Second-half surge revives Wales

Japan 30 Wales 53

When it mattered, Wales delivered. A point down to Japan at half-time, they once again turned on the style in the second Test to run out convincing winners ­ as they had done in the first encounter last Sunday.

Their coach, Lynn Howells, had said that he would give the younger players a chance on this tour, but after two defeats, one against a club side, it was time for more experienced heads to underline the gulf between Welsh and Japanese rugby.

It was no surprise, then, that the most experienced of the Wales players, the Cardiff wing, Gareth Thomas, was the top points-scorer in the eventual victory here. Thomas and Tom Shanklin, who was earning his first cap out of position on the opposite flank, ran in five of Wales' nine tries to avoid a potential banana skin with the scores at 20-19 at half-time.

Gareth Cooper will be looking for a chance to continue his good work in the autumn internationals after a solid performance. The scrum-half was the catalyst for the second-half surge, alongside the centres Stephen Jones and Shane Williams, who gave Japan a lesson in the art of running with the ball. Several times the Japan full-back, Hirotoki Onozawa, was called on to make desperate last-ditch tackles as the Welsh back line threatened to run riot.

The Japan captain, Masaaki Sakata, admitted that his side lost their way in the second half, saying: "After our late first-half rally, we thought we were in with a shout, but we lost concentration and suffered from a lack of communication."

The Wales captain, Andrew Moore, was happy with the way his players responded to the early setbacks: "We reassessed at half-time, took hold of the game and dominated," he said. "It was an excellent way to finish a tour. In the second half we put a stranglehold on the game. We had experience in the pack and that proved effective."

Stand-out performances in the forward line included a combative display from the Cardiff lock, Craig Quinnell, who was cautioned for stamping in the first five minutes, but on many occasions he was the touring side's ball-winner.

Howells will be happy to have blooded many younger players and come away with easy victories in the Test games, despite missing several players who are on the Lions tour. However, this is Japan, where rugby is about as widely played as karate is in Wales, so it might be best to keep the perspective of J J Williams, a veteran of the last Welsh tour, of Japan in 1975, who watched Saturday's game. "The Wales team of 1975 was one of the great teams of its time. This Welsh side wouldn't compete with them," he said.

Japan: Tries Kubo, Masuho, Onozawa; Conversions Kurihara 3; Penalties Kurihara 3. Wales: Tries Gavin Thomas 2, Gareth Thomas 3, S Williams, Shanklin 2, J Robinson. Conversions S Jones 4.

JAPAN: Onozawa; Kurihara, Namba, Motoki, Masuho (Tuidraki, 60); Iwabuchi, Murata; Hasegawa, Sakata (capt), Toyoyama, Vatuvei, Tanuma, Kubo (Ito, 60), Koizumi, Saito.

WALES: K Morgan (Swansea); T Shanklin (Saracens), Gareth Thomas (Bridgend), A Durston (Bridgend), S Williams (Neath); S Jones (Llanelli), G Cooper (Bath); I Thomas (Ebbw Vale), A Lewis (Cardiff), C Anthony (Newport), C Quinnell (Cardiff), A Moore (Swansea, capt), N Budgett (Bridgend), Gavin Thomas (Bath), G Lewis (Swansea). Replacements: C Stephens (Bridgend) for Quinnell, 73; J Ringer (Bridgend) for Budgett, 64; D Peel (Llanelli) for Cooper, 73; J Robinson (Cardiff) for Shanklin, 70.

Referee: K Deaker (New Zealand).