Callender to play 50th Wales match in Tokyo — BBC Sport
Flanker Alex Callender will play her 50th match for the Wales women’s rugby team in the WXV Global Series fixture against Japan, which will take place on 24 October in Tokyo, Japan. Callender will lead the team onto the field as co-captain alongside Amy Williams, BBC Sport reports.
The match will be held at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium and will kick off at 10:30 British Summer Time. The 26-year-old Callender made her Wales debut in 2019. In June, she returned to the field in a non-Test match against the Barbarians, was subsequently named player of the match against South Africa and scored a try against the USA.
Three changes to the starting line-up
Head coach Sean Lynn has made three personnel changes to the starting XV compared with the September defeat to the USA at Cardiff Arms Park. Nel Metcalfe returns on the wing after injury, Seren Lockwood will start at scrum-half, and Georgia Iono will come into the second row.
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Carys Cox will also move into the centre, while Keira Bevan will play at fly-half. Lynn noted that Bevan is seeking to receive the ball more often and is developing her kicking game, while Lockwood performed well in matches against South Africa and the Barbarians.
The Metcalfe sisters will play together
Nel Metcalfe and her sister Branwen will start together for Wales in a Test match for the first time. Twenty-year-old Branwen Metcalfe will start her sixth consecutive Test and partner Iono in the second row. Her 21-year-old sister Nel will play on the wing; it will be her first international appearance since the 2025 World Cup and her recovery from a knee injury that caused her to miss the Six Nations.
Wales are ranked 11th in the World Rugby rankings, one place ahead of Japan. Last month, the Japanese team lost 21-55 to Italy and were also beaten twice by Ireland — 24-31 in the WXV Global Series and 19-43 in another Test match. Lynn stressed that the opponents are dangerous in the maul, so the Welsh team do not intend to underestimate Japan.
