Seconds had felt like minutes before now, with devastation loitering under the roof; ready to pounce on its favourite prey. 644 days of it, enveloping the players, the staff, the fans - all of Welsh rugby - in a blanket of misery. Like the heat in Kobe; it's stifling. Inescapable.

Wales has finally won a rugby test and snapped an 18-match international losing streak when it held off Japan 31-22 in Kobe

Emotions were running high at the Noevir Stadium in Kobe as Wales ended their 18-match losing Test run with a hard-fought 31-22 victory against Japan.

Richard Whiffin has made six changes to his Wales Under-20s side for their fifth-place semi-final contest with England at the World Rugby U20 Championship on Monday (14:30 BST).

Wales ended almost two years of pain and claimed their first victory since the 2023 Rugby World Cup by securing a 31-22 triumph over Japan on Saturday.

Flanagan has since moved on to join English giants Saracens as attack coach and will be working with some of the biggest names in the sport next season. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack for the exclusive five-week tour diary from Japan and Australia.

Dan Edwards says victory in Japan is the "little boost Welsh rugby needed" after Wales end a dismal run of 18 successive Test defeats.