Wales Squad For Japan July 2025 Tour Announced

The Wales Rugby Union announced their 33-man squad for the two-match test series in Japan, due to be played in July 2025, with interim senior men’s head coach Matt Sherratt in charge.

The two-Test series against the Brave Blossoms starts in Kitakyushu, the city that hosted the Wales team for a training camp before RWC 2019, and the first Test will be played on 5 July at Mikuni World Stadium, with the second match played in Kobe’s Noevir Stadium on July 12.

Only two Welsh players were selected for the British & Irish Lions Series in Australia, and Sherratt has selected a squad that includes six uncapped players, four of whom come from the Ospreys.; Keelan Giles (Ospreys), Reuben Morgan-Williams (Ospreys), Liam Belcher (Cardiff Rugby), Chris Coleman (Dragons), Garyn Phillips (Ospreys), and Macs Page (Scarlets).

Sherratt said: “I’m excited to get the players together in camp to begin preparations for our summer campaign. I think there’s a good blend of experience and young talent selected and that this group has a lot of potential. “Going to Japan this July is a challenge the coaches and I are relishing. We are expecting a fierce contest from Japan in these Test matches.”

The Wales management and coaching team will be joined by members from Harlequins. Harlequins Head Coach Danny Wilson and former Wales international and now Harlequins Scrum Coach, Adam Jones, will join on secondment. Wilson will join as Forwards Coach, while Jones will serve as a Scrum Consultant.

Adam Jones said via Harlequins RFC: “I’d like to thank the Welsh Rugby Union and Harlequins for another opportunity to step up into an international coaching role. My time with Wales during the Six Nations was hugely beneficial to me both personally and professionally, and I’m looking forward to enhancing my skillset as a coach once more this summer.”

In total, the squad comprises of 581 caps, has an average age of 26, and will be captained by hooker Dewi Lake. Both Adam Beard and Will Rowlands are rested this Summer and were not selected in the squad. Elsewhere, from a Wales perspective, lock Ben Carter, fly-half Sam Costelow and tight-head prop Archie Griffin all return having missed the Guinness Six Nations due to injury.

The Welsh players will enter camp on Monday, 2 June, depending on when their club season ends and the team will fly to Japan at the end of June.

Wales’ last victory in international rugby came against Georgia in the World Cup back in October 2023, and Eddie Jones, the Japan Head Coach, will be targeting this series.

Japan will have played its U20s and Japan XV in a number of tours and hosted the New Zealand Universities as well as the Hong Kong China men’s representative XV before Wales arrive on their shores.

Currently, Wales is ranked 12th by World Rugby, and the Brave Blossoms are one place below in 13th.

Wales Squad Japan Test Series June 2025

Image – WRU

Forwards

• Keiron Assiratti (Cardiff Rugby – 14 caps)
• Liam Belcher (Cardiff Rugby – uncapped)
• Ben Carter (Dragons – 12 caps)
• Chris Coleman (Dragons – uncapped)
• Elliot Dee (Dragons – 56 caps)
• Taulupe Faletau (Cardiff Rugby – 108 caps)
• Archie Griffin (Bath Rugby – 6 caps)
• Dewi Lake (Ospreys – 20 caps) captain
• Josh Macleod (Scarlets – 2 caps)
• Alex Mann (Cardiff Rugby – 5 caps)
• Garyn Phillips (Ospreys – uncapped)
• Taine Plumtree (Scarlets – 7 caps)
• James Ratti (Ospreys – 1 cap)
• Tommy Reffell (Leicester Tigers – 27 caps)
• Nicky Smith (Leicester Tigers – 54 caps)
• Gareth Thomas (Ospreys – 40 caps)
• Freddie Thomas (Gloucester Rugby – 3 caps)
• Aaron Wainwright (Dragons  – 57 caps)
• Teddy Williams (Cardiff Rugby – 6 caps)

Backs

• Josh Adams (Cardiff Rugby – 61 caps)
• Sam Costelow (Scarlets – 18 caps)
• Dan Edwards (Ospreys – 2 caps)
• Keelan Giles (Ospreys – uncapped)
• Kieran Hardy (Ospreys – 23 caps)
• Reuben Morgan-Williams (Ospreys – uncapped)
• Blair Murray (Scarlets – 8 caps)
• Macs Page (Scarlets – uncapped)
• Joe Roberts (Scarlets – 5 caps)
• Tom Rogers (Scarlets – 9 caps)
• Ben Thomas (Cardiff Rugby – 12 caps)
• Johnny Williams (Scarlets – 7 caps)
• Rhodri Williams (Dragons – 9 caps)
• Cameron Winnett (Cardiff Rugby – 9 caps)

Information about the tickets to the matches is available via the JRFU.

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