Matt Sherratt on ‘Powerful’ Deaves as Wales Prepare for Japan Showdown

Morgan went off injured in Wales’ record defeat on Sunday afternoon, but has been quickly replaced by uncapped back row Deaves. This may come as a shock to many supporters that the 24-year-old was called up, with the likes of Tommy Reffell and Taine Basham also in the running to replace the British and Irish Lion star.

Deaves, however, has been performing strongly in the United Rugby Championship (URC) so far this season. “He’s (Deaves) knocked the door down really in terms of how he’s performed at the start of the season,” added Sherratt.

“Both sides of the ball, he’s always been really busy defensively into everything. I thought especially in South Africa, he showed some really nice touches with the ball as well.

“He’s carried well, plays on the edge really well in terms of playing in the wider channels. (He) offloads well. So, he was somebody we were pleased to call in.

"He’s got good feet. If you look at Jac, he’s not big in terms of weight, but he’s incredibly powerful. Harri’s got really good feet. We’re looking forward to working with him.”

After the bruising defeat against Argentina, Aaron Wainwright left the field in the second half, where he was seen limping off the field. Up until then, he was one of the top performers for Steve Tandy’s side. “He’s okay. He was cramping,” continued Sherratt.

Elsewhere on Sunday afternoon, Wales crossed the whitewash on four occasions with Tomos Williams, Dewi Lake, Blair Murray and Morgan all scoring. This is despite Sherratt and the rest of the coaching team watching on as their side conceded seven tries.

That shows the uphill battle that the coaching team is facing. However, there were signs of the Wales of old, where they were attacking more fluently despite the aerial game being an area of weakness, particularly for Murray, who struggled.

“I think there’s always going to be games where you win or lose it (the aerial ball),” Sherratt said.

“We lost it this weekend; we won three out of eleven. They (Argentina) won five or six out of eleven. We won more on the ground, but the scraps went their way. We can give him (Murray) more protection.

On the attack, Sherratt added: “It was a decent start. There was plenty of intent. There was good ball movement, with some late tips from our forwards.

Saturday’s early evening game against Japan is simply massive for Wales and their 2027 World Cup hopes in Australia. Lose, and the possibility of an early group stage exit is highly likely for the current 12th-place side in the world.

They come up against a Brave Blossom side who fell to a 41-10 defeat against Ireland in Dublin last Saturday. However, even a draw for the Far East nation would keep their chances alive, as they travel to Tbilisi a week later to face Georgia. A victory would see them position themselves above Wales, with Wales dropping to 13th in the rankings.

Japan will be eyeing redemption after losing 31-22 in Kobe in July, a match that saw Wales end their well-talked-about 18-game losing streak in Tests. “Japan’s big thing is speed,” said Sherratt, who head-coached the nation back to winning ways.