Temperatures are set to be around 32°C on Saturday, with the humidity also a factor in Japan
Wales’ first Test against Japan in Kitakyushu on Saturday will have three-minute water breaks in each half, as well as a 20-minute half-time.
The Japanese Rugby Football Union confirmed on Friday that the match, which kicks off at 2pm locally, would have an extended half-time, as well as cooling breaks. That follows on from a new guideline by World Rugby over heat and air quality guidelines that was confirmed last week.
The guidelines are split into five levels. The bottom tier means the game is fine to go on as normal, while the top level means officials should consider delaying or postponing the match.
Three-minute cooling breaks in each half – one after 20 minutes and one after 60 minutes – is the third level, while the longer half-time is the fourth.
Normally, half-time lasts around 10 minutes – with it not being allowed to exceed 15 minutes.
The kick-off has been a source of debate heading into this tour, with Welsh broadcasters having attempted to move it later as the 6am UK kick-off isn’t ideal for a home audience.
However, Brave Blossoms coach Eddie Jones has remained steadfast on a 2am kick-off – commenting before the tour that he wanted to run Wales off their feet. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack for the exclusive five-week tour diary from Japan and Australia.
Even in Japan, the locals have been surprised at the kick-off time. Last week’s clash with the Maori All Blacks kicked-off in the evening.
One Japanese journalist even referred to the start time as crazy when asking Dewi Lake about the heat in a press conference this week.
On Thursday, Wales interim head coach Matt Sherratt said that his side had been planning for all eventualities.
“I know there’s been a lot of chat about it, but (it’s) part of the challenge of coming to a different country,” he said.
“We went to Samoa in 2017. The conditions weren’t as hot as here, but pretty similar. I like cricket.
“England are going to try win the Ashes in the winter. They’re not going to change the conditions.
“Part of coming here is accept the conditions. They’re the same for both teams.
“So I’m not hugely worried about it. Both teams have to put up with it.
“On the day, we could have breaks and a 20-minute half-time. We’ll just plan for both.
“It’s there for safety reasons. If the heat is that extreme, giving them a chance to have a break and lower their body temperatures will be as important for both teams.”
Wales have been adjusting to the heat and humidity, having used a heat chamber to aid their training prior to traveling to Japan.
In one of Wales’ first training sessions in Kitakyushu, the squad of 33 players used 144 litres of water in a 60-minute session – not just for drinking, but for cooling themselves down too.
There are also eight ice baths at the side of their training pitch, with players required to spend a minimum of five minutes in there and around 500kg of ice tending to be used.