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Wales name team for Japan: Griffin and Jenkins return, Lake captains

Steve Tandy picks Nicky Smith, Griffin and Jenkins up front, with Costelow and Tomos Williams at half-back, for Saturday’s Nations Championship Test in Cardiff.

George Benn ·

Principality Stadium in Cardiff on 24 October 2025, where Wales play all three November Tests. Archive photograph: Meirion / Geograph and Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0; cropped.

Principality Stadium, photographed on 24 October 2025. Archive photograph. Meirion / Geograph and Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0; cropped.

Original photographCC BY-SA 2.0

Steve Tandy has named his Wales team to face Japan at Principality Stadium on Saturday 7 November (kick-off 4.40pm, live on ITV and S4C), the first of three autumn Tests in Cardiff and round four of the Nations Championship. Dewi Lake captains the side.

At a glance

4 figures

Kick-off
7 November, 4.40pm
Captain
Dewi Lake
Returning from injury
Griffin, Jenkins, Carter
Most-capped starter
Josh Adams (72)

Source: Ospreys (Wales selection)

Rugby team sheets

Wales

Starting side

  1. 1Nicky Smith
  2. 2Dewi Lake
  3. 3Archie Griffin
  4. 4Dafydd Jenkins
  5. 5Ben Carter
  6. 6Alex Mann
  7. 7Jac Morgan
  8. 8Aaron Wainwright
  9. 9Tomos Williams
  10. 10Sam Costelow
  11. 11Josh Adams
  12. 12Max Llewellyn
  13. 13Eddie James
  14. 14Louis Rees-Zammit
  15. 15Blair Murray
Replacements (8)
  1. 16Ryan Elias
  2. 17Rhys Carré
  3. 18Tomas Francis
  4. 19Teddy Williams
  5. 20James Botham
  6. 21Reuben Morgan-Williams
  7. 22Dan Edwards
  8. 23Louie Hennessey

Source: Ospreys (Wales selection)

Archie Griffin starts at tighthead prop and Dafydd Jenkins in the second row. Both missed the first three rounds of the Nations Championship through injury. Nicky Smith is picked at loosehead for his first start of the championship, with Lake at hooker. Ben Carter returns alongside Jenkins after missing round three injured.

Alex Mann is at blindside flanker, Jac Morgan at openside and Aaron Wainwright at No. 8. Sam Costelow starts at fly half with Tomos Williams at scrum half, Max Llewellyn and Eddie James in the centres, Louis Rees-Zammit and Josh Adams on the wings and Blair Murray at full-back.

The bench

Ryan Elias, Rhys Carré and Tomas Francis are the front-row replacements, Teddy Williams covers the second row and James Botham the back row. Ospreys half-backs Reuben Morgan-Williams and Dan Edwards are on the bench, and Louie Hennessey is in line for a first appearance at Principality Stadium after winning his first cap away to Ireland in the Six Nations.

Wales took one win from three in July: 39-24 against Fiji in Cardiff, then defeats of 35-21 in Argentina and 43-0 in South Africa. New Zealand follow on 14 November and Australia on 21 November.

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