Dewi Lake: What Wales need to re-learn to turn ship around

Stand-in captain Dewi Lake believes Wales need to learn how to win again.

Wales take on Japan on Saturday at the Principality Stadium, bidding to end a miserable run of 10-straight home defeats stretching back more than two years.

Wales finally halted a sequence of 18 consecutive losses by beating Japan in Kobe in July but lost heavily in their opening match in the Quilter Nations Series to Argentina last weekend.

“I think for us, it’s about learning to win,” Lake told BBC Sport.

“When you’re winning consistently, you’re never really worried about being behind in games, you don’t think about chasing games, you don’t try and do too much on your own, you just understand that your game model and what you do will eventually shine through and you’ll end up being there or thereabouts.

“I think for us it’s about learning that. We don’t mind where we win.

“We’d love to do it at home in front of the home crowd, for the fans, for everybody that’s supported us through a very difficult period, but it’s just about getting back to that point where you kind of feel unbeatable and any game you’re in, you feel like you know by the end you can win.

“It’s our job to give the stadium energy, to give the people something to cheer about.”

Lake takes over the armband from Jac Morgan, who faces a lengthy spell out after dislocating his shoulder in the act of scoring a try against Argentina.

Leicester’s Olly Cracknell comes into the starting line-up at number eight, with Alex Mann moving to openside flanker and Alan Wainwright starting at blindside.

Wales coach Steve Tandy, meanwhile, has handed a first start to Louis Rees Zammit since his return to rugby union following a spell in American football.