Wales head coach Sean Lynn has made five changes to his starting XV for Saturday’s second WXV Test against Japan at the Kumagaya Rugby Stadium, rewarding the bench players who sealed last weekend’s 17-0 win in Tokyo.
Bethan Lewis (Credits: Huw Evans Picture Agency / BBC)
The Five Changes Explained
Flanker Bethan Lewis, who has captained Wales at the World Cup and in the Six Nations, will make her first start of the campaign after impressing as an impact player in Tokyo, with co-captain Alex Callender shifting to number eight. Gwen Crabb and Gwenllian Pyrs are also promoted from the bench to join the pack, while Lleucu George is preferred to Keira Bevan at fly-half and will partner Seren Lockwood, who crossed for two tries last weekend.
The fifth change is enforced: Courtney Keight comes in at centre for Freya Bell, who looks set for a lengthy lay-off after suffering a serious knee injury in the opening Test.
Lynn’s Message: “Team First”
“We have made the changes to reward the players who finished the job in Tokyo,” Lynn said, naming a bench split of six forwards and two backs. “The players know our DNA is ‘team first’. Competition for places drives standards and performances and will only help us improve and get better as a team.”
Lynn added that while the squad was “obviously disappointed” by Bell’s injury, she “will get the best care and we hope to see her back soon.” On the performance itself, he was candid: “We found a way in the first Test in Tokyo and the way the players problem-solved during the game was key. But we know we have to be much more accurate and produce a consistent, 80-minute performance to beat a resilient Japan side that we know will be hurting.”
Wales are looking to finish their WXV campaign on a high, having beaten Japan and South Africa and narrowly lost to the USA. Last week’s victory lifted them to 11th in the world, overtaking Saturday’s opponents. Kickoff is at 07:00 GMT, live on iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.
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Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
