Wales make five starting changes for WXV Test against Japan

Wales have named five changes to their starting XV for their second WXV Test against Japan at Kumagaya Rugby Stadium on Saturday, with head coach Sean Lynn rewarding players who came off the bench in the opening match.

Flanker Bethan Lewis will make her first start of the campaign after being an influential impact substitute in last weekend’s 17-0 victory in Tokyo, while co-captain Alex Callender switches to number eight. Gwen Crabb and Gwenllian Pyrs have been promoted from the bench into the pack, and Lleucu George replaces Keira Bevan at fly-half to partner Seren Lockwood, who scored two tries in the previous Test. Courtney Keight is included at centre in place of Freya Bell, who suffered a serious knee injury in the opening Test.

Lynn has again named six forwards and two backs among the replacements, a selection pattern carried over from the first match. The coach said the alterations reward those who finished the job in Tokyo. "We have made the changes to reward the players who finished the job in Tokyo," said Lynn.

On Bell’s situation Lynn addressed the squad’s concern for the injured centre and the medical plan. "We are obviously disappointed with the injury to Freya Bell, but she will get the best care and we hope to see her back soon," he said.

Lynn outlined the squad philosophy around competition and team priorities when discussing selection dynamics. "The players know our DNA is 'team first'. Competition for places drives standards and performances and will only help us improve and get better as a team," Lynn added.

Wales are targeting back-to-back wins as they aim to finish their WXV campaign strongly at Kumagaya, having beaten Japan and South Africa and narrowly lost to USA earlier in the competition. The squad moved above Japan in the world rankings after last week’s victory and are now 11th in the world. "We found a way in the first Test in Tokyo and the way the players problem-solved during the game was key for all the coaches," said Lynn. "But we know we have to be much more accurate and produce a consistent, 80-minute performance to beat a resilient Japan side that we know will be hurting."

Wales: Neumann; N Metcalfe, Cox, Keight, A Williams; George, Lockwood, Pyrs, K Jones, Tuipulotu, B Metcalfe, Crabb, K Williams (co-capt), Lewis, Callender (co-capt).

Replacements: Reardon, Davies, E Jones, Aiono, Evans, King, Bevan, De Vera. Assistants: Sunny Lee (HKCR), Hibiki Ikeda (JRFU).

The match kicks off on Saturday, 31 October at 07:00 GMT at Kumagaya Rugby Stadium in Saitama Prefecture and will be shown live on iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app, with audio commentary on Sounds, BBC Radio Wales Extra and BBC Radio Cymru.