Wales rugby Japan midfield set for change as Tandy eyes Costelow

Wales head coach Steve Tandy is expected to overhaul the Wales rugby Japan midfield for the Test on Saturday, pairing Max Llewellyn and Eddie James at 12 and 13. Sam Costelow is also tipped to start at fly-half ahead of Dan Edwards. WalesOnline reported the changes, with Tandy due to name his team at 9am.

The selection would end the dual-playmaker approach favoured by attack coach Matt Sherratt. Ben Thomas and Joe Hawkins have been his preferred inside centres over the past year. Bath centre Louie Hennessey is expected to be named among the replacements.

The shift follows growing calls from supporters and former players for James to be used at inside centre. Tandy had said a couple of weeks earlier that he viewed the Scarlets player as an outside centre.

Wales rugby Japan midfield: why Llewellyn and James are tipped to start

Many pundits have called for a more powerful 12 after Thomas and Hawkins struggled to make an impact as “ball players”, WalesOnline noted. Llewellyn has limited experience at inside centre for Wales. He has started there once, against England in a World Cup warm-up at the Principality Stadium in 2023.

James has played more consistently at 12 for the Scarlets, but Tandy has been clear about where he sees him in the Wales team. “I see Eddie more as a 13. He can definitely play 12, as we have seen for the Scarlets, but in our team he is more of a 13 who can play 12,” Tandy told the ScrumV podcast.

Tandy also pointed to the size of Hennessey, Llewellyn and James, and to the interchangeability between the 12 and 13 shirts. Some swapping of roles is possible once the game starts.

Wales fly-half announcement: Costelow expected ahead of Edwards

Edwards, the Ospreys fly-half, started nine of Wales’ 11 Tests in the 2025/26 season and currently holds the number 10 jersey. Costelow’s injury-hit campaign limited the coaches’ chances to compare the two. WalesOnline’s selection analysis described the call as a genuine 50-50 before the indications emerged that Costelow would start.

The same analysis rated Costelow’s display in the narrow defeat to Scotland as arguably the best by a Wales fly-half last season. It also said a lack of consistency at international level, partly due to injuries, had held him back.

Position	Expected selection
Full-back	Blair Murray
Wings	Josh Adams, Louis Rees-Zammit
Centres	Max Llewellyn (12), Eddie James (13)
Half-backs	Sam Costelow, Tomos Williams
Front row	Nicky Smith (loosehead), Archie Griffin (tighthead)
Captain	Dewi Lake
Second row	Dafydd Jenkins (fitness concern), Ben Carter
Back row	Alex Mann, Jac Morgan, Aaron Wainwright

Wales vs Japan rugby: pack changes and Jac Morgan’s form

In the pack, Smith is in line to start at loosehead ahead of Rhys Carre, and Griffin is expected to get the nod over Tomas Francis. Lake is set to captain the side. Jenkins, the Exeter Chiefs lock, is an injury concern but is expected to start alongside Carter if he gets through training.

Mann is expected to complete the back row at number six. He made a Six Nations record 31 tackles against Ireland in March, and Taine Plumtree and James Botham were the other contenders for the shirt.

Morgan, 26, has made six appearances and scored two tries since moving from the Ospreys to Gloucester. Dan Biggar has said the flanker would start for the British and Irish Lions now. “It’s a big honour to hear something like that from Dan given everything he’s given to the Welsh jersey,” Morgan said ahead of Saturday’s clash with Japan.

Fourteen of Tandy’s 39-man squad play in the Premiership, and former Ireland fly-half Ronan O’Gara sees that as a positive. “Their non-negotiable has to be beating Japan,” the ITV pundit told the Daily Mail.

When is the Wales vs Japan rugby team announcement?

Tandy names his team at 9am, and the Wales coach holds a press conference from 10am. Wales then face Japan on Saturday.

Earlier coverage looked at the Wales rugby squad announced on 20 October, and more is on the international rugby news page. The Wales Women’s Test against the same opponents is covered in our wales v japan women’s rugby on tv guide.