The two nations know each other well having met in Euro 2025 qualifying, with both teams picking up a 2-1 victory away from home.

England have won three of their past six matches against France but are looking to win back-to-back games against them for the first time since 1974.

France have a strong record in the group stages, last suffering defeat by Germany in 2009. They’ve started each of their past five Euros tournaments with a win.

Meanwhile, Lionesses’ boss Sarina Wiegman has won all 12 of her matches at the Euros, guiding the Netherlands and England to glory in 2017 and 2022.

Both these nations have ambitions of going all the way in Switzerland and it is regarded as the biggest heavyweight clash of the group stages.

“There’s a lot of respect between the teams because we have faced off so regularly,” said Bronze.

“I don’t think France necessarily fear England, they just have a lot of respect and think we have a very talented team – it’s the same with them.

“We get to test ourselves against the good teams straight away. There are no surprises going through the tournament. We know the standard that you have to be at.

England forward Lauren James came off the bench to play 30 minutes in their friendly win over Jamaica on Sunday and she has trained this week in Zurich.

Asked if she was ready to start the match, England manager Sarina Wiegman said: “We are not going to give you the line-up. She played 30 minutes last week and she can play more than that. She is in a good place. “

Meanwhile, France will be without centre-back and leader Griedge Mbock because of a calf injury.

“Unfortunately Griedge is still feeling a bit uneasy with her calf. It is the beginning of the competition. We don’t want any risks,” said manager Laurent Bonadei.

“She will be with us [at training on Friday] but not on the field [against England] unfortunately for us.