Wales 28-21 Japan: Four tries to three at the Millennium

Wales beat Japan 28-21 in Round 4 of the Nations Championship at the Millennium on Saturday 7 November. Archie Griffin, Josh Adams (twice) and Louis Rees-Zammit scored Wales’s tries, while Ben Gunter, Warner Dearns and Kenta Fukuda crossed for Japan. The match kicked off at 4.40pm.

How the match unfolded

Griffin gave Wales the lead with a try in the 4th minute, and Sam Costelow added the conversion in the 5th to make it 7-0. Gunter replied for Japan in the 11th minute, and Naoto Saito’s conversion in the 12th levelled the score at 7-7.

Adams scored Wales’s second try in the 28th minute and Costelow converted in the 29th for 14-7. Dearns went over for Japan in the 32nd minute, and Saito’s conversion in the 33rd made it 14-14.

Rees-Zammit scored in the 38th minute and Costelow converted in the 39th, which gave Wales a 21-14 lead at half-time. There was no further scoring until the 70th minute, when Adams scored his second try of the match. Dan Edwards converted in the 71st minute to make it 28-14.

Fukuda scored for Japan in the 76th minute and Shinya Komura kicked the conversion in the same minute, which set the final score at 28-21.

Key stats

Wales scored four tries to Japan’s three, and also kicked four conversions to Japan’s three. Costelow and Edwards were the Wales kickers, with Saito and Komura converting for Japan.

Wales had 52 per cent of possession and Japan 48 per cent. Wales won six turnovers and Japan won four.

Neither side received a yellow card or a red card during the match.