Wales' Rugby World Cup draw prospects took a significant boost on Saturday as Louis Rees-Zammit made his first international start since returning to rugby union from the NFL, earning his 34th cap for Wales against Japan in Cardiff.
The 24-year-old winger has been named in Steve Tandy's starting XV, with four changes made to the side. The team is looking to end a run of 10 successive home international defeats and secure a vital win to improve their chances of landing a more-favourable 2027 Rugby World Cup draw.
With captain Jac Morgan ruled out due to injury, Alex Mann moves into openside flanker while Alan Wainwright starts at blindside. Olly Cracknell comes in at number eight after making his debut as a replacement last weekend. Nicky Smith and Archie Griffin are drafted in for Rhys Carre and Keiron Assiratti.
The match is crucial, not just because of Wales' home form slump but also due to the looming presence of the 2027 Rugby World Cup draw. The top six countries in the rankings will be seeded in band one, while teams from sixth to 12th place will fall into bands two and three, with Japan already looking to push for a better seeding.
Wales currently occupy 12th place in the rankings, just 0.32 points behind Japan, who are ranked 13th but can gain ground by beating them on Sunday. The Brave Blossoms' victory over Wales last time they played each other ended an 18-match losing streak for Wales and showed that there is still hope for the Welsh team.
Despite this positive result from their previous encounter, Japan will be looking to build momentum heading into their match against Georgia in Tbilisi, while Wales must focus on securing a win against Japan and then facing the tough challenge of giants New Zealand and South Africa as they complete their autumn series.
The 24-year-old winger has been named in Steve Tandy's starting XV, with four changes made to the side. The team is looking to end a run of 10 successive home international defeats and secure a vital win to improve their chances of landing a more-favourable 2027 Rugby World Cup draw.
With captain Jac Morgan ruled out due to injury, Alex Mann moves into openside flanker while Alan Wainwright starts at blindside. Olly Cracknell comes in at number eight after making his debut as a replacement last weekend. Nicky Smith and Archie Griffin are drafted in for Rhys Carre and Keiron Assiratti.
The match is crucial, not just because of Wales' home form slump but also due to the looming presence of the 2027 Rugby World Cup draw. The top six countries in the rankings will be seeded in band one, while teams from sixth to 12th place will fall into bands two and three, with Japan already looking to push for a better seeding.
Wales currently occupy 12th place in the rankings, just 0.32 points behind Japan, who are ranked 13th but can gain ground by beating them on Sunday. The Brave Blossoms' victory over Wales last time they played each other ended an 18-match losing streak for Wales and showed that there is still hope for the Welsh team.
Despite this positive result from their previous encounter, Japan will be looking to build momentum heading into their match against Georgia in Tbilisi, while Wales must focus on securing a win against Japan and then facing the tough challenge of giants New Zealand and South Africa as they complete their autumn series.
rugby is such a tough sport and they really need this win to boost their chances for the 2027 world cup draw 
louis rees-zammit's back in the game after that nfl stint must be super exciting for him 
anyway, let's hope wales can pull this one off and give themselves a fighting chance 
cuz they dont wanna lose ground on wales. its not gonna be easy tho, wales has 10 straight home int'l losses 2 worry bout 
. if wales win this match, i think they can hold their own against newzeland n south africa 
!
So, the Welsh rugby team's hope for getting a decent draw at the 2027 Rugby World Cup just got a boost because one guy, Louis Rees-Zammit, is starting again 
. I mean, who doesn't love a good comeback story? The team needs to win this game badly, not just for their own sake but also because they can't afford another slip-up and end up with a crappy draw 
. Let's just hope Rees-Zammit doesn't get injured again and they can actually build some momentum 
They need to beat Japan on Sunday so they can have a better chance at getting into that top six spot in the Rugby World Cup draw next year. It's been 10 straight losses at home, which is pretty embarrassing 
. The team has made some changes, which I think is good - sometimes you gotta shake things up! 
Louis Rees-Zammit, who's a winger, is back from the NFL and will be playing on Saturday. That's cool, but also kinda scary for Japan, haha! 
they got a tough 1st match against nz & sa after dis 1 tho 
. It's crazy to think that winning just one game can make such a huge difference in their seeding 
. I'm rooting for the Welsh team to break their home form slump and get back on track 
. Can't wait to see how this one plays out! 
.
They've got this one, let's go Wales!!!
japan's gonna push hard though, we've seen what they're capable of before 
. That's what's at stake here, not just about beating Japan or whatever 
. Wales have been looking pretty rubbish at home lately, so this match is super crucial 
️. Will they finally break that 10-match losing streak? Fingers crossed