Autumn Nations Series: Wales 23-5 Japan

Wales ended a two-year losing streak after outmuscling Japan in the first of their autumn internationals.

Captain and number eight Siwan Lillicrap got Wales off to a dream start, touching down from a driving lineout.

Great Britain sevens star Jasmine Joyce then showed she is just as deadly in a 15s side with two second-half tries at Cardiff Arms Park.

Japan scored a late consolation try through Seina Saito.

Wales were in desperate need to get back to winning ways after losing their past seven internationals and they rounded off a positive week of professional contract announcements with a result.

The performance was still left wanting though, with discipline and the defence something they will have to improve when they face South Africa on 13 November and Canada the following weekend.

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Wales flew out of the blocks on the whistle, won a penalty at the first breakdown and celebrated like they had won the match.

Snowsill kicked for touch and Wales' driving lineout bulldozed over from five metres, with Lillicrap touching down at the base.

Japan responded with a spell of pressure in the Wales 22 and showed a willingness to ship the ball wide. Hinano Nagura looked to be in on the overlap, but the winger was chopped down just a metre from the line by the scramble defence.

Both sides then endured an error-strewn 30 minutes with a host of handling errors and penalties, and when Wales won a scrum penalty Snowsill opted to steady the ship and take the three points on offer.

The Japanese pack came under pressure soon after the reset and Snowsill was again on target from the tee to give Wales an 11-point lead going into the break.

Japan restarted the brighter of the two sides and continued to frustrate Wales, who were made to pay for their infringements with flanker Georgia Evans sent to the sin bin.

Despite being a player down, Wales continued to impose pressure on the scrum and a moment of brilliance from Joyce led to the second try of the game. The flying full-back, who had previously been kept quiet in attack, stepped a defender and showed electric pace to cross.

Snowsill added the extras to extend Wales' lead.

Wales made early changes, with debutant hooker Kat Evans replaced by Carys Phillips, who returned to the international stage for the first time in two years.

Scrum-half Keira Bevan - who had also not worn the red shirt since March 2020 due to injury - also enjoyed a solid hour, before making way for Ffion Lewis fresh from captaining Wales in rugby league.

Japan, who preferred to run from deep rather than putting boot to ball, enjoyed a clean break and looked almost certain to score, but the pace of hooker Nijiho Nagata was no match for the covering defence of Joyce.

Joyce was then down the other end of the field and, after a quick tap penalty from Lewis, crossed over from short range to earn her player-of-the-match.

But Japan, to their credit, kept plugging away and were rewarded with Saito's late try and some good work from her fellow forwards.

Wales captain Siwan Lillicrap told BBC Sport Wales: "I'm extremely pleased and happy with our performance.

"I think the work rate and effort was there, the set piece was really good and it was a huge step up from where we've been before.

"The character which we showed to win that game, I couldn't be prouder of the girls.

"We absolutely needed that."

Welsh Rugby Union performance director Nigel Walker was in attendance along with just over 1,000 fans and he told BBC Radio Wales he was "obviously thrilled" with the result.

"The coaches, support staff, the players have worked incredibly hard over the last 10 or 12 weeks and they have got their just rewards this evening," he said.

Wales: Jasmine Joyce; Lisa Neumann, Hannah Jones, Kerin Lake, Courtney Keight; Elinor Snowsill, Keira Bevan; Caryl Thomas, Kat Evans, Donna Rose, Natalia John, Gwen Crabb, Georgia Evans, Bethan Lewis, Siwan Lillicrap (capt).

Replacements: Carys Phillips, Cara Hope, Cerys Hale, Alex Callender, Alisha Butchers, Ffion Lewis, Robyn Wilkins, Megan Webb.

Japan: Ria Anoku; Noriko Taniguchi, Mana Furuta, Shione Nakayama, Hinano Nagura; Minori Yamamoto, Megumi Abe; Saki Minami (capt), Nijiho Nagata, Yuka Sadaka, Ayano Sakurai, Yuna Sato, Seina Saito, Iroha Nagata, Ayano Nagai.

Replacements: Aymu Kokaji, Sachiko Kato, Makoto Lavemai, Kie Tamai, Yuki Ito, Moe Tsukui, Komachi Imakugi, Kanako Kobayashi.

Referee: Clara Munarini Assistants: Maria Beatrice Benvenuti, Maria Giovanna Pacifico TMO: Stefano Penne (all Italy)