Lots of Welsh players are making a mark in this year’s Gallagher PREM. Can they bring that magic to the Principality Stadium?
Watch Wales v Japan, a must-win match for Steve Tandy’s men ahead of some trickier Nations Championship fixtures (Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Watch Wales v Japan as Steve Tandy’s legion of Gallagher PREM-based stars look to make a mark on the Nations Championship stage.
The match kicks off at 4.40pm GMT on Saturday afternoon, and you can watch Wales v Japan live streams for free in the UK, Ireland, France and the US. We’ll tell you everything you need to know to tune in below – including details of how you can use a VPN to watch the match from anywhere.
You’ll find a preview, line-ups and officials further down the page.
Key information
– Wales v Japan date: Saturday 7 November 2026
– Wales v Japan kick-off time: 4.40pm GMT / 5.40pm CET / 6.40pm SAST / 3.40am AEDT (Sunday) / 5.40am NZDT (Sunday) / 11.40am ET / 4.40am PT
– Wales v Japan venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Wales
– Wales v Japan free streams: ITVX / S4C Clic / BBC iPlayer (UK), Virgin Media Play (Ireland), TF1+ (France), RugbyPass TV (US)
How to watch Wales v Japan in the UK – live stream the game for free
Wales v Japan is available for free on both streaming service ITVX and terrestrial channel ITV1 in the UK. Coverage starts at 4.20pm GMT, kick-off is at 4.40pm.
If you want to watch with Welsh commentary, the game is also on S4C, S4C Clic and BBC iPlayer.
ITVX, S4C Clic and BBC iPlayer are all free to use, but you do need to complete a simple sign-up process to access the services. You also need an up-to-date TV Licence to stream live TV in the UK.
Watch Wales v Japan from anywhere
Overseas right now? That doesn’t mean you have to miss out on any of today’s packed Nations Championship fixture list. By using a (Virtual Private Network) to change your IP address, you can avoid geo-blocking restrictions and stream Wales v Japan as if you were back home.
The tech experts at TechRadar and Tom’s Guide both rate NordVPN as world number one, thanks to its top-notch ability to unblock streaming services and security features.
Wales v Japan free streams in Ireland
Viewers in Ireland can watch Wales v Japan for free on the Virgin Media Play streaming service or terrestrial channel Virgin Media One.
Pre-match build-up gets underway at 4.15pm GMT, ahead of the 4.40pm kick-off.
Stream Wales v Japan for FREE in France
If you’re on the other side of the Channel you can watch Wales v Japan live streams for on both TMC and the TF1+ streaming service.
Wales v Japan coverage starts at 5.30pm CET, with the action getting underway at 5.40pm.
French fans who are away from home but want to tune in with their usual French language commentary can still access their TF1 coverage from overseas by using a VPN, such as NordVPN.
Other ways to watch Wales v Japan around the world
In the US you can watch Wales v Japan, along with all the Nations Championship games, on World Rugby’s RugbyPass TV. It’s free to use, though you do need to register before you can start streaming the action. Kick-off is at 11.40am ET/ 8.40am PT this morning.
If you’re in South Africa you need to head to to watch Wales v Japan. Tune in to the match from 6.40pm this evening.
In New Zealand you need to find Sky Sport on your EPG. It costs $59.99 per month for a streaming subscription ($29.99 day options are also available) and kick-off is at 5.40am NZDT on Sunday morning.
Rugby fans on the other side of the Tasman Sea need to head to for Wales v Japan live streams. A Stan Sport subscription costs $20 per month on top of a standard Stan plan (for which prices start at $9.99). Kick-off is a rather antisocial 3.10am AEDT on Sunday morning.
Wales v Japan match preview
Once upon a time Wales would have expected to beat Japan comfortably, but these days – with just a couple of places separating the sides in the world rankings – they can’t afford to rest on their laurels.
Former England boss Eddie Jones would love his Brave Blossoms players to get one over his old rivals from the other side of Offa’s Dyke, and games between the two sides have a tendency to be tight affairs – last year’s Autumn Nations Series clash in Cardiff was settled by a late Jarrod Evans penalty.
That said, two of Wales’ last four victories have come against the Brave Blossoms (this will be their fourth meeting since July 2025), and their win in Kobe last year will be long remembered for ending a record-breaking losing streak. Also, Steve Tandy’s men seemed to be making progress in this year’s Six Nations, where their win against Italy was their first positive result in the competition since 2023. They also bagged a comprehensive victory over Fiji in the Nations Championship.
Jones will have noticed the form of Wales’ Gallagher PREM-based players this season, with the likes of Jac Morgan, Dewi Lake, Aaron Wainwright and Tomos Williams all making a mark for their club sides. Tandy’s starting XV is subsequently looking in pretty good shape, with Louis Rees-Zammit and Josh Adams likely to be a threat on the wings, and Nicky Smith and Dafydd Jenkins bringing some power up front. The biggest question mark, perhaps, is over the new midfield partnership of Max Llewellyn and Eddie James, where the head coach has prioritised size and strength.
The biggest headline in the Brave Blossoms line-up is the international debut of Riku Kitahara at fly-half – Ryunosuke Ito, so impressive in July, is unavailable due to university commitments back home.
Wales v Japan line-ups and officials
15. Blair Murray
14. Louis Rees-Zammit
13. Eddie James
12. Max Llewellyn
11. Josh Adams
10. Sam Costelow
9. Tomos Williams
1. Nicky Smith
2. Dewi Lake (captain)
3. Archie Griffin
4. Dafydd Jenkins
5. Ben Carter
6. Alex Mann
7. Jac Morgan
8. Aaron Wainwright
Replacements:
16. Ryan Elias
17. Rhys Carre
18. Tomas Francis
19. Teddy Williams
20. James Botham
21. Reuben Morgan-Williams
22. Dan Edwards
23. Louie Hennessey
15. Kazuma Ueda
14. Kippei Ishida
13. Dylan Riley
12. Samisoni Tua
11. Inoke Burua
10. Riku Kitahara
9. Naito Saito (co-captain)
1. Yota Kamimori
2. Mamoru Harada
3. Shuhei Takeuchi
4. Harry Hockings
5. Warner Dearns (co-captain)
6. Ben Gunter
7. Kanji Shimokawa
8. Jack Cornelsen
16. Kenji Sato
17. Sojiro Otsuka
18. Uwe Helu
19. Michael Stolberg
20. Tiennan Costley
21. Kenta Fukuda
22. Shinya Komura
23. Chisu Lee
Paul Williams (New Zealand) is the referee for this one, assisted by England’s Christophe Ridley and New Zealand’s Angus Mabey. Another Kiwi, Glenn Newman, is on TMO duties.
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