12 July 2025: G: Noevir Stadium (Japan Kobe) ; R: Luke Pearce (RFU)
●Japan 22-31 Wales○
Data:
12/7/2025, Challenge Cup 2025
Japan 22 – 31 Wales
Noevir Stadium (Japan Kobe)
Half-time 7 – 19
Refree: Luke Pearce (RFU)
Crowd: 25,074
JAPAN: 15 Ichigo Nakakusu (22 Sam Greene 19), 14 Kippei Ishida, 13 Dylan Riley, 12 Shogo Nakano, 11 Halatoa Vailea, 10 Seungsin Lee, 9 Naoto Saito (21 Shinobu Fujiwara 56), 8 Faulua Makisi (20 Gunter Ben 53), 7 Jack Cornelsen, 6 Michael Leitch (capt), 5 Warner Dearns, 4 Epineri Uluiviti (19 Waisake Raratubua 40), 3 Keijiro Tamefusa (18 Shyuhei Takeuchi 37), 2 Mamoru Harada (16 Hayate Era 37), 1 Yota Kamimori (17 Sena Kimura 37).
Reserves: 22 Kazuma Ueda.
HIA:
Coach: Eddie Jones.
Tries: Shyuhei Takeuchi, Warner Dearns, Dylan Riley. Conversions: Seungsin Lee (2); Penalty Goals: Seungsin Lee; Drop Goals: None.
Red Cards:, Yellow Cards: 8 Faulua Makisi (Repeated foul play).
Wales: 15 Blair Murray, 14 Tom Rogers, 13 Johnny Williams (22 Reuben Morgan-Williams 55), 12 Ben Thomas, 11 Josh Adams (23 Keelan GILES 40), 10 Dan Edwards, 9 Kieran Hardy, 8 Aaron Wainwright (21 Tommy Reffell 57), 7 Josh Macleod (21 Tommy Reffell 76), 6 Alex Mann (20 Taine Plumtree 49), 5 Teddy Williams , 4 Freddie Thomas (19 James RATTI 67), 3 Archie Griffin (18 Christian Coleman 60), 2 Dewi Lake (capt) (16 Liam Belcher 60), 1 Nicky Smith (17 Gareth Thomas 44).
Reserves:
HIA:
Coach: Matt Sherratt.
Tries: Josh Adams, Kieran Hardy (2), Dan Edwards.Conversions: Dan Edwards (4); Penalty Goals: Dan Edwards; Drop Goals: None.
Yellow Cards:.
Scoring sequence (Japan’s score shown first): 9min-try Wales, Josh Adams -0-5; conv. Dan Edwards-0-7, 24min-pg Japan, Seungsin Lee-3-7, 28min-try Wales, Kieran Hardy-3-12; conv. Dan Edwards-3-14, 36min-try Wales, Kieran Hardy-3-19; conv. Dan Edwards-3-21, 40min-try Japan, Shyuhei Takeuchi-8-21; conv. Seungsin Lee-10-21, 22min-pg Wales, Dan Edwards-10-24, 59min-try Japan, Warner Dearns-15-24; conv. Seungsin Lee (missed)-15-24, 62min-try Japan, Dylan Riley-20-24; conv. Seungsin Lee-22-24,75min-try Wales, Dan Edwards-22-29; conv. Dan Edwards-22-31.
Wales suffered a come-from-behind defeat to Japan in the first match, marking their 18th consecutive test match loss. The atmosphere was different from the first match, even during warm-up, and they were determined to win. However, while the roof at Noevir Stadium Kobe blocks direct sunlight, the air conditioning is insufficient, and the humidity is high, meaning the players' stamina will likely be sapped by the muggy heat.
Japan kicked off, and Wales launched a series of aggressive attacks. Japan's No. 9 Saito's solid high punts allowed the wingers to run, creating chances. The exceptional running of Wales' No. 11 Josh Adams and No. 15 Blair Murray, the try-scoring leaders at RWC 2019 Japan, was reminiscent of the legendary Wales national team. In the ninth minute, after a high punt in Wales' own half, Japan's No. 11 Vailea stole the ball at a ruck, and No. 7 Cornelsen charged to the side of the ruck. While Japan was setting up an attacking line, Wales' No. 6 Alex stole the ball from the ruck, and Wales maintained their defensive line and played flat to the left. No. 12 Ben Thomas attempted a swerve, but was tackled by No. 6 Leitch. Murray then ran vertically and received a pass, breaking through the Japanese defense. He drew No. 15 Nakakusu, and passed it to the unmarked Adams for an easy opening try (No. 10 Edwards scored a goal, making the score 0-7). I wanted No. 14 Ishida to pursue Adams, even if it's not useful. When Japan gained possession, they launched aggressive attacks, but the sweaty ball was slippery, and they often made mistakes to drop the ball at crucial moments. In the 20th minute, No. 4 Epineli won a lineout about 10 meters to the right of Wales' half and advanced to the left. No. 12 Nakano and No. 8 Maxi charged vertically, then advanced further to the left. No. 9 Saito passed the ball to Lee and Riley on a shallow line, and Nakakusu, who joined the line, broke away and made a great run. However, No. 11 Vailea was late in receiving the pass, and was tackled by the Wales. He passed the ball to No6 Leitch, but Leitch was pushed out of touch line. In the 22nd minute, Japan made a pass error during a series of attacks from a lineout on the left side of midfield. Wales' No. 8, Wenwright, picked up the ball and kicked it towards the Japanese try line. Adams made a dashing chase and looked to catch the ball in his chest at 5 meters from the goal, but he dropped it. Amidst this series of attacks and defenses, Wales was penalized for a high tackle by the TMO, and in the 24th minute, Lee scored a penalty goal 40 meters from the center of the 10-meter Wales line (3-7). Wales then pressed forward with a series of attacks towards the Japanese goal. Japan held off with some solid tackles, but the referee warned about repeated offsides. In the 28th minute, Wales launched a side attack from a lineout maul, and No. 9, Hardy, entered the try zone (Edwards' goal was successful, making it 3-14). Maxi, again for being offside, received a yellow card (10-minute suspension). In the 33rd minute, Japan's seven forwards held up well in a scrum 22 meters from the center of Wales' half, but then attacked, missing a chance by knock forward. After regrouping with seven players in the scrum, Japan were penalized for collapsing. Wales launched a series of attacks from a lineout on the left side of the halfway line. In the 36th minute, Adams broke through from Murray's pass, and No. 9 Hardy, supporting the inside, scored a try under the posts (Edward's goal was successful, making it 3-21). Hoping to change the momentum, Japan replaced all of their front row players in the 37th minute, having played the entire 80 minutes of the previous match (No. 16 Era and No. 17 Kimura were making their first caps, while No. 18 Takeuchi played 80 minutes in the first match). Then, in the 39th minute, No. 8 Maxi returned, and Japan held the scrum 22 meters to the left of Wales' half. With the replacement front row and Maxi back, the eight-man scrum pushed up the Welsh forwards and earned a penalty kick. In the 40th minute, a penalty kick to touch led to a lineout 5 meters to the left of the Wales goal. No. 4 Epineli kept the ball and passed it to Leitch to Nakano, who approached 3 meters in front of the goal, where Takeuchi charged forward. He fell down, let go of the ball, got up, picked it up again, and dove into the try zone (Lee's goal was successful, making it 10-21).
Maxi's move to push off the opposing defender just before Takeuchi picked it up was a truly superb assist. The first half ended after this play.
The second half began with a Welsh kickoff, and Japan replaced No. 4 Epineli with No. 19 Lalatuvua. Cornelsen won a lineout 10 meters to the left of the Welsh half and launched a series of attacks. The forwards and backs combined to form a seven-phase attack, and Ishida made a swift run along the right line, only to be pushed out by Wales' Wainwright. Both teams aggressively launched offensive and defensive plays, but no try-making opportunities emerged, and the game remained deadlocked. Substitutes No. 16 Era and No. 17 Kimura were particularly notable. In the ninth minute, No. 10 Edwards scored a 45m penalty goal after a steal (10-24). While young and seemingly unreliable, Edwards' kicking was accurate, as expected of a Welsh No. 10. Japan continued to miss opportunities with knock-forwards, but in the 13th minute, No. 20 Ben Gunter was brought on for No. 8 Maxi. In the 14th minute, a penalty kick was awarded after a Wales offside. Japan attacked with a lineout maul 5 meters to the right of the Wales goal, but they were unable to push through. They passed the ball to No. 12 Nakano, who charged forward, but again knocked it forward. Looking to change the momentum, Japan brought on No. 21 Fujiwara and No. 22 Sam Green in place of No. 9 Saito and No. 15 Nakakusu. Then, in the 19th minute, Warner brilliantly charged No. 9 Hardy's kick at a Wales area 10 meters line to the right. Riley picked up the loose ball to run and Japan made the point to move to the left. After Nakano's charge, the forwards and backs combined to attack and spread the ball to the right. Substitute No. 22 Sam Green sent a long pass to Riley, who made a quick run and followed up on the outside, making Warner go within 3 meters of the Wales goal on the right. After a series of vertical charges (a total of eight phases), Warner again drove the ball into the try zone, scoring a try under TMO rule (Lee's missed goal made it 15-24). Wales then launched a series of attacks, and in the 22nd minute, they advanced from a ruck in the center of midfield to the left, but Hardy's pass was high and Edwards dropped the ball. Riley, not missing the opportunity, made a brilliant run and caught the ball, sprinting smoothly and diving under the posts despite the Welsh pursuit (Lee's successful goal made it 22-24). Hopes for a comeback victory rose sharply. However, in the 27th minute, from a lineout on the right side of the halfway line with Wales in possession, Japan conceded a penalty kick to Wales for a collapsing maul. This play, which gave a tired Wales team time to rest and gain ground, was something they wanted to avoid. This crisis was overcome with Warner's lineout steal, Fujiwara's steal at the ruck, and a good kick from Leitch, allowing them to enter the opposing territory. Japan launched a series of effective attacks and looked for a try, but just like the Welsh players, fatigue was beginning to show. In the 31st minute, Japan secured a lineout 10 meters to the right of Wales' half and advanced to the left. No. 12 Nakano made a run, but Wales' No. 7 McLeod stole it with one hand, resulting in a penalty kick. This touch kick allowed the ball into the Japanese half, but Japan applied pressure with all its members and managed to avoid the crisis. However, in the 33rd minute, Lee received a pass from a ruck beyond the 22-meter line in the center of Japan's half and took a direct touch. Perhaps due to Welsh pressure, or perhaps due to fatigue, his judgment was impaired (the defender was only one, and Lee would normally have dodged and taken a big kick into the opposing half). In the 34th minute, Wales launched a series of attacks from a lineout 22 meters to the right of Japan's half after this direct touch, and with a determination to never lose, they closed in on the Japanese goal. After nine consecutive phases, they advanced to the left from a ruck in the center of the goal. No. 20 Plumtree's backflip pass threw off the Japanese defender's timing, allowing Edwards to receive the ball behind him and dive into the try zone (Edwards' goal made it 22-31). A tired Wales team ran with all their might and scored a try. With five minutes remaining, Japan also launched an attack in an attempt to turn the game around, but ace Riley had a cramp in his leg and the whole team could not hide their fatigue. After the final try, Wales regained some energy and overcame the remaining time to win. Still, I was honestly surprised to see Wales so happy after beating Japan, perhaps because they had lost the previous time, or because they had ended an 18-game losing streak in test matches.Japan should never forget the tough battle experience they faced in the final 10 minutes of the day, and when they find themselves in a similar situation in the match that will decide whether they advance to the RWC play off tournament or in the quarterfinals, they should use the experience they gained from this day to win and achieve their goal of reaching the top four.