The inaugural 2026 Nations Championship got off to an explosive, high-scoring start in Round 1 on 4 July 2026, leaving the Northern and Southern hemispheres perfectly deadlocked with three victories apiece.
The global tournament, which pits the world's top Northern and Southern Hemisphere teams against each other in a structured competition, delivered high-scoring thrillers and dominant statement victories.
Five out of the six blockbuster matches were decided by highly entertaining, close margins, setting a spectacular standard for the rest of the new global tournament
South Africa 45-21 England
The most lopsided match of the weekend took place at altitude in Johannesburg, where the back-to-back world champion Springboks gave Steve Borthwick's heavily altered England side a brutal reminder of their power. South Africa ran in seven tries, leaning heavily on their dominant set-piece and a sensational second-half performance from their substitutes to crush England’s ambition.
New Zealand 34-32 France
The tournament opened in Christchurch with a breathless encounter. Despite an early yellow card to debutant fly-half Ruben Love and a lightning-fast try from France’s Damian Penaud, the All Blacks rallied. Double tries from scrum-half Cam Roigard and winger Will Jordan, the latter moving within two tries of Doug Howlett's all-time New Zealand record, sealed the win for new head coach Dave Rennie. France fought back via Matthieu Jalibert in the 78th minute but fell just short.
Australia 31-33 Ireland
An absolute classic unfolded in Sydney as the Wallabies and Ireland engaged in a brutal, end-to-end clash. Australia led 24–12 through brilliant attacking rugby by Jock Campbell and Carter Gordon. However, critical "championship minutes" either side of half-time allowed Ireland to mount a furious comeback. A late miss from a penalty kick by replacement Wallabies fly-half Ben Donaldson ultimately allowed the visitors to escape with a thrilling bonus-point victory.
Argentina 38-47 Scotland
The round concluded in Córdoba with a wildly entertaining, high-scoring affair. Both teams abandoned conservative structures, but Scotland proved sharper in execution to put up 47 points and defeat the Pumas on their own turf.
Japan 27-10 Italy
Japan defeated Italy 27–10 on 4 July 2026 at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium. Despite head coach Eddie Jones serving the final match of his stadium suspension, stand-in forwards coach Neal Hatley successfully guided the Brave Blossoms to an emphatic win built on tactical kicking, clinical finishing, and capitalising on Italian handling errors.
After six rounds of elite competition, teams are ranked within their hemisphere grouping from first to sixth. All teams then head to London's Allianz Stadium for a blockbuster Finals Weekend.
Finals Weekend sees the sixth-placed northern team play the sixth-placed southern team, the fifth-placed northern team play the fifth-placed southern team. This format is replicated all the way to the Grand Final, first v first.
The best nation and dominant hemisphere will be decided in three double headers across Friday, Saturday and Sunday.