Japan 24-19 Wales: Tourists lose 18th successive international match after surrendering half-time lead in first Test of summer tour
Wales beaten 24-19 by Japan in opening Test of summer tour; defeat extends international losing streak to 18 matches; Scotland defeat Maori All Blacks; watch every game of 2025 Lions tour, including all three Tests against Australia, live on Sky Sports
Last Updated: 05/07/25 10:59am
Wales suffered their 18th successive international defeat after they surrendered a half-time lead to lose 24-19 to Japan in Kitakyushu.
First-half tries from Ben Thomas and Tom Rogers, as well as a penalty try and a Sam Costelow conversion, gave Wales hopes at the interval of a first victory since beating Georgia at the 2023 World Cup 21 months ago.
But Japan overturned Wales' 19-7 lead to dominate the second half as tries from Takuro Matsunaga, Ichigo Nakakusu and Halatoa Vailea, as well as nine points from the boot of Seungsin Lee, piled on more misery for the tourists.
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It is only the second time Japan have tasted victory over Wales, the last back in 2013, and the victory will see them climb above their opponents to 12th in the next set of Test rankings for the first time since they were introduced two decades ago.
The two sides will meet again in the second Test next Saturday in Kobe.
Wales wilt in land of the rising sun
Brave Blossoms boss and former England head coach Eddie Jones had hoped for a hot day to "run Wales off their feet" and the oppressive conditions - with temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius as well as high humidity - meant water breaks were held in each half along with 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 by England in the Six Nations in March as interim head coach Matt Sherratt made 11 changes.
No 8 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.
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 responded and 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 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 to reduce the deficit to two points with a penalty.
Japan got their noses in front for the first time on 71 minutes as replacement Vailea barged over and Lee's conversion sparked celebrations that continued until the final whistle.
Scotland edge Maoris to open tour with win
Scotland earned a 29-26 win against Maori All Blacks in their opening summer tour game in Whangarei on Saturday.
The tourists fell behind in the opening minute of the game when Sam Nock crossed, but Harry Paterson soon put their first points on the board, with fly-half Adam Hastings adding the extras and extending their advantage with a penalty kick.
Scotland took a 24-12 lead going into the break with converted tries scored by George Horne and Arron Reed either side of Isaia Walker-Leawere's effort, which was converted by Rivez Reihana.
A difficult opening to the second half saw Maori All Blacks reduced to 13 at one stage with two yellow cards shown in quick succession and Horne took advantage to earn his second try of the game in the 53rd minute.
The hosts suddenly closed the gap when Kurt Eklund touched down and Reihana added the extras before Gideon Wrampling crossed, with Kaleb Trask converting, to reduce Scotland's lead to a slender three points going into the last 10 minutes.
However, Scotland withheld a promising attack from the hosts in the final stages to clinch victory and they are back in international action next Saturday with a game against Fiji before concluding their tour with a meeting against Samoa the following week.
All Blacks hold off France in Dunedin
Will Jordan scored a try in each half and Beauden Barrett kicked to perfection as New Zealand overcame three cancelled tries to claim a nervous 31-27 win over France in the series-opener in Dunedin.
Fielding only three players from the Six Nations title-deciding win over Scotland, the depleted French gave Scott Robertson's team a huge scare in an entertaining match at sold-out Forsyth-Barr Stadium.
But a late Barrett penalty proved enough for the All Blacks to hold on, snapping a three-match losing streak against Les Bleus.
The series continues with two more Tests in Wellington and Hamilton, with the second Test live on Sky Sports from 8am on Saturday July 12,
What's next: British and Irish Lions tour of Australia on Sky Sports
Sky Sports will exclusively show the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, with all three Tests against the Wallabies and six warm-up matches to be shown exclusively live.
