My Team for Wales vs Japan – Autumn Nations 2025
I’d rather just focus on the game and the moment rather than having to consider the wider implications of this game’s outcome on Welsh Rugby, but it forms a large part of my argument for my teambuilding this week Wales need to win this to avoid dropping down to the third tier of World Cup seeds. Wales aren’t in a great position anyway given our recent track record, but third seed is a death sentence for the World Cup; there’s every chance we end up in a similar position to Scotland or Italy last time and are paired with two teams who are simply far too strong. As much as we needed to end the losing streak last time, this win will be just as important, both for our future prospects and to reinstill confidence in the squad following a crushing loss last week.
I’m doing this differently to last week however; you’ll see a full teamsheet and then a breakdown afterwards rather than going position-by-position, as I’m making fewer changes to an already established squad rather than a full team from scratch.
- Rhys Carré
- Dewi Lake
- Kieron Assiratti
- Dafydd Jenkins
- Adam Beard
- Alex Mann
- Morgan Morse
- Aaron Wainwright
- Tomos Williams
- Dan Edwards
- Josh Adams
- Joe Hawkins
- Max Llewellyn
- Louis Rees-Zammit
- Jacob Beetham
Bench
- Liam Belcher
- Nicky Smith
- Archie Griffin
- Rhys Davies
- Olly Cracknell
- Kieran Hardy
- Jarrod Evans
- Blair Murray
To start, I’ve kept the same front row and starting front-five. While not normally an area of strength, I think the components performed relatively well against Argentina, and the continuity will be valuable going against a weaker team. I considered dropping Beard for a more mobile 5 like Thomas or Davies, but his setpiece value could be too much of a difference maker, and he should limit Naoto Saito’s ball speed out of the maul. To compensate, I’ve picked Davies to come off the bench in place of Freddie Thomas. Thomas didn’t have enough gametime to really do anything wrong, but Davies’ larger size and stronger carrying game will be more helpful in establishing go-forward in the early phases, helping to unlock the attack more easily.
In Jac’s absence, I’ve selected Morgan Morse at 7. Though he lacks the defensive ruck skills and experience of Jac, his physicality and potential mean he’ll need a call up at some point, and he’s still comfortable at 7. For the Ospreys, he’s one of their most consistent tacklers, usually averaging about 15 per game, so he can contribute well on defence, but his ball carrying is where he really shines; he can more than compete with Wainwright as a carrier in narrow channels. I’ve kept the rest of the backrow as I thought they were relatively effective, and it surrounds Morse with sufficient experience, though I considered dropping Cracknell for Plumtree for his better agility.
Midfield is mostly the same, as I thought Tomos was excellent and Edwards came into the game well. His in-game kicking wasn’t as reliable as I’d like, but I firmly believe he’s the best 10 going forward while Jarrod is better when the game has broken up more. After a poor game, I’ve dropped Ben Thomas for Joe Hawkins, as I think his greater size and similar playstyle could help out against Japan. He’s younger, and may be a better long-term option; if Thomas is retained for his established partnership with Llewellyn, I’ll understand but I’d rather see this combination.
Outside backs is where the big changes come in; Blair Murray was found out way too often against Argentina in the air, so I’ve brought in the taller and more defensively solid Jacob Beetham at fullback. He’s not the most experienced, so it is a risk in that sense, but his good qualities are test-level and I think he can step up. Rees-Zammit simply has to be there if he’s fit, and he takes Rogers’ place as a result. The last two spots were the toughest; Adams doesn’t have the same pace as Murray or Dyer, but his work on defence and contact, plus his experience and club connection, will be valuable to taking pressure off of Beetham. On the bench spot, it’s a very close call, but his past form means Murray just edges out Rio Dyer; he still posed a significant threat to Argentina’s defence with ball-in-hand, he’ll just need to stick to the wing for bench impact.
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