Wales have named their team to face Japan at the Principality Stadium this Saturday, with defence coach Steve Tandy selecting a new-look midfield. Max Llewellyn will start at inside centre, while Eddie James returns to outside centre, a role he held through most of this year's Six Nations and summer matches.
New Midfield Partnership
The selection marks Tandy's sixth different midfield pairing in just 13 Tests. Both Llewellyn and James have considerable club experience at inside centre, but each has started there only once for Wales. James's sole start in the number 12 jersey came in Warren Gatland's final match in charge, a defeat to Italy in Rome last year, while Llewellyn's came in a World Cup warm-up against England in 2023.
Personnel Changes
The positional change is one of seven alterations to the side beaten 43-0 by South Africa in the summer. Nicky Smith and Archie Griffin join the front row, with Dafydd Jenkins and Ben Carter starting in the second row. Griffin and Jenkins, both of whom missed the summer through injury, will make their first Nations Championship appearances.
In the backs, Sam Costelow is preferred at fly-half ahead of Dan Edwards, and Josh Adams starts on the wing after featuring for Cardiff last weekend. No Ospreys player is in the starting XV, though Reuben Morgan-Williams and Edwards are among the replacements. Bath centre Louie Hennessey is also named on the bench, giving him a chance for a first Test cap on home soil after debuting in Dublin earlier this year.
Team and Reaction
“There’s lots of competition for position within the squad, which is where we want to be,” said Tandy. “We’re excited to be back at home. We want to go out there on Saturday, put our mark on the match and start the next phase in our Nations Championship campaign strongly.”
Wales: Blair Murray; Louis Rees-Zammit, Eddie James, Max Llewellyn, Josh Adams; Sam Costelow, Tomos Williams; Nicky Smith, Dewi Lake (c), Archie Griffin, Dafydd Jenkins, Ben Carter, Alex Mann, Jac Morgan, Aaron Wainwright. Replacements: Ryan Elias, Rhys Carre, Tomas Francis, Teddy Williams, James Botham, Reuben Morgan-Williams, Dan Edwards, Louie Hennessey.
