World Rugby’s inaugural two-tier global competition kicks off Down Under next July with the Wallabies playing host to Ireland, France and Italy next July.
London is to host the elite finals of the north vs south Nations Championship with a three-day ‘weekend’ of double header tests at Twickenham next November.
World Rugby chairman Brett Robinson says the newly minted global calendar is “central” to driving new investment in the game to expand its reach, relevance and impact.
“Combining with the top-level Nations Championship, the Nations Cup provides a strong platform for our unions to grow through certainty of Test matches, competition, competitiveness and commercial revenue,” he says.
The former ACT Brumby says this in turn should drive greater returns from the men’s Rugby World Cup “the financial engine that drives the growth of the game from the grassroots up”.
AUSSIE RUGBY’S OPENING FIXTURES
In the opening round, on July 4, the Wallabies play Ireland then, on consecutive weekends, they take on France and Italy respectively. In November, Australia heads north to take on England, Scotland and Wales respectively, starting from November 6-8. The ranked teams from each hemisphere face off against each other in the finals weekend at Twickenham. The winners face off on November 29.
“The Nations Championship is an outstanding addition to the global rugby calendar and one Rugby Australia enthusiastically supports,” Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh says.
“Test rugby is in strong health around the planet, and the Nations Championship will ensure our game’s status among the world’s leading sports is enhanced.”
SANZAAR chief executive officer Brendan Morris is looking forward to the tournament, saying it is “historic and exciting”.
“SANZAAR nations have a proud and successful record at international level. Our aim is to continue this record,” he says.
“We warmly welcome our Pacific neighbours Japan and Fiji into the tournament, as part of our ‘team’.”
Fiji is reportedly due to play all its ‘home’ games in Europe to boost gate takings and other revenue while Japan has been grouped as a Southern Hemisphere Test nation.
“The participating teams are excited, the broadcasters are excited and the fans are excited,” Morris says.
Six Nations CEO Tom Harrison sees a bright future for the sport thanks to the tournament.
“The Nations Championship has the power to redefine the future of rugby; the partnership between Six Nations Rugby and SANZAAR signals a tectonic shift in the sport,” he says.
“By bringing together the best teams and players and injecting another layer to the fierce cross hemisphere rivalries, the Nations Championship will take international rugby to new heights.”
HOW THE RUGBY PLAYS OUT
- All Six Nations teams (England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, Wales) will play against the SANZAAR nations (Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, as well as Japan and Fiji) in the Nations Championship.
- Another 12-team Nations Cup will be played at the same time featuring World Cup qualifiers Canada, Chile, Georgia, Hong Kong China, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Tonga, Uruguay, USA, Zimbabwe and now Samoa.
- Both competitions will run in July and November in 2026 and 2028 while in 2027 and 2029 (both world cup years), a different fixture will apply.
- In July, teams from the North will head south and the travel is reversed in November.
- Points are awarded for each result to dictate table standings and create the fixture schedule for the finals weekend.
