Tokyo (AFP) - Wales interim head coach Matt Sherratt said Thursday that he had given his players “time to grieve” over their latest defeat as he named his team for their second Test against Japan.

The Welsh went down 24-19 in last weekend’s first Test for their 18th straight loss, extending a record for a Tier One country in the professional era.

They will have another chance to break the streak on Saturday in Kobe, with fly-half Dan Edwards to make his first international start in place of Sam Costelow.

Sherratt said he had given his team two days off after the defeat in Kitakyushu, following advice given to him earlier this year by Ireland head coach Andy Farrell, now coaching the British and Irish Lions in Australia.

“He said, ‘sometimes when players have had an emotional run, they need time to grieve’, and it just made complete sense to me,” said Sherratt.

“Grieving over anything takes time, so we gave them two days off and really just left them alone.

“It was a tough changing room after the boys had put so much into the week, what I didn’t want to do was get them back in on Monday and almost reopen the wounds,” he added.

Sherratt made four changes to his starting line-up, with Freddie Thomas coming in at lock after Ben Carter was ruled out following a head injury in the first minute of last week’s game.

No. 8 Aaron Wainwright replaces the experienced Taulupe Faletau, who has not recovered from heat-related cramps.

Archie Griffin takes over at tighthead prop from Keiron Assiratti in a side again captained by hooker Dewi Lake.

Uncapped trio Christian Coleman, Reuben Morgan-Williams and Keelan Giles were all named on the bench.

Edwards will win his third cap and Sherratt said he was a player with the “X-factor”.

“I think he’s a young 10 with a great head on his shoulders and a lot of ability,” Sherratt said of the Ospreys playmaker.

- Japan can ‘create history’ -

Japan head coach Eddie Jones said his team had a chance to make history with a second win.

The Australian made five changes to his inexperienced starting line-up, with four starters winning their second caps and four uncapped players on the bench.

Scrum-half Naoto Saito, who won the French Top 14 title with Toulouse last month, returns to the starting line-up.

“Japan has never had a record of beating a top-tier team back-to-back so we’ve got a chance to create history,” said Jones.

“But the more important thing for us is that we know we can play better.”

Michael Leitch was again named captain after the 36-year-old’s outstanding display last week in a match played in 31 Celsius heat with high humidity making ball-handling difficult.

The forecast for Saturday is three degrees hotter and the game will be played in a stadium with a retractable roof.

Jones said he did not know if the roof would be open or closed, but remarked that it was “quite ironic talking about roofs when you’re playing against Wales”.

“Having known the goings-on when you go there with England, whether it’s going to be open or closed, is it going to rain, is it not going to rain,” he said.

“All those machinations are the same in every country in the world.”

Japan (15-1):

Ichigo Nakakusu; Kippei Ishida, Dylan Riley, Shogo Nakano, Halatoa Vailea; Seungsin Lee, Naoto Saito; Faulua Makisi, Jack Cornelsen, Michael Leitch (capt); Warner Dearns, Epineri Uluiviti; Keijiro Tamefusa, Mamoru Harada, Yota Kamimori.

Replacements: Hayate Era, Sena Kimura, Shuhei Takeuchi, Waisake Raratubua, Ben Gunter, Shinobu Fujiwara, Sam Greene, Kazuma Ueda.

Wales (15-1):

Blair Murray; Tom Rogers, Johnny Williams, Ben Thomas, Josh Adams; Dan Edwards, Kieran Hardy; Aaron Wainwright, Josh Macleod, Alex Mann; Teddy Williams, Freddie Thomas; Archie Griffin, Dewi Lake (capt), Nicky Smith.

Replacements: Liam Belcher, Gareth Thomas, Christian Coleman, James Ratti, Taine Plumtree, Tommy Reffell, Reuben Morgan-Williams, Keelan Giles.