Wales have more on the line than just ending torrid run in Kitakyushu

It’s not only the run of 17-Test match defeats in a row that Wales will be looking to end, the win is critical for their 2027 Rugby World Cup campaign.

If they are to lose in Kitakyushu on Saturday, then it will see Wales fall further down the rankings to 14th- behind Georgia, Japan and Samoa. Which will be an unwelcome drop for Matt Sherratt and his side.

In normal circumstances a tour to the Land of the Rising Sun, was in the past a tour to give young upcoming players their first taste of international rugby, but those times are a distant memory.

In fact the last time Wales were in Japan, they sat second in the world rankings. This disastrous run which they’ve been on since the 2023 World Cup, if it’s to extend, then that can severely impact their next World Cup campaign.

With the next instalment of the World Cup being extended to 24 Nations Down Under in Australia come 2027, we’ll actually know every team who has qualified for the tournament before the draw takes place later this year.

They’ll be six pools of four teams, with the top ranked six teams in the world rankings being top seeds. Then from seventh to 12th being second seeds and so on. The draw will be based on rankings come the end of the international window in November.

“I think it’s massive,” said interim head coach Sherratt who wants to see his side end their 17 Test match losing run on Saturday.

“I spoke to the players about their motivation and they said they want to win for Wales. It’s hopefully the end of something and then they can start on a level field.”

Speaking at Wales’ captains run at Mikuni World Stadium second row Ben Carter added: “We done the prep in Wales in the heat chamber, that was really tough.

After Saturday’s first Test Wales will have only five matches to improve on their rankings, those are against Japan in Kobe (July 12) then Argentina, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa all in November in Cardiff.

Wales simple can’t afford to lose, if they are victorious this will end their drought of Test match losses. They’ll do so in the heat and humidity of Kitakyushu, then they could rise back up to 12th, this is of course depends on Ireland putting aside Georgia in Tbilisi on Saturday.

However, it’s not as simple as win and move up the rankings, they’ll have to win by 15 or more points- something that they’ve not done since playing Georgia in Nantes in the World Cup in 2023.