2013 Wales rugby union tour of Japan
# 2013 Wales rugby union tour of Japan

In June 2013, Wales toured Japan as part of the 2013 mid-year rugby test series. They faced Japan in a two-test series on 8 and 15 June, playing in the oldest dedicated rugby union stadium in Japan, Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Stadium in Osaka, and the home stadium of Japanese rugby, Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium in Tokyo. The test series was Wales' first test series against Japan since 2001, when Wales were victorious 2–0, and their first encounter since Wales' 72–18 victory in the 2007 Rugby World Cup Pool B match. Wales were also the first Tier 1 nation to play Japan in Japan since Italy in 2006.

At the start of the tour Japan were yet to earn a victory over the Welsh, with Wales winning all fixtures before this test series. However, the second match of the series saw Japan win their first test match against Wales. The test series ended in a 1–1 draw with Wales winning the first test and Japan winning the second.

## Fixtures

| Date and time | Venue | Home | Score | Away |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 8 June, 14:00 JST (UTC+9) | Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Stadium, Osaka | Japan | 18–22 | Wales |
| 15 June, 14:00 JST (UTC+9) | Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, Tokyo | Japan | 23–8 | Wales |

## Squads

### Wales

In the absence of Warren Gatland and Rob Howley with their commitments on the 2013 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia, Robin McBryde took on the role of head coach. On 21 May, McBryde named a 27-man squad for the tour.

Aaron Shingler and Ashley Beck were ruled out with injury ahead of the tour (28 May) and was replaced with Josh Navidi and Adam Warren 15 players were also unavailable due to selection for the Lions tour to Australia.

* Head coach: Robin McBryde (interim)

Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.

| Player | Position | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Club/province |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Scott Baldwin | Hooker | (1988-07-12)12 July 1988 (aged 24) | 0 | Ospreys |
| Emyr Phillips | Hooker | (1987-02-22)22 February 1987 (aged 26) | 0 | Scarlets |
| Scott Andrews | Prop | (1989-08-01)1 August 1989 (aged 23) | 6 | Cardiff Blues |
| Ryan Bevington | Prop | (1988-12-09)9 December 1988 (aged 24) | 9 | Ospreys |
| Rhys Gill | Prop | (1986-10-30)30 October 1986 (aged 26) | 3 | Saracens |
| Rhodri Jones | Prop | (1991-12-23)23 December 1991 (aged 21) | 1 | Scarlets |
| Craig Mitchell | Prop | (1986-05-03)3 May 1986 (aged 27) | 14 | Exeter Chiefs |
| Andrew Coombs | Lock | (1984-10-27)27 October 1984 (aged 28) | 4 | Newport Gwent Dragons |
| Bradley Davies (c) | Lock | (1987-01-09)9 January 1987 (aged 26) | 38 | Cardiff Blues |
| James King | Lock | (1990-07-24)24 July 1990 (aged 22) | 0 | Ospreys |
| Lou Reed | Lock | (1987-09-10)10 September 1987 (aged 25) | 3 | Cardiff Blues |
| Dan Baker | Flanker | (1992-07-05)5 July 1992 (aged 20) | 0 | Ospreys |
| Rob McCusker | Flanker | (1988-03-12)12 March 1988 (aged 25) | 5 | Scarlets |
| Josh Navidi | Flanker | (1990-12-30)30 December 1990 (aged 22) | 0 | Cardiff Blues |
| Andries Pretorius | Number 8 | (1985-09-26)26 September 1985 (aged 27) | 0 | Cardiff Blues |
| Tavis Knoyle | Scrum-half | (1990-06-02)2 June 1990 (aged 23) | 9 | Scarlets |
| Lloyd Williams | Scrum-half | (1989-11-30)30 November 1989 (aged 23) | 13 | Cardiff Blues |
| Dan Biggar | Fly-half | (1989-10-16)16 October 1989 (aged 23) | 16 | Ospreys |
| Rhys Patchell | Fly-half | (1993-05-17)17 May 1993 (aged 20) | 0 | Cardiff Blues |
| Jonathan Spratt | Centre | (1986-04-28)28 April 1986 (aged 27) | 2 | Ospreys |
| Adam Warren | Centre | (1991-03-07)7 March 1991 (aged 22) | 1 | Scarlets |
| Owen Williams | Centre | (1991-10-02)2 October 1991 (aged 21) | 0 | Cardiff Blues |
| Dafydd Howells | Wing | (1995-03-22)22 March 1995 (aged 18) | 0 | Ospreys |
| Harry Robinson | Wing | (1993-04-16)16 April 1993 (aged 20) | 1 | Cardiff Blues |
| Liam Williams | Fullback | (1991-04-09)9 April 1991 (aged 22) | 3 | Scarlets |
| Tom Prydie | Fullback | (1992-02-23)23 February 1992 (aged 21) | 4 | Newport Gwent Dragons |
| Steven Shingler | Fullback | (1991-06-20)20 June 1991 (aged 21) | 0 | London Irish |

### Japan

The Japanese 36-man squad for 2013 IRB Pacific Nations Cup and Wales' tour of Japan.

* Head coach: Eddie Jones
* Caps and ages are to first Test (8 June 2013)

Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.

| Player | Position | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Club/province |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Yusuke Aoki | Hooker | (1983-06-19)19 June 1983 (aged 29) | 25 | Suntory |
| Shota Horie | Hooker | (1986-01-21)21 January 1986 (aged 27) | 19 | Melbourne Rebels |
| Hiroki Yuhara | Hooker | (1984-01-21)21 January 1984 (aged 29) | 11 | Toshiba |
| Takuma Asahara | Prop | (1987-09-07)7 September 1987 (aged 25) | 3 | Toshiba |
| Kensuke Hatakeyama | Prop | (1985-08-02)2 August 1985 (aged 27) | 38 | Suntory |
| Takeshi Kizu | Prop | (1988-07-15)15 July 1988 (aged 24) | 15 | Kobelco Steelers |
| Masataka Mikami | Prop | (1988-06-04)4 June 1988 (aged 25) | 2 | Toshiba |
| Yusuke Nagae | Prop | (1985-07-19)19 July 1985 (aged 27) | 9 | Black Rams |
| Hiroshi Yamashita | Prop | (1986-01-01)1 January 1986 (aged 27) | 18 | Kobelco Steelers |
| Michael Broadhurst | Lock | (1986-10-30)30 October 1986 (aged 26) | 5 | Black Rams |
| Shoji Ito | Lock | (1980-12-02)2 December 1980 (aged 32) | 10 | Kobelco Steelers |
| Shinya Makabe | Lock | (1987-03-26)26 March 1987 (aged 26) | 12 | Suntory |
| Hitoshi Ono | Lock | (1978-05-06)6 May 1978 (aged 35) | 66 | Toshiba |
| Hendrik Tui | Lock | (1987-12-13)13 December 1987 (aged 25) | 7 | Panasonic |
| Justin Ives | Flanker | (1984-05-24)24 May 1984 (aged 29) | 10 | Panasonic |
| Michael Leitch | Flanker | (1988-10-07)7 October 1988 (aged 24) | 28 | Chiefs |
| Ryuta Yasui | Flanker | (1989-12-06)6 December 1989 (aged 23) | 1 | Kobelco Steelers |
| Takashi Kikutani | Number 8 | (1980-02-24)24 February 1980 (aged 33) | 56 | Toyota Verblitz |
| Koliniasi Holani | Number 8 | (1981-10-25)25 October 1981 (aged 31) | 24 | Panasonic |
| Atsushi Hiwasa | Scrum-half | (1987-05-22)22 May 1987 (aged 26) | 20 | Suntory |
| Fumiaki Tanaka | Scrum-half | (1985-01-03)3 January 1985 (aged 28) | 33 | Highlanders |
| Keisuke Uchida | Scrum-half | (1992-02-22)22 February 1992 (aged 21) | 3 | Tsukuba University |
| Ryoto Nakamura | Fly-half | (1991-01-28)28 January 1991 (aged 22) | 1 | Teikyo University |
| Kosei Ono | Fly-half | (1987-04-17)17 April 1987 (aged 26) | 16 | Suntory |
| Yuu Tamura | Fly-half | (1989-01-09)9 January 1989 (aged 24) | 6 | Green Rockets |
| Yuta Imamura | Centre | (1984-10-31)31 October 1984 (aged 28) | 35 | Kobe Steel |
| Male Sa'u | Centre | (1987-10-13)13 October 1987 (aged 25) | 2 | Yamaha Jubilo |
| Seiichi Shimonura | Centre | (1981-09-20)20 September 1981 (aged 31) | 4 | Panasonic |
| Harumichi Tatekawa | Centre | (1989-12-02)2 December 1989 (aged 23) | 12 | Kubota Spears |
| Craig Wing | Centre | (1979-12-26)26 December 1979 (aged 33) | 1 | Kobelco Steelers |
| Yoshikazu Fujita | Wing | (1993-10-08)8 October 1993 (aged 19) | 3 | Waseda University |
| Kenki Fukuoka | Wing | (1992-09-07)7 September 1992 (aged 20) | 2 | University of Tsukuba |
| Toshiaki Hirose (c) | Wing | (1981-10-17)17 October 1981 (aged 31) | 11 | Toshiba |
| Hirotoki Onozawa | Wing | (1978-03-29)29 March 1978 (aged 35) | 78 | Suntory Sungoliath |
| Ayumu Goromaru | Fullback | (1986-03-01)1 March 1986 (aged 27) | 20 | Yamaha Jubilo |

## Matches

### First test

* 8 June 2013 14:00 JST (UTC+9)

| Japan | 18–22 | Wales |
| - | - | - |
| Try: Broadhurst 38' m Fujita 69' c Con: Goromaru (1/2) 70' Pen: Goromaru (2/4) 15', 20' | Report | Try: Robinson 63' c Con: Biggar (1/1) 64' Pen: Biggar (4/5) 23', 29', 46', 59' Patchell (1/1) 79' |

* Hanazono Rugby Stadium, Osaka Attendance: 20,152 Referee: Lourens van der Merwe (South Africa)

| FB | 15 | Ayumu Goromaru |
| - | - | - |
| RW | 14 | Yoshikazu Fujita |
| OC | 13 | Male Sa'u |
| IC | 12 | Craig Wing | 70' |
| LW | 11 | Kenki Fukuoka | 79' |
| FH | 10 | Harumichi Tatekawa |
| SH | 9 | Fumiaki Tanaka | 66' |
| N8 | 8 | Takashi Kikutani (c) |
| OF | 7 | Michael Broadhurst |
| BF | 6 | Hendrik Tui | 72' |
| RL | 5 | Shoji Ito |
| LL | 4 | Hitoshi Ono | 80' |
| TP | 3 | Hiroshi Yamashita | 64' |
| HK | 2 | Shota Horie | 30' to 32' | 30' to 32' | 72' |
| LP | 1 | Masataka Mikami | 60' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Takeshi Kizu | 30' | 32' | 72' |
| PR | 17 | Yusuke Nagae | 60' |
| PR | 18 | Kensuke Hatakeyama | 64' |
| LK | 19 | Toshizumi Kitagawa | 80' |
| FL | 20 | Ryuta Yasui | 72' |
| SH | 21 | Atsushi Hiwasa | 66' |
| FH | 22 | Yuu Tamura | 70' |
| WG | 23 | Hirotoki Onozawa | 79' |
| Coach: ||
| Eddie Jones ||
| FB | 15 | Liam Williams |
| RW | 14 | Harry Robinson |
| OC | 13 | Owen Williams |
| IC | 12 | Jonathan Spratt |
| LW | 11 | Dafydd Howells |
| FH | 10 | Dan Biggar | | 64' |
| SH | 9 | Lloyd Williams | | 60' |
| N8 | 8 | Rob McCusker | 19' to 29' | 60' |
| OF | 7 | James King |
| BF | 6 | Andrew Coombs | | 51' |
| RL | 5 | Lou Reed |
| LL | 4 | Bradley Davies (c) |
| TP | 3 | Scott Andrews |
| HK | 2 | Emyr Phillips |
| LP | 1 | Ryan Bevington | | 51' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Scott Baldwin |
| PR | 17 | Rhys Gill | | 51' |
| PR | 18 | Rhodri Jones |
| N8 | 19 | Andries Pretorius | | 51' |
| FL | 20 | Dan Baker | | 60' |
| SH | 21 | Tavis Knoyle | | 60' |
| FH | 22 | Rhys Patchell | | 64' |
| FB | 23 | Tom Prydie |
| Coach: ||
| Robin McBryde ||

* Touch judges:
* Greg Garner (England)
* Taizo Hirabayashi (Japan)

Note:

* Dan Baker, Dafydd Howells, James King, Rhys Patchell, Emyr Phillips, Andries Pretorius, Owen Williams (all Wales) and Yusuke Nagae (Japan) made their international debuts.

### Second test

* 15 June 2013 14:00 JST (UTC+9)

| Japan | 23–8 | Wales |
| - | - | - |
| Try: Wing 49' c Broadhurst 60' c Con: Goromaru (2/2) 49', 61' Pen: Goromaru (3/3) 14', 34', 76' | Report | Try: Prydie 44' m Pen: Biggar (1/2) 21' |

* Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, Tokyo Attendance: 21,062 Referee: Greg Garner (England)

| FB | 15 | Ayumu Goromaru |
| - | - | - |
| RW | 14 | Toshiaki Hirose (c) |
| OC | 13 | Male Sa'u |
| IC | 12 | Craig Wing | 69' |
| LW | 11 | Kenki Fukuoka | 79' |
| FH | 10 | Harumichi Tatekawa |
| SH | 9 | Fumiaki Tanaka | 67' |
| N8 | 8 | Takashi Kikutani |
| OF | 7 | Michael Broadhurst |
| BF | 6 | Hendrik Tui |
| RL | 5 | Shoji Ito | 45' |
| LL | 4 | Hitoshi Ono | 74' |
| TP | 3 | Hiroshi Yamashita | 45' |
| HK | 2 | Shota Horie | 79' |
| LP | 1 | Masataka Mikami | 69' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Takeshi Kizu | 79' |
| PR | 17 | Yusuke Nagae | 69' |
| PR | 18 | Kensuke Hatakeyama | 45' |
| LK | 19 | Shinya Makabe | 45' |
| FL | 20 | Justin Ives | 74' |
| SH | 21 | Atsushi Hiwasa | 67' |
| FH | 22 | Yuu Tamura | 69' |
| WG | 23 | Yoshikazu Fujita | 79' |
| Coach: ||
| Eddie Jones ||
| FB | 15 | Liam Williams | 53' |
| RW | 14 | Harry Robinson |
| OC | 13 | Owen Williams | 23' |
| IC | 12 | Jonathan Spratt |
| LW | 11 | Tom Prydie |
| FH | 10 | Dan Biggar |
| SH | 9 | Lloyd Williams | 50' |
| N8 | 8 | Andries Pretorius |
| OF | 7 | Josh Navidi | 63' |
| BF | 6 | James King |
| RL | 5 | Lou Reed | 50' |
| LL | 4 | Bradley Davies (c) |
| TP | 3 | Scott Andrews | 57' |
| HK | 2 | Emyr Phillips | 78' |
| LP | 1 | Rhys Gill | 57' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Scott Baldwin | 78' |
| PR | 17 | Rhodri Jones | 57' |
| PR | 18 | Craig Mitchell | 57' |
| LK | 19 | Andrew Coombs | 50' |
| FL | 20 | Dan Baker | 63' |
| SH | 21 | Tavis Knoyle | 50' |
| FH | 22 | Rhys Patchell | 23' |
| WG | 23 | Dafydd Howells | 53' |
| Coach: ||
| Robin McBryde ||

* Touch judges:
* Lourens van der Merwe (South Africa)
* Taizo Hirabayashi (Japan)

Note:

* This was Japan's first victory over Wales.
