Wales take on Eddie Jones’ Japan side on Saturday off the back of a second successive Six Nations whitewash and will be desperate to end a run of 17 consecutive Test defeats.
Results have seen Wales slump down the world rankings to 12th, only one place above Japan.
Interim head coach Matt Sherratt will be in charge once more for the two-Test series in the Far East having taken over from Warren Gatland during the Six Nations Championship in February, with no set date for a successor named.
Lake has taken over the captaincy, with Ospreys team-mate Jac Morgan on British and Irish Lions duty in Australia for the series which gets under way in Kitakyushu on Saturday, July 5 and concludes in Kobe a week later.
The Ospreys hooker having led Wales during the tour of Australia and the Autumn Nations Series in 2024, insists that the squad named are very much playing for places to impress the next regime and must perform in Japan.
“We’ve got a job to do on the back of a big losing run,” said Lake.
“That’s not to think about what’s down the line. If we go out there and don’t do a job, we might not be here for the next round of coaches.
“We have to focus on the rugby and the task at hand, which is to win a Test match – It’s massive, there’s business to be done.
“It’s going to be a tough test. All focus is on the here and now. We’ve got to do that in Japan and set things right.
“We’re by no means underestimating the edge they’re going to bring. They’re a dangerous side and caused a lot of upsets in very recent memory.
“They’re playing on home soil so I’m sure they’ll take a lot of confidence in that.
“They’re 13th for a reason and we’re 12th for a reason, so it’s going to be a big battle.”
Much has been made of the conditions awaiting Wales, with extreme heat and humidity expected for two mid-afternoon kick-offs.
Japan boss Jones has stated he wants his side to run Wales off their feet, which is a tactic Lake says he will not be shocked at.
“We’ve heard rumours it’s going to be another level,” said Lake.
“We’ve done our heat work and trained hard to replicate the weather here.
“Sometimes you can overthink these things and a bit of doubt creeps in, you start to worry. We’re just focused on getting on the field.”
“We know the style of rugby they like to play.
“We know they play with very quick ball. It’s our job to slow it down as they’ll want to play with speed.
“That’ll stress our defence, but that’s our job to slow it down, put a stop to them and make sure we can be the dominant team out there. But we understand what they’re going to bring.”
[Lead image: Welsh Rugby Union]