Overview
- Wales sit 12th and Japan 13th in the rankings, with Japan moving into 12th with a win or a draw in Cardiff.
- A Welsh victory would secure band-two status for now, though Japan could still catch them the following week with a win over Georgia depending on margins.
- World Rugby has issued detailed permutations showing margin thresholds and home weighting that could shift teams between the six seed bands.
- Beyond Cardiff, Australia, Scotland, Italy and Georgia are tracking for band two, while Fiji retain a slim path into the top six by beating France by 15 points with Australia and Argentina losing.
- Wales enter the fixture after a heavy defeat to Argentina and a prolonged run of losses, as the WRU pursues a controversial plan to cut one professional region.