Wales beat Japan but Lake says side let themselves down

Wales beat Japan 28-21 in Cardiff to claim a bonus-point win in the Nations Championship, but captain Dewi Lake and head coach Steve Tandy said the performance fell short of what the team expected ahead of tougher tests against New Zealand and Australia.

Josh Adams scored twice, with Archie Griffin and Louis Rees-Zammit also crossing. The victory was Wales’ second in four games in the competition and only the fourth in Tandy’s 13 Tests in charge, according to BBC Sport.

“There were massive parts of that game where we let ourselves down,” Lake said. He added that Wales had not done things they had discussed in camp, but said the group wanted to improve and challenge one another.

Lake said the win could help build confidence after a difficult run that included a record 18 consecutive Test defeats. “We were happy with the win and it’s something we’ve not done often enough, so I am proud of the boys,” he said.

Tandy said Wales had created line breaks and opened Japan up, but had not been ruthless enough. “I thought we’d be better than that in some elements,” he said, adding that the team would need to improve for its next matches.

Wales remain fifth in the northern hemisphere table. New Zealand visit Cardiff next Saturday, followed by Australia on 21 November.

Japan coach Eddie Jones called the result a missed opportunity, saying his side had failed to take points from three chances in Wales’ 22. He also questioned the interpretation of breakdown penalties, while acknowledging Wales had made better use of their scoring opportunities.