Wales Host Japan to Open Nations Championship — SkimNews
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- Wales host Japan at the Principality Stadium on 7 November (16:40 GMT) to open their Nations Championship campaign, then New Zealand on 14 November and Australia on 21 November — after one win (Fiji 39-24) and two defeats (Argentina 35-21, South Africa 43-0) in July.
- Steve Tandy named a record 12 English-based players in his 23-man squad for the Japan match, with nine — including six forwards — in the starting XV, plus a sixth centre pairing in 13 internationals, Max Llewellyn with Eddie James.
- Japan arrive with a 'monster forward pack' but are down to a third-choice fly-half and number eight for their fourth meeting with Wales in 16 months; Wales have won two of the three, the last-gasp Cardiff win handing Tandy his first Test victory.
- Dewi Lake says Wales are in the best state he can remember, with the side 10th in the world rankings after Test wins over Fiji, Italy and Japan and three victories in Tandy's 12 internationals in charge.
- Welsh Rugby Union draws more than half its turnover from men's international attendances and announced an £18m loss last month; the 50,185 who watched the 2025 Argentina game was its lowest non-Covid-era crowd since 2016, and 57,744 against France the smallest Six Nations crowd in Cardiff — against 61,324 and 68,388 for Japan and New Zealand a year ago.
- Louis Rees-Zammit and other Wales players are posting ticket links, with the captain saying it is on the squad to excite supporters into bringing noise back to the Principality Stadium.
- Lyndon Faulkner, the incoming WRU chair, says he will review everything including keeping four professional sides, while the board is set on two licences for Cardiff and Dragons by 2028 and a west Wales licence for Ospreys or Scarlets by summer 2027; an AGM follows the Australia game and a rugby summit is proposed for December.
Why it matters: The WRU draws more than half its turnover from men's international crowds and has announced an £18m loss, making Saturday's Principality Stadium gate a funding question as much as a rugby one. Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets also wait on a 2028 cut to two professional sides, with the west Wales licence decision due by summer 2027.
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