Wales vs Japan - Teams and Prediction

PREVIEW: Japan head coach Eddie Jones and his troops will arrive at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday in search of their fifth win in the calendar year.

The ‘Brave Blossoms’, who have made significant strides since Jones took over, will meet an equally improved Wales outfit under Steve Tandy.

The two sides sit in similar positions in the Nations Championship standings, with Japan fifth in the Southern Hemisphere table and Wales in the same position in the North.

In the opening leg of the competition, Eddie Jones’s side caused a massive upset, beating Italy before succumbing to heavy losses against Ireland and France, respectively.

Wales, meanwhile, managed to grind out a win against Fiji before going down against Argentina and the Springboks in Durban.

The last three meetings between the two sides have swayed in the way of Tandy’s side.

Last July, Wales won two of their three meetings on home soil, recording 24-23 and 31-22 victories, while Japan also beat them 24-19.

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Eddie Jones calls on rookie flyhalf for Welsh clash

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Eddie Jones has made some big calls in his starting XV, handing out a debut to flyhalf Riku Kitahara while keeping the bulk of the team that lost to Fiji last month. The Japanese coach sees the clash as an opportunity to make history.

“Japan’s never beaten Wales at the Principality Stadium, and it’s one of the most iconic rugby stadiums in the world,” he said.

“We’ve got this fantastic opportunity to get ourselves right at kick-off, to be full of energy, purpose and passion.

“We know how we want to play, and we’ve got to do that with a lot of energy and passion. That’s what we’ve been focusing on.”

Wales pose threats in midfield

One of the key talking points from a Wales perspective is the centre combination selected by Tandy.

The Wales boss has paired together Max Llewellyn alongside Eddie James, two big ball carriers and bulldozers.

Llewellyn currently plays his rugby at English side, Gloucester, while James has recently signed a new deal with the Scarlets in the United Rugby Championship.

Hampered by a handful of injuries in that department, Tandy said he’s excited to see how the duo go along.

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#TeamAnnouncement: The Wales team to face Japan.
Can they overcome Eddie Jones’ side?
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— Rugby365 (@rugby365com) November 5, 2026

“We’re excited to see the pairing,” said Tandy.

“We’ve had a couple of training sessions together, and it’s been really good to watch. There’s strong competition, and you can’t overlook Max’s form since returning.

“He also had a run at number 12 against Bath. His defensive performances have been excellent, but he can also play with the ball.”

Tandy will hope his side can bag their second win in the competition before tough outings against Australia and New Zealand in consecutive weeks.

“We’re excited to be back at home,” he added.

“We want to go out there on Saturday, put our mark on the match and start the next phase in our Nations Championship campaign strongly.”

Players to watch

For Wales: Louis Rees-Zammit has yet to find his form since returning to rugby union after a stint in the NFL. The Welsh winger is deadly with ball in hand, and when given space can punish teams. Flyhalf Sam Costelow is also a quality player, and will be aiming to stamp his authority as the first-choice 10 moving forward. Captain Dewi Lake will be vital at set-piece time, while Alex Mann and Jac Morgan are breakdown specialists.

For Japan: Captain Warner Dearns has been a stalwart for the Japanese side in recent years, and he’ll be an important cog if Japan are to upset Wales. The debutant, Riku Kitahara, will receive a baptism of fire against a solid Welsh backline, and his game management skills will be tested. Out wide, Kippei Ishida brings explosive pace. Jack Cornelsen will be expected to play a big shift and influence the game with his power.

*See the teams and prediction below!

Prediction:

Rugby365:  Wales by 7 points

Teams:

Wales: 15 Blair Murray, 14 Louis Rees-Zammit, 13 Eddie James, 12 Max Llewellyn, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Sam Costelow, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Jac Morgan, 6 Alex Mann, 5 Ben Carter, 4 Dafydd Jenkins, 3 Archie Griffin, 2 Dewi Lake (captain), and 1 Nicky Smith.
Replacements: 16 Ryan Elias, 17 Rhys Carré, 18 Tomas Francis, 19 Teddy Williams, 20 James Botham, 21 Reuben Morgan-Williams, 22 Dan Edwards, 23 Louie Hennessey

Japan: 15 Kazuma Ueda, 14 Kippei Ishida, 13 Dylan Riley, 12 Samisoni Tua, 11 Inoke Burua, 10 Riku Kitahara, 9 Naoto Saito, 8 Jack Cornelsen, 7 Kanji Shimokawa, 6 Ben Gunter, 5 Warner Dearns (captain), 4 Harry Hockings, 3 Shuhei Takeuchi, 2 Mamoru Harada, 1 Yota Kamimori.
Replacements: 16 Kenji Sato, 17 Sojiro Otsuka, 18 Opeti Helu, 19 Michael Stolberg, 20 Tiennan Costley, 21 Kenta Fukuda, 22 Shinya Komura, 23 Jisu Lee.

Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Christophe Ridley (England) & Angus Mabey (New Zealand)
TMO: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)

*Additional reporting: BBC