Weekend Results
New Zealand 34 – 32 France
Nations Championship R1, Christchurch. Roigard and Jordan two tries each. Rennie era opens with a thriller.
Ireland 33 – 31 Australia
Nations Championship R1, Sydney. Ireland hang on in an 80th-minute finish. Wallabies penalty goes wide at the death.
South Africa 45 – 21 England
Nations Championship R1, Johannesburg. Seven Springbok tries. England's fifth straight Test loss.
Fiji 24 – 39 Wales
Nations Championship R1, Cardiff City Stadium. Fiji's designated home fixture, played in Cardiff. Six Welsh tries.
Scotland 47 – 38 Argentina
Nations Championship R1, Cordoba. Seven Scotland tries. Biggest Scotland score in Argentina.
Japan 27 – 10 Italy
Nations Championship R1, Tokyo. Japan clinical in first Nations Championship home test.
Nations Championship Round 1: The Opening Weekend
The inaugural Nations Championship made its debut on Saturday July 4 with all six Round 1 matches played on the same day, producing 54 tries across the six fixtures. Three wins each for the Northern and Southern Hemisphere sides, with the tightest matches going to the final moments.
New Zealand 34-32 France (Christchurch): Cam Roigard and Will Jordan both scored two tries as the All Blacks held off a spirited France side to give Dave Rennie a winning start in his first test in charge. France fielded a line-up without any players from Toulouse or Montpellier, yet still pushed New Zealand all the way. Damian Penaud took his try-scoring total to 41 in just the second minute, while Ruben Love's yellow card in the build-up crowned a horror opening two minutes for the Rennie era. Love's kicking and running game proved decisive once he returned. Jordan's second try in the 71st minute moved him to 47 career tries, just two off Doug Howlett's All Blacks record of 49.
Ireland 33-31 Australia (Sydney): Ireland beat the Wallabies in a similarly tight affair. Australia were awarded a penalty 40 metres out in the dying seconds but could not convert it, leaving Ireland to hang on by two points in a match that went down to the final play.
South Africa 45-21 England (Johannesburg): South Africa condemned England to their fifth Test loss in a row with a dominant performance at Ellis Park. Thomas du Toit, Cheslin Kolbe, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Grant Williams, Jesse Kriel, Malcolm Marx and Ben-Jason Dixon all crossed the tryline for the Springboks, with Kolbe converting five. England's three tries came through Jamie George, George Martin and Alex Coles.
Fiji 24-39 Wales (Cardiff City Stadium): Fiji's national stadium, HFC Bank Stadium in Suva, falls short of the Nations Championship's 25,000-seat minimum requirement, meaning all three of Fiji's designated home fixtures are being played at stadiums in Great Britain. For this opening match, the venue was Cardiff City Stadium. Fiji entered the competition as one of international rugby's rising powers, sitting inside the top 10 of the World Rugby Rankings, and had won two of their three previous meetings with Wales. Jac Morgan scored two tries as Wales secured a bonus-point win, with Rhys Carré, Josh Adams, Ryan Elias and Eddie James also crossing. Fiji scored three tries but could not live with Wales' set-piece dominance.
Scotland 47-38 Argentina (Cordoba): Scotland's 47 points was the most they had ever scored against Argentina. Seven Scottish tries in a high-scoring contest that Argentine defence could not contain, though the Pumas hit back with five of their own.
Japan 27-10 Italy (Tokyo): Japan were clinical in their first Nations Championship home test at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium, running out comfortable winners against an Italy side who could not match the pace or tempo of the hosts. Coach Eddie Jones was absent from the touchline, serving the final match of a four-game suspension from the JRFU for abusing match officials on a tour of Australia. Warner Dearns, Takuro Matsunaga and Ben Gunter scored the tries.
LIPPY'S VIEW
What an amazing start to the international season and the Nations Championship. Dave Rennie has made a commitment to the All Blacks playing with "optimism," and boy did they deliver. Quick ball, counter-attack and less dependency on kicking created a spectacle of attacking rugby. What they did not plan for was France's commitment to playing with the same intent. So an amazing competition filled with world-class handling skills was the gift.
Cam Roigard solidified his standing as the best scrumhalf in the world, which is high praise when he was up against another remarkable player in Maxime Lucu. There is already chatter about the All Blacks building their entire game around him, similar to what the French have done with Antoine Dupont.
The French depth is admirable with many of their first-choice players not playing, but no one should assume the All Blacks are less than what they showed. The French were good and it was a great achievement for the All Blacks to hang in there and get away with the win.
The rest of the matches were equally as entertaining, with all of them relying more on ball-in-hand skill and attacking with an optimistic mindset. This is what makes rugby so beautiful to watch and sets up for some amazing matchups in the next couple of weeks.
Jordie Barrett's ridiculous 40-yard bullet pass from left to right to Will Jordan was something to behold and solidifies him as one of the most outstanding players in the world. I think Ruben Love is going to go from strength to strength and that bodes well for the All Blacks. The riches at flyhalf will be even greater with Richie Mo'unga returning. Good problem to have!
The Springboks were their usual ruthless selves against England and were literally bullying them physically as the game proceeded. The question is how long the RFU continues backing Steve Borthwick as head coach if they continue this losing streak just a year and a bit out from next year's Rugby World Cup. It will be great to see how the French and All Blacks fare against the Boks later in the year.
Nations Championship Standings After Round 1
| Rest of World Conference | P | W | L | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 1 | 1 | 0 | +24 | 5 |
| New Zealand | 1 | 1 | 0 | +2 | 5 |
| Japan | 1 | 1 | 0 | +17 | 4 |
| Australia | 1 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 2 |
| Argentina | 1 | 0 | 1 | -9 | 1 |
| Fiji | 1 | 0 | 1 | -15 | 0 |
| European Conference | P | W | L | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wales | 1 | 1 | 0 | +15 | 5 |
| Scotland | 1 | 1 | 0 | +9 | 5 |
| Ireland | 1 | 1 | 0 | +2 | 5 |
| France | 1 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 2 |
| Italy | 1 | 0 | 1 | -17 | 0 |
| England | 1 | 0 | 1 | -24 | 0 |
Note: the Nations Championship pools are divided into Rest of World and European conferences. Each team plays all five teams in the opposing conference across the July and November windows.
Junior World Championship Update: Who Are the Best Teams So Far?
Two rounds in, seven teams remain unbeaten: Argentina, Australia, England, France, New Zealand, South Africa and Wales are all victorious through two matches. Scotland lost in Round 2 to New Zealand, ending their unbeaten run. The standout performers after two rounds are Argentina (scoring 155 points in two matches), Australia (scoring 158 points), and South Africa (scoring 137 points against just 12 conceded), who look like the most complete team in the tournament. France have been dominant in attack and have the tournament's top try-scorer so far. England beat Ireland to start and look a well-organized side under their new age-grade coaching structure. Wales have ground out back-to-back narrow wins despite playing a portion of their opener with 13 men.
The key third-round matches on Tuesday July 7 will go a long way to determining which sides top their pools and secure direct semi-final berths.
LIPPY'S VIEW
The Junior World Championship is a wonderful window into the underlying strength and depth of these countries. This is where the top players in the world have made their name. The skills on display in Georgia are sublime and an amazing preview of the remarkable players who will be wearing their national team colors in years to come.
Nations Cup: Round 1 Results
Georgia 41 – 34 Uruguay
Nations Cup R1. Georgia edge a high-scoring opener in the tournament's first-ever fixture.
Samoa 66 – 19 Hong Kong China
Nations Cup R1. Samoa dominant throughout.
Chile 48 – 31 Romania
Nations Cup R1. Chile win at home. Romania competitive to the final quarter.
Tonga 36 – 26 Zimbabwe
Nations Cup R1. Tonga seal it with two late tries. Zimbabwe show real spirit.
USA 30 – 29 Portugal
Nations Cup R1. Independence Day thriller. USA edge Portugal by a single point.
Canada 42 – 42 Spain
Nations Cup R1. 84-point thriller. Last-play conversion forces a draw.
Around the Grounds: What the Pundits Are Saying
The Nations Championship pay gap: A Planet Rugby investigation published this week reveals the full extent of the pay disparity between Nations Championship teams, and the figures are extraordinary. French players earn upwards of €30,000 per Test. Fiji players earn around £320 for the same 80 minutes in the same competition. That is a ratio of roughly a hundred to one. The daily camp allowance for a squad player not even making the 23 tells the same story: a French squad player receives around €500 a day, an Englishman £450. A Springbok or All Black gets around £75. An Argentine £25. A Fijian £12.
The article argues that the entire premise of the Nations Championship was that a shared commercial vehicle would redistribute rugby's financial gravity toward the nations that need it. The real test of whether that promise holds is simple: does the Fiji match fee increase, and by how much, and how quickly? Planet Rugby's conclusion is pointed: until those numbers change, the global game remains what it has always been: a northern league with guests, and the guests are playing for petrol money.
Bledisloe Cup to return to a three-Test series with historic Anzac Day fixture: New Zealand Rugby and Rugby Australia have confirmed Anzac Day Bledisloe Cup Test matches in 2027, 2029 and 2031, all to be played at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. The inaugural fixture will kick off at a family-friendly early afternoon time slot on Sunday April 25, 2027, creating a global sporting fixture on one of the most significant days in both nations' calendars. The added Test means that the Bledisloe Cup will go back to a three-game series for the first time since 2021, and is expected to generate around $10 million to be split between the two unions. The Wallabies have not held the Bledisloe Cup since 2002 and have been unable to win both Tests since it became a two-game contest in 2022. The 2028 and 2030 series will remain two-match contests due to the Nations Championship calendar.
Looking Ahead
Saturday July 11: Nations Championship Round 2. New Zealand vs Italy, Wellington; Australia vs France, Brisbane; Japan vs Ireland, Newcastle (Australia); Fiji vs England, Liverpool; South Africa vs Scotland, Pretoria; Argentina vs Wales, San Juan.
Tuesday July 7: Junior World Championship Round 3 in Tbilisi and Kutaisi.