Matt Sherratt was caught in tears as his Wales side finally put an end to a nightmare run of 18 straight defeats with a well-deserved 31-22 victory over Japan. Rugby can be an emotional sport at the best of times, especially in the goldfish bowl of Wales, but the team were really feeling the pressure having not won a single Test match for 644 days. Sherratt has only been involved in five of those Tests and after last weekend's shocking defeat to Japan was under huge pressure. But after very nearly conspiring to throw away another comfortable lead, Wales dug deep to get one over Japan. After the ball was kicked out and Luke Pearce blew the final whistle, Sherratt could be seen leaning on the desk in the coaches box crying and trying to gather his breath. There was no fist pumping from the Cardiff coach who was visibly emotional as he reflected on how deep the players had to dig to get this one over the line. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby. After the match, he said: “It’s emotional, there's a reason why I’ve done it again. I’m so pleased for the lads. "Credit to all the staff and support staff, the coaches and everyone who came before me. Whoever comes in has a great group to work with.” Sherratt took over in difficult circumstances midway through the Six Nations after Warren Gatland walked away from the job with confidence at an all-time low. There was an instant bounce as Wales pushed Ireland all the way in Cardiff before they got well beaten by Scotland and suffered annihilation at the hands of England in Cardiff. Get the latest breaking Welsh rugby news stories sent straight to your inbox with our FREE daily newsletter. Sign up here. But last Saturdays' defeat 24-19 to Japan in Kitakyushu was arguably the nadir, and for the first time since taking the job on an interim basis Sherratt's selection and tactics came under intense scrutiny from fans. Join WalesOnline Rugby's WhatsApp Channel here to get the breaking news sent straight to your phone for free Wales' victory in Kobe will have lifted some pressure on the players and the Welsh Rugby Union but Wales are still ranked 12th in the world and have a long way to go until they can be viewed as a force again. Sherratt has been tipped by many within the game to have some form of coaching role with Wales in the long run but as of yet the WRU have not appointed Gatland's long-term successor. Sherratt will report back to Cardiff for pre-season and but it could be temporary if he is included in the new Wales coaching team.