“Faletau vs Leitch ”- 3 Key Battles: Japan vs Wales

Kitakyushu’s Mikuni Stadium is a sellout and the industrial city is a positive buzz in anticipation of this Saturday’s encounter between Japan and Wales. Eddie Jones’s men will host a Welsh side this summer who are currently on a run of 17 Test match defeats.

Whereas the last time Wales were in the Land of the Rising they were second in the world, after also having a short spell as world number one prior to the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Jones’ Brave Blossoms come into the encounter on the back of a 53-20 defeat against the Māori All Blacks in a Series warm-up. Ruck Rugby have identified three key battles that could shape the outcome of the Series in the Far East.

Two icons of the game in their different rights and cultures, this should make for some interesting viewing. Leitch has been involved with the Japanese national side since 2008 and has been capped 87 times whilst scoring a century of points. So Saturday will be a welcome return to the international stage as he captains the side.

The 36-year-old is strong in leadership, something that will be needed in a Japanese squad which has an average age of 26. He’s incredibly strong in defence, has great ball carrying ability and his work rate is something to behold. For someone in his twilight of their career it’s remarkable how he’s still playing to the high standard which saw him guide his side to historic wins at the 2015 and 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Faletau on the other hand, if Welsh Rugby were in normal circumstances and results were going their way, the Cardiff Rugby player may find himself touring Australia with the British and Irish Lions instead of Japan with Wales. Despite the torrid run Wales are on Faletau continues to shine and Matt Sherratt will be relying on Faletau to be at his best as Wales will be looking for their first win since 2023.

Both men seem to be ageing like a fine Cabernet Sauvignon wine, and Saturday they’ll do battle again. Let’s just hope there’s still plenty more to come.

A fly half is often considered the most crucial position on the rugby field, as they are the conductor orchestrating their sides attack and both Lee and Costelow are great playmakers who will need to be at their very best come Saturday.

Lee who was born in Kobe, where both teams will meet in their second and final Test this summer made his Japan Rugby League One debut at only 19-years-old for the Kobelco Kobe Steelers.

Having only represented the senior national side on 18 occasions, his strengths are his ball kicking ability and leadership. He captained Japan U20’s in the World Rugby Pacific Challenge, which he led his side to win the competition.

Head coach Jones has vowed to run Wales off their feet so they’ll need Lee to be incredibly instrumental in making this become a reality.

Whereas Costelow has been given the opportunity to drop back into the Welsh jersey for the first time since November of last year with Gareth Anscombe and Jarrod Evans absent from Sherratt’s Wales squad.

He hasn’t had a blistering season with the Scarlets but seemed to start peaking at the most crucial time as he played a vital role in his sides United Rugby Championship playoff run.

Wales will need Costelow to quickly analyse what is in front of him, and if he shows all the qualities then this battle could be easily won by the 24-year-old.

This battle here is really experience against inexperience and may be seen as a gamble by Jones to start Kippei Ishida on the wing. There’s a lot of pressure on the winger having been referred to the Japanese version of Cheslin Kolbe.

He’s a similar height to the South African winger. The debutant has great footwork and also impressive ariel skills. His future looks bright in the game and at just 25-year-old this series could be the catalyst which boosts the winger onto the next level.

He’s also represented the Japanese Sevens team, where he competed at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020 (21).

For Wales’ Adams this tour is all about showing his worth, this is because four years ago he would’ve been touring South Africa with the Lions, but injuries haven’t seen him reach the heights of his past.

Despite all this, he is still the best available winger in Wales and his experience will be vital. But he’ll need to find the form which got him on that plane to South Africa if he wants to do well this summer.