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The Independent
2 days ago
- Climate
- The Independent
It hurts – Matt Sherratt urges Wales to use latest defeat by Japan as ‘fuel'
Wales boss Matt Sherratt said his players were 'hurt' by an 18th successive Test defeat as Japan recovered from a 12-point deficit to inflict further misery on the beleaguered tourists. Sherratt's side led 19-7 at the interval in Kitakyushu through tries from Ben Thomas and Tom Rogers, as well as a penalty try, and were in sight of claiming Wales' first win for 21 months. But Eddie Jones' Brave Blossoms stormed back in sweltering conditions, where the temperatures reached 34 degrees Celsius alongside a very high humidity reading, to win 24-19 and register only their second ever victory over Wales. 'I think you could see the feelings pitchside (at the final whistle), not just the squad but the whole staff,' said interim head coach Sherratt. 'To have a 19-7 lead in the first half and to lose the game at the end is obviously very disappointing. It hurts. 'Already we've got to quickly use that hurt to fuel next week. The great thing about this tour is we get a chance next week to put it right.' The second Test of the two-match series takes place in Kobe next Saturday, and Wales will certainly hope for cooler conditions than the stifling heat of Kitakyushu. Water breaks were taken in each half and there was also an extended interval under World Rugby's updated heat and air quality guidelines, to provide support to players playing in hot conditions. But Sherratt, who has now overseen four defeats since replacing Warren Gatland during the Six Nations Championship in February, insisted the oppressive heat was not a factor in Wales' latest loss. He added: 'If I'm honest I'd be making excuses if I said that. First half we took pretty much every chance we got bar one in their 22. 'Every ball that hit the floor bounced for us and we rolled the right side of the penalty count. 'In the second half there were some really big moments. We had a line-out around 45 minutes to take the game to three scores, and it was a really tough call from the referee in terms of penalising us. 'It's a young group and we've not had a win for a while, those little scars can start to run deep. 'In the second half every bounce went for them in the aerial battle, and the penalty count went away from us. 'Maybe the conditions added to that as well, but my instincts (say) not so much.' There were worrying scenes inside the opening 30 seconds as lock forward Ben Carter suffered a head injury making a tackle. Carter was prone on the ground after contact and treated for several minutes before leaving the field on a stretcher. Although the Wales camp reported later that Carter had not suffered a serious injury, Sherratt said: 'Ben will be unavailable next week. 'We'll have a discussion with the staff to see what we'll do about that. But we've got cover here with Freddie (Thomas) and Ted (Williams).'
The Independent
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Wales stunned by Japan as long losing run hits desperate new low
Wales rugby wilted in the Kitakyushu heat to lose 24-19 to Japan rugby and suffer an 18th successive Test defeat. First-half tries from Ben Thomas and Tom Rogers, as well as a penalty try and a Sam Costelow conversion, gave Wales a 19-7 interval lead and hopes of a first victory since beating Georgia at the 2023 World Cup 21 months ago. But Japan dominated the second half and tries from Takuro Matsunaga, Ichigo Nakakusu and Halatoa Vailea, plus nine points from the boot of Seungsin Lee, piled on more misery for Wales. Brave Blossoms boss Eddie Jones said he had hoped for a hot day to "run Wales off their feet" and the oppressive conditions - with the temperature above 30 degrees as well as high humidity - meant water breaks in each half and an extended interval. A slippery ball produced countless handling errors and there was often little rhythm to a disrupted contest that took over two hours to complete. Taulupe Faletau, Nicky Smith, Ben Thomas and Blair Murray survived from the 68-14 thrashing to England in the Six Nations as interim head coach Matt Sherratt made 11 changes. Number eight Faletau - the fifth-most capped Welshman - made his 109th appearance but it was largely an inexperienced line-up with six starters having fewer than 10 caps. Wales' fall from grace had left them in 12th place on World Rugby's rankings table, one spot above Japan, and it was very much a meeting between two teams in transition. There was a worrying start to the contest as Ben Carter took a hit to the side of the head inside 30 seconds. Carter slumped to the ground after attempting to make a tackle and there was a lengthy stoppage before the second row forward was taken away on a stretcher. Wales immediately shrugged off that blow as Faletau exploited space profited from a line-out ploy to send Thomas over with a well-timed pass and Costelow converted. Japan were on the backfoot and struggling to get out of their own half, but scored from their first attack after 16 minutes as winger Kippei Ishida sliced through midfield to set up Matsunaga and Lee's kick restored parity. Wales hit the front again with a penalty try after Nakakusu, who had replaced the injured Matsunaga moments earlier, deliberately slapped the ball away as Josh Adams closed on Kieran Hardy's chip by the try line. Nakakusu suffered further punishment with a yellow card, and Wales took advantage of their extra man after Japan had found touch from the kick-off. Faletau broke away from a scrum going backwards and Hardy, Costelow and Johnny Williams moved the ball on for Rogers to scamper into the corner. The tide turned in the second half as Amato Fakatava saw his effort ruled out for a Shinobu Fujiwara knock-on, but Japan were not to be denied after going through the phases. Rogers slipped off a tackle and Nakakusu dived over with Lee adding the extras and soon reducing the deficit to two points with a penalty. Japan got their noses in front for the first time as replacement Vailea barged over and Lee's sparked celebrations that continued until the final whistle. The two-match series will conclude in Kobe next Saturday.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wales losing run extends to 18 defeats after late capitulation against Japan
Wales wilted in the Kitakyushu heat to lose 24-19 to Japan and suffer an 18th successive Test defeat. First-half tries from Ben Thomas and Tom Rogers, as well as a penalty try and a Sam Costelow conversion, gave Wales a 19-7 interval lead and hopes of a first victory since beating Georgia at the 2023 World Cup 21 months ago. Advertisement But Japan dominated the second half and tries from Takuro Matsunaga, Ichigo Nakakusu and Halatoa Vailea, plus nine points from the boot of Seungsin Lee, piled on more misery for Wales. Brave Blossoms boss Eddie Jones said he had hoped for a hot day to 'run Wales off their feet' and the oppressive conditions – with the temperature above 30 degrees Celsius as well as high humidity – meant water breaks in each half and an extended interval. A slippery ball produced countless handling errors and there was often little rhythm to a disrupted contest that took over two hours to complete. Taulupe Faletau, Nicky Smith, Ben Thomas and Blair Murray survived from the 68-14 thrashing to England in the Six Nations as interim head coach Matt Sherratt made 11 changes. Advertisement Number eight Faletau – the fifth-most capped Welshman – made his 109th appearance but it was largely an inexperienced line-up with six starters having fewer than 10 caps. Wales' fall from grace had left them in 12th place on World Rugby's rankings table, one spot above Japan, and it was very much a meeting between two teams in transition. There was a worrying start to the contest as Ben Carter took a hit to the side of the head inside 30 seconds. Carter slumped to the ground after attempting to make a tackle and there was a lengthy stoppage before the second row forward was taken away on a stretcher. Wales' Ben Carter suffered an injury setback (David Davies/PA) Wales immediately shrugged off that blow as Faletau exploited space profited from a line-out ploy to send Thomas over with a well-timed pass and Costelow converted. Advertisement Japan were on the backfoot and struggling to get out of their own half, but scored from their first attack after 16 minutes as winger Kippei Ishida sliced through midfield to set up Matsunaga and Lee's kick restored parity. Wales hit the front again with a penalty try after Nakakusu, who had replaced the injured Matsunaga moments earlier, deliberately slapped the ball away as Josh Adams closed on Kieran Hardy's chip by the try line. Nakakusu suffered further punishment with a yellow card, and Wales took advantage of their extra man after Japan had found touch from the kick-off. Faletau broke away from a scrum going backwards and Hardy, Costelow and Johnny Williams moved the ball on for Rogers to scamper into the corner. Advertisement The tide turned in the second half as Amato Fakatava saw his effort ruled out for a Shinobu Fujiwara knock-on, but Japan were not to be denied after going through the phases. Eddie Jones' Japan emerged victorious (David Davies/PA) Rogers slipped off a tackle and Nakakusu dived over with Lee adding the extras and soon reducing the deficit to two points with a penalty. Japan got their noses in front for the first time as replacement Vailea barged over and Lee's sparked celebrations that continued until the final whistle. The two-match series will conclude in Kobe next Saturday.
