The second of the two Lipovitan D Challenge Cup 2025 matches between Japan and Wales on 12th July at Noevir Stadium in Kobe will just up the ante as the Welsh continue their search for a first Test win since RWC 2023 after losing 24-19 in Kitakyushu’s Mikuni World Stadium last week, while the Brave Blossoms Head Coach Eddie Jones has called on the home side to make history.
The second of the two Lipovitan D Challenge Cup 2025 matches between Japan and Wales on 12th July at Noevir Stadium in Kobe will just up the ante as the Welsh continue their search for a first Test win since RWC 2023 after losing 24-19 in Kitakyushu’s Mikuni World Stadium last week, while the Brave Blossoms Head Coach Eddie Jones has called on the home side to make history.
The roof will be closed in Kobe, which will hopefully help both teams deal with the extreme heat and humidity, but the ball is still likely to be tricky to handle.
Eddie Jones wants, and to some degree needs, his side to do well and claim consecutive wins over a Tier One country for the first time, even if Wales have now dropped to below Japan in World Rugby’s latest rankings, with Japan now in 12th and Wales in 14th.
Even if Japan win at home and makes history, they can not improve their ranking. For Wales, a draw will move Wales above Samoa into 13th, while a win will see them restored to 12th, and Japan will lose out and drop to 14th.
Of note is that the win last week was the first time the Brave Blossoms had won their first Test of the year since 2022!
Jones said, “Japan has never had a record of beating a top-tier team back-to-back so we've got a chance to create history. But the more important thing for us is that we know we can play better. We played well in the first game, and we know we're going to have to play with more intensity, more effort, and execute our plays."
Captain Michael Leitch captains the side, and he put in some performance last week when they defeated Wales for just the second time, making 10 carries, beating 3 defenders and completing 19 tackles.
Jones has made five changes from the starting XV that won last week, with the talented Toulouse-based Naoto Saito starting at scrumhalf, and he will partner Lee Seung Sin at flyhalf. Jones said of the young number 9, “He came back with confidence after becoming champion in France. He's also got a lot of rugby knowledge, so I want him to bring that experience to the team together with (captain) Leitch."
Both Nakakusu (fullback) & Halatoa Vailea (left wing) start after both scored in the comeback win last week. Among the changes is No.8 Maxi Faulua, who will have his first opportunity to play since acquiring Japanese citizenship.
That battle at number 8 is one of a few key areas to watch as Wales has selected Dragons Aaron Wainwright there this weekend.
There is a 5/3 split among the reserves for Japan, and new potential debutants include Sam Greene, Hayato Era, Seinan Kimura, and Kazuma Ueda.
Senior men’s head coach Matt Sherratt has made several changes as he said he wanted to freshen up the squad as they look to break this 18-match losing streak and Saturday will be 644 days since Wales last won a men’s test.
Among the four changes to the starting XV from last weekend, Dan Edwards starts at fly-half to earn his 3rd cap. They lost a handful of players due to injury, including Ben Carter and Toby Falatau.
He said, “I know people will focus on that result (last week), but there was a lot in that game that was positive. I think our biggest challenge this week is going to be to repeat some of the good and being a little bit braver with the ball as well. If I am honest, at times we tried to hang on the lead rather than kick on.”
In the front row, Welsh prop Nicky Smith’s 55 caps are more than double the entire Brave Blossoms front row combined at 22 caps.
There is again a six-two split among the Wales replacements. Although Matt Sherratt has not selected any potential new caps in the starting XV, there are three among the reserves: Christian Coleman, Reuben Morgan-Williams and Keelan Giles. The entire bench has fewer than 80 caps among them.
Luke Pearce (England) is the match official. Interestingly, Wales have lost their last three with Pearce as referee.
