With Wales leading Japan 29-5, two yellow cards in as many minutes turned a comfortable WXV match into a final test of nerve in Kumagaya City. Reduced to 13 players, Wales had to face repeated Japanese attacks in the closing stages—and held on for a five-try victory.
The result was a hard-earned moment for a side whose head coach, Sean Lynn, said he knew the match would be tough. The challenge became especially sharp when replacements Keira Bevan and Hannah Dallavalle were sent off temporarily within two minutes of each other. Japan, playing at home, pressed hard as Wales defended with two fewer players.
Lynn praised the resolve his team showed under that pressure. “The grit we showed to go down to 13 players and just hold them out at the end, that for me is just a sign of how far this squad has come,” he said after the match.
The win was part of a successful trip to Japan. Lynn said Wales had come away with victories in two Test matches, calling that an “amazing achievement” for the players and staff. He also thanked the group for its effort, saying everyone deserved “a huge pat on the back.”
Co-captain Kate Williams pointed to both the attacking and defensive sides of the performance. Wales, she said, were brave with the ball, and the tries showed it. She was also pleased with the team’s set piece, the planned contests used to restart play, while acknowledging that discipline still needs work.
That balance matters. The two yellow cards gave Japan a chance to build pressure and exposed how quickly a match can change when a team loses players. Wales’ defense in the closing stretch helped preserve the lead, and Williams singled out the effort during the final 20 minutes, when the cards shaped the contest. Lynn described the last 10 minutes as a period when his side had to defend for its lives.
For Wales, the result offered more than a win on the scoreboard: it was evidence, in Lynn’s view, of how much the squad has progressed. The team will take the lesson of its late defensive stand alongside Williams’ reminder about discipline. After a demanding visit to Japan, the challenge ahead is to keep that resilience while avoiding the cards that made the finish so tense.