Lake urges Wales to focus on elusive win in Japan

As they attempt to end a 17-game losing streak in international rugby, Wales captain Dewi Lake says his team must ignore the off-field turbulence in Welsh rugby while they are in Japan.

In a two-match series, Wales take on Eddie Jones’ side, with the first Test taking place on July 5 in Kitakyushu and the second Test taking place in Kobe seven days later.

Caretaker boss Matt Sherratt is currently in charge of Wales, and Warren Gatland, who left in February, has not yet been replaced. A permanent head coach is also awaiting appointment.

The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) and two of its professional sides, the Ospreys and Scarlets, are once more at odds with the domestic game in Wales.

Hooker Lake insists that their only goal should be to achieve their first international success since October 2023 despite the fact that the Wales players are well-versed in such chaos and turmoil.

After a significant losing run, “we have a job to do,” Lake said.

“We’re not completely focused on rugby, but we’ve got to be,” the player said as they were thinking about everything that was going on. So we start to consider Japan.

That’s what we’ve been discussing. We are aware of our summer activities.

Gethin Jenkins, Adam Jones, Danny Wilson, Rhys Thomas, Leigh Halfpenny, and other members of Sherratt’s backroom staff are currently only available for this tour.

The search for Gatland’s permanent replacement, which has taken almost five months, has now begun with the new WRU performance director, Dave Reddin.

In the upcoming weeks, Lake claims that the players won’t be bothered by that process.

“We know what we’ve got to do with the task at hand, and that’s not to think about what might come up next,” Lake said.

“We might not be here for the next round of coaches if we don’t do a job.”

There is no point in fretting or dwelling on that, they say. We have no say in the matter, and it’s not our choice.

Wales have fallen to the lowest position in the world rankings, just one place ahead of their opponents this summer, who lost 53-20 to the Maori All Blacks on Saturday in their warm-up game before hosting Wales.

Lake thinks the two-match series has grown more significant as a result.

It’s “colossal,” Lake remarked. We’re not underestimating what they’re going to bring, they say.

They have a dangerous side and have caused a lot of upheaval in recent memory.

It’s going to be a big battle because they’re 13 and we’re 12 for a reason, according to the statement.

Two mid-afternoon kick-offs with extreme heat and humidity are anticipated to be held in high spirits.

The tactic Lake says he won’t be shocked at is that Japan boss Jones has stated that he wants his side to “run Wales off their feet.”

We are aware of the rugby game they enjoy, Lake said.

They play with a lot of speed, we know. We must slow down the pace because they will want to play quickly.

“That’ll emphasise our defense,” we said, “but we’re going to have to slow it down, stop it, and make sure we’re the dominant team in the world.” But we are aware of what they will bring.

At their training facility in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales’ preparation included exhausting heat-chamber training.

According to Lake, “We’ve heard rumors that it’s going to be a whole new level.”

“We’ve worked hard and put in a lot of heat to replicate the weather here.”

Lake reclaims his leadership position as Wales’ captain during the Australian summer tour of 2024 and the autumn internationals.

After his good friend Jac Morgan, along with scrum-half Tomos Williams, was one of only two Welshmen chosen for the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, he has been asked to lead the squad once more.

“I was just happy and proud of him,” Lake remarked. We accomplished a lot together and came through.

It was amazing to read out his name. When he discovered his illness, I was on a flight in South Africa with him, and we all expressed our happiness and pride.

Due to a bicep injury that prevented Lake’s own Lions from winning the tournament, his ambitions were hindered by a Six Nations injury.

After missing the first three games, Lake was forced to play for replacements against England and Scotland.

The Ospreys hooker has only been given 20 caps so far in a string of niggling injuries, which is his most recent setback.

Although it’s difficult, Lake remarked, “I guess there’s a reason things happen.” However, my body is also feeling good.

Six uncapped players from Japan and Wales’ 33-man squad have benefited from spending a month together.

“We’ve worked hard and effectively,” Lake said. Because it’s a relatively new group, a lot of time has been spent on merely developing relationships.