Wales’ victory sparked wild celebrations but reality hit Steve Tandy’s side

Japan doubled the number of passes and forced Wales to make almost 100 more tackles than the visitors.

The Brave Blossoms were the most impressive team on the show, although head coach Eddie Jones avoided two attempts to say so afterwards.

“The only thing anyone remembers is the scoreboard,” Jones said. “That tells the story and is all that matters.”

Jones has suffered previous defeats in Cardiff at the hands of superior Welsh sides, and has intimate knowledge of the current squad, having played with them three times this year.

“Having spoken to a few people, the big thing Wales needs to look at is the development system,” Jones said.

“Coaches can only coach the players they have available, and Wales have had a strong, tough team for a long time under Warren Gatland.

“It is clear that the young players have not developed enough or as quickly as you would like, because now you have a gap in the team.”

Jones believes Wales can return to the top of the rugby table.

“There are a lot of good players in Wales,” Jones said.

“Wales is one of the traditional rugby hotspots in the world, even though it is a small country.

“If they can improve their development trajectory and get it right, Wales will regain their place in rugby.”