Wales resumed their Nations Championship campaign with a 28-21 bonus-point victory over Japan in Cardiff, but the performance was far from convincing. Tries from Archie Griffin, Josh Adams (twice) and Louis Rees-Zammit, plus eight points from the boots of Sam Costelow and Dan Edwards, secured the win.
Rees-Zammit back to his best
Just over a year after returning to rugby union from American football, Louis Rees-Zammit is beginning to look like the player who once terrorised defences in a Wales shirt. The 25-year-old was a constant menace against Japan, looking dangerous every time he got his hands on the ball and repeatedly exposing the away defence with his explosive acceleration.
He finished the match with four clean line breaks and a crucial try, underlining the threat he poses when given space to attack. It was an outstanding individual performance, recognised with the official player-of-the-match award.
Eddie James impresses
Eddie James is a player who makes things happen whenever he gets his hands on the ball. The 24-year-old is a formidable ball-carrier, capable of dominating collisions and making significant gains after contact, but there is considerably more to his game than brute force.
That was illustrated in the first half when the Scarlets centre brushed aside Naoto Saito with ease before producing a superb offload out of the back door to Blair Murray, who sent Rees-Zammit over for a try. James was hugely influential in the victory, but Wales are still not getting the best out of him. His qualities are ideally suited to the inside-centre position and it is difficult to understand why the coaching staff continue to overlook that option.
Wainwright and Morgan shine
The Leicester Tigers back-rower was arguably Wales' best forward, producing another all-action display that underlined his importance to the side. Wainwright carried with real purpose throughout and showed his attacking instincts with a superbly timed angle in the first half, cutting through the Japanese defence and creating a dangerous opportunity for Wales.
Jac Morgan was typically industrious, once again demonstrating why he is so often among the standout performers in a Wales shirt. The openside flanker finished the contest as the game's leading tackler, while also making a valuable contribution with ball in hand.
Lineout a major concern
Wales' lineout was a major concern and it is difficult to see how they can compete with the world's leading sides if they continue to struggle so badly in such a fundamental area of the game. Steve Tandy's side finished with a lineout success rate of just 69 per cent, a figure that is simply not good enough at Test level.
Their problems were compounded by an outstanding display from Japan lock Harry Hockings, who caused havoc throughout and made life extremely difficult for the Welsh pack. Captain Dewi Lake will also be disappointed with aspects of his performance, particularly a crooked throw to the front that cost Wales a promising attacking opportunity when they had a lineout five metres from the Japanese try line.
Halfback errors costly
This was not Tomos Williams' finest afternoon in a Wales shirt and the scrum-half made a number of uncharacteristic errors, particularly during a disappointing first half. He was far too loose with possession at times, including a needless knock-on off the back of a maul when under no pressure.
Williams was also caught in possession inside his own 22, an error that ultimately contributed to Japan's opening try, while his kicking from hand lacked the accuracy and consistency Wales needed. Costelow, meanwhile, was generally impressive with his kicking out of hand, but there were occasions when his decision-making could have been better.
Coaching staff under scrutiny
There will be plenty for Tandy and his coaching staff to reflect on after this performance. Wales got the win, but they made extremely hard work of beating a Japan side who enjoyed too much possession and caused problems throughout. The attacking play lacked fluency for long periods, there were too many unforced errors and the lineout struggled badly.
The second half was particularly disappointing, with Wales struggling to impose themselves for long spells. The impact of the replacements ultimately helped get them over the line, but Tandy will know his side cannot rely on the bench to rescue them every week. Wales will need to be considerably better against the All Blacks and Australia over the next fortnight if they are to have any chance of competing with either side.
