Lake rekindles the Wales captaincy role he adopted during the 2024 summer tour of Australia and the autumn internationals.
He has been asked to lead the squad again after his good friend Jac Morgan was one of only two Welshmen picked for the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, alongside scrum-half Tomos Williams.
“I was just proud of him and happy for him,” said Lake. “We came through together and have done a lot together.
“To see his name read out was amazing. I was on the flight in South Africa with him at the time when he found out and we all expressed how happy and proud we all were.”
Lake’s own Lions ambitions were hampered by an injury-affected Six Nations in which he missed the start of the tournament because of a bicep injury.
After being absent for the first three games, Lake was reduced to replacement appearances against Scotland and England.
His latest setback continues a series of niggling injuries that has limited the Ospreys hooker to just 20 caps so far.
“It’s tough, but things happen for a reason I guess,” said Lake. “But I’m feeling good and my body’s feeling good.”
There are six uncapped players in the 33-man squad in Japan and Wales have benefitted from having a month together.
“We’ve trained well and hard,” said Lake. “It’s kind of a new group so a lot of time has gone into just building relationships.
“Having a certain understanding of each other and how they work has been important.”
