The Nations Championship just dropped onto the international rugby calendar, replacing those traditional summer tours and Autumn Nations Series, and after a wild July full of action, it is clear we are in for something special. This new, every-other-year competition is already bringing the heat, giving us some serious context to the schedule.
July Results Just Blew Things Open
Seriously, the Southern Hemisphere Series in July was insane! We saw the Six Nations sides go head-to-head with the Rugby Championship teams, plus Japan and Fiji, and the results are setting up an epic November. New Zealand pulled off some huge wins, including a tight 34-32 victory over France and a dominant 40-21 over Ireland. They also crushed Italy 47-17. But don’t sleep on South Africa either, they absolutely cleaned house. They hammered England 45-21, took down Scotland 42-28, and then shut out Wales 43-0. Talk about a statement!
England also had a monster performance, totally dismantling Fiji 73-8 in Round Two. Ireland showed up big too, beating Australia 33-31 in a close one and Japan 36-20. Scotland had their moments, snagging a 47-38 win against Argentina and a 33-17 over Fiji. With Argentina getting past Wales 35-21 and France putting up big numbers against Japan (42-15) and Australia (42-26), it is clear every team is fighting for those seeding spots. Japan even surprised Italy 27-10. These early results are crucial for determining who faces off in the finals weekend!
Twickenham Awaits: November’s Epic Showdown
Now that the July series is in the books, all eyes are turning to November’s Northern Hemisphere Series and, even bigger, the finals weekend. Those results from July are going to seed all 12 teams for the main event at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium. We are talking three days of double-headers, with six matches over two days, all on the last weekend of November (27 to 29).
This isn’t just about one team winning a trophy either. Whoever tops the Six Nations pool will meet the top qualifier from the other pool in the marquee match to lift the first Nations Championship trophy. Plus, whichever hemisphere wins more final matches will be crowned too. That 1st vs. 1st match is worth two points, with every other finals weekend game earning one point. UK viewers can catch all the action on ITV, so get ready!
The November schedule is stacked! Round Four kicks off on Friday, November 6th with Ireland vs. Argentina in Dublin, followed by Italy vs. South Africa, Scotland vs. New Zealand, France vs. Fiji, and Wales vs. Japan on Saturday the 7th. Then England vs. Australia rounds out the weekend on Sunday the 8th at Twickenham. Round Five keeps the intensity going, with matchups like France vs. South Africa in Paris and England vs. Japan back at Twickenham on November 13th and 14th. Get ready, because the stakes are sky-high for those final seedings before the big finish!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Leave a Reply