Adams Scores Twice as Wales Labour to 28-21 Win Over Brave Japan

Wales won the game. Whether they won many friends is another question. A 28-21 bonus-point victory over Japan in the Nations Championship at the Principality Stadium should have been a comfortable afternoon for Steve Tandy's side. Instead it was a long, scrappy one, settled only when Josh Adams crossed for his second try in the 69th minute and the home side held on. It had all started so well. Three minutes on the clock, a penalty kicked to the corner, and prop Archie Griffin was plunging over the line. Sam Costelow converted, 7-0. But Japan, coached by Eddie Jones, had other ideas. A loose high ball, a fumble from scrum-half Tomos Williams, and flanker Ben Gunter was galloping across the field to score. Naoto Saito converted, and at 7-7 the game had a very different feel. Adams restored order in the 28th minute, finishing after good work from Jac Morgan down the left, and Louis Rees-Zammit — electric all afternoon — added a third Welsh try just before the break, stepping off his right foot and shrugging off three defenders on the touchline after taking Blair Murray's pass. Costelow converted both, and Wales went in 21-14 ahead. But Japan had already had their say, Warner Dearns going over from close range after Gunter's good work, and the visitors had shown they were not in Cardiff to make up the numbers. The second half was where the afternoon turned awkward for Wales. Japan were the better side after the break. Harry Hockings was magnificent in the lock, the Brave Blossoms kept coming, and the crowd — just 52,425 of them — grew restless. One fan near the press box was heard screaming "Stop kicking the ball!" as Wales, clunky and untidy at the set-piece, kept handing the initiative away. It took a moment of brilliance to break the deadlock. The ball fell loose for Murray inside his own half, the full-back scorched outside the Japanese defence to feed Tomos Williams, and Williams put Adams — who had been clattered in the air to free the ball in the first place — into space to score. Dan Edwards, on for Costelow, converted, and at 28-14 Wales finally had breathing room. Japan, to their credit, refused to fold. Kenta Fukuda crossed in the 75th minute, Shinya Komura converted, and the last five minutes were a test of Welsh nerve. They passed it, just about, with Nicky Smith, Jac Morgan and Alex Mann all landing crucial jackals as the Brave Blossoms pressed for a levelling score. The win is Wales' fourth in 13 games under Tandy, and their second in four Nations Championship matches. It is also their third win in five Tests — an improvement on the 18-match losing streak that followed the 2023 World Cup. But the performance will have done little to calm the nerves before New Zealand arrive in Cardiff next Saturday, with Australia to follow. There will be much for Tandy to ponder after a lacklustre display. For Japan, there was pride in defeat. They came to Cardiff with an eye on a notable scalp on the road, and for long stretches they looked like the better team. That it ended as a one-try game was both a credit to Japan's persistence and, arguably, a slight indictment of Wales. Adams had one of his best games for Wales in some time, and Rees-Zammit — rated 10 out of 10 by RugbyPass — delivered one of his finest performances since returning to rugby union. On a day when Wales needed their individuals to bail them out, those two did.