Wales skipper Dewi Lake couldn’t hide his disappointment after his side slipped to a 24-19 defeat to Japan in Kitakyushu in the first of two summer tests but refused to use the extreme heat as an excuse for the loss.
Temperatures soared into the 30s in Kitakyushu and after racing into a 19-7 lead in the opening 22 minutes, Wales failed to add to their tally from there on.
“It was probably just ill-discipline for us. Whether that be penalty count, or not taking opportunities in the 22 – a couple of mistakes cost us dearly, especially in the second half,” said Lake.
“We just allowed Japan to play their game in the second half, and they’re tough to stop when they’re playing at speed.
“Obviously conditions were going to play a factor, but we’re not blaming that, we’ll look at ourselves first. We weren’t clinical enough.”
Wales came under pressure at the set piece and only secured 79% of their line-outs throws. They also conceded nine penalties.
“I don’t want to speak for everyone, but we are gutted. It’s very tough to take because we have worked hard,” added Lake.
“We take nothing away from Japan for the way they played and coming out on top, but we had moments to win that game to put it to bed.”