Following a rip-roaring opening weekend, the Nations Championship is back this Saturday for an intriguing Round 2.
All Blacks v Italy - 07:10 (SA Time)
The Dave Rennie era got off to a perfect start with a thrilling bonus-point win over France, and the All Blacks now look to maintain their historic stranglehold over the Azzurri. New Zealand have won all 17 previous meetings between the sides, racking up a staggering 998 points in the process. The hosts' game plan centres around terrifying post-contact power and aerial supremacy. New Zealand led the tournament for post-contact metres (154) and initial breaks (12), spearheaded by Will Jordan, who crossed for two tries last weekend. With Cam Roigard in majestic form and Jordie Barrett leading the tournament with two try assists, Italy's defence faces the ultimate test. Italy, however, arrive with a highly disciplined defensive identity. Gonzalo Quesada's men rank second in the competition for tackle success (84.7%) and defensive ruck entries (78), anchored by Lorenzo Cannone's flawless 20-tackle display in Round 1. Italy also brought set-piece perfection, having won 100% of their scrums and a round-high 17 lineouts last weekend. If they can weaponise their tournament-leading 28.6% restart retention rate and eliminate the unforced errors that plagued them in Tokyo, the Azzurri possess the tools to disrupt the hosts' rhythm.
Teams:
All Blacks: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Billy Proctor, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Leroy Carter, 10 Ruben Love, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Ardie Savea (c), 7 Luke Jacobson, 6 Wallace Sititi, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Sam Darry, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot. Replacements: 16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 George Bower, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Josh Lord, 20 Anton Segner, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Josh Moorby.
Italy: 15 Tommaso Allan, 14 Malik Faissal, 13 Juan Ignacio Brex, 12 Tommaso Menoncello, 11 Louis Lynagh, 10 Paolo Garbisi, 9 Stephen Varney, 8 Lorenzo Cannone, 7 Michele Lamaro (c), 6 Ross Vintcent, 5 Andrea Zambonin, 4 Niccolò Cannone, 3 Marco Riccioni, 2 Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, 1 Danilo Fischetti. Replacements: Gianmarco Lucchesi, Mirco Spagnolo, Muhamed Hasa, Giulio Marini, Federico Ruzza, Riccardo Favretto, Alessandro Garbisi, Leonardo Marin.
Australia v France - 09:40 (SA Time)
Two wounded giants collide in Brisbane, both desperate to bounce back from agonisingly close opening-round defeats. While France has won the last three consecutive meetings between the two sides, the Wallabies hold a flawless 5-0 historical record against Les Bleus at Suncorp Stadium. Joe Schmidt's Wallabies will lean heavily on a brutal defensive and carrying edge. Australia led the competition for dominant tackle contacts (12) and beat 36 defenders in Round 1. Powerhouse backrower Rob Valetini was a force of nature last weekend, topping the tournament charts with 33 post-contact metres from 19 carries. Backed by a scrum that functioned at 100%, the Wallabies have the tools to punch holes in the French line. France arrives boasting their own heavily physical blueprint. Fabien Galthié's side made more tackles than any other team in Round 1 (190), with midfielder Yoram Moefana racking up three dominant hits. In attack, fly-half Matthieu Jalibert remains the orchestrator, leading the team with 19 carries and four offloads last weekend. Expect an expansive, high-velocity battle as France look to exploit their dangerous offloading game (12 in Round 1) against an Australian side eager to snap a five-match losing streak.
Teams:
Australia: 15 Tom Wright, 14 Max Jorgensen, 13 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, 12 Len Ikitau, 11 Dylan Pietsch, 10 Declan Meredith, 9 Ryan Lonergan, 8 Harry Wilson (c), 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Jeremy Williams, 4 Josh Canham, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Josh Nasser, 1 Angus Bell. Replacements: 16 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 17 James Slipper, 18 Taniela Tupou, 19 Lachlan Shaw, 20 Nick Champion de Crespigny, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Jock Campbell, 23 Filipo Daugunu.
France: 15 Matthieu Jalibert, 14 Théo Attissogbe, 13 Fabien Brau-Boirie, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Maxime Lucu (c), 8 Marko Gazzotti, 7 Oscar Jégou, 6 Lenni Nouchi, 5 Emmanuel Meafou, 4 Florian Verhaeghe, 3 Demba Bamba, 2 Peato Mauvaka, 1 Moses Alo-Emile. Replacements: 16 Maxime Lamothe, 17 Jefferson Poirot, 18 Tevita Tatafu, 19 Hugo Auradou, 20 Tom Staniforth, 21 Killian Tixeront, 22 Nolann Le Garrec, 23 Kalvin Gourgues
Japan v Ireland - 12:10 (SA Time)
Following their clinical victory over Italy, Japan embarks on a mouth-watering clash against a high-flying Irish side in Newcastle. While Ireland boasts a 90.9% historical win rate in this fixture, no one will forget Japan's iconic 19-12 upset at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. The Brave Blossoms have developed a lethal tactical kicking game. Japan led the tournament in total kick metres (984) and kicks in play (35), driven by fly-half Ryunosuke Ito's individual round-high 395 kick metres. Combined with a tournament-leading 46 total possessions and a flawless 100% lineout success rate, Japan will look to pin Ireland back and let point-machine fullback Takuro Matsunaga (17 points in Round 1) strike from the tee. Ireland, however, represents a massive step up in clinical execution. Andy Farrell's men spent more time in the opposition half than anyone else in Round 1 (11 possessions) and dominated the sky with a round-high 19 lineout wins. With a perfect scrum and the defensive grit of Jack Conan - who made 19 tackles at a 95% success rate last weekend - Ireland are poised to challenge Japan's expansive ambitions and extend their five-match winning streak.
Teams:
Japan: 15 Takuro Matsunaga, 14 Kazuma Ueda, 13 Dylan Riley, 12 Yuya Hirose, 11 Taira Main, 10 Ryunosuke Ito, 9 Naoto Saito, 8 Jack Cornelsen, 7 Kanji Shimokawa, 6 Ben Gunter, 5 Warner Dearns (c), 4 Harry Hockings, 3 Shuhei Takeuchi, 2 Mamoru Harada, 1 Takato Okabe. Replacements: 16 Hayate Era, 17 Sojiro Otuska, 18 Keijiro Tamefusa, 19 Michael Stolberg, 20 Michael Leitch, 21 Tiennan Costley, 22 Itsuki Kamimura, 23 Sam Greene.
Ireland: 15 Jamie Osborne, 14 Jimmy O’Brien, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Ciaran Frawley, 9 Craig Casey, 8 Sean Jansen, 7 Nick Timoney, 6 Jack Conan, 5 James Ryan, 4 Tadhg Beirne (c), 3 Tom Clarkson, 2 Ronan Kelleher, 1 Tom O’Toole. Replacements: 16 Tom Stewart, 17 Billy Bohan, 18 Sam Illo, 19 Cormac Izuchukwu, 20 Bryn Ward, 21 Nathan Doak, 22 Harry Byrne, 23 Bundee Aki.
Fiji v England - 15:10 (SA Time)
Fiji are staging their home fixture 10,000 miles away from the Pacific Islands, bringing their unique brand of rugby to Everton's brand-new stadium on the Liverpool docks. England holds a dominant 90% historical win rate over the Flying Fijians, but Fiji's famous 30-22 triumph at Twickenham in 2023 proves they have the capability to cause major problems for the English side on any given day. Fiji lit up Round 1 with an unprecedented display of attacking audacity, leading the tournament in defenders beaten (42), carry metres (674), initial breaks (12), and total offloads (32). Winger Jiuta Wainiqolo entered the record books by beating a staggering 19 defenders individually last weekend. Coupled with a tournament-high 28 dominant carry contacts and a defence that won 9 turnovers, Fiji bring pure fire to Liverpool. England, arriving on the back of a tough night in Johannesburg, will counter with structure and territorial discipline. Steve Borthwick's side ranked second last weekend for kick metres (738) and dominated their own set-piece with a 100% lineout success rate. Number eight Ben Earl remains England's key talisman, having made more carries (21) and averaging more post-contact metres per carry (1.9) than any other player in the opening round. If England's pack can replicate their 95% ruck success rate, they can deny Fiji the chaotic transition ball they crave.
Teams:
Fiji: 15 Salesi Rayasi, 14 Vuate Karawalevua, 13 Kalaveti Ravouvou, 12 Josua Tuisova, 11 Jiuta Wainiqolo, 10 Caleb Muntz, 9 Simione Kuruvoli, 8 Levani Botia, 7 Lekima Tagitagivalo, 6 Peceli Yato, 5 Isoa Nasilasila, 4 Tevita Ratuva, 3 Mesake Doge, 2 Tevita Ikanivere (c), 1 Eroni Mawi. Replacements: 16 Sam Matavesi, 17 Livai Natave, 18 Peni Ravai, 19 Temo Mayanavanua, 20 Elia Canakaivata, 21 Pita-Gus Sowakula, 22 Frank Lomani, 23 Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula.
England: 15 Marcus Smith, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Seb Atkinson, 11 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Jack van Poortvliet, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Guy Pepper, 6 Ollie Chessum, 5 George Martin, 4 Alex Coles, 3 Joe Heyes, 2 Jamie George (c), 1 Ellis Genge. Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Asher Opoku-Fordjour, 18 George Kloska, 19 Tom Curry, 20 Henry Pollock, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 Benhard Janse van Rensburg, 23 Noah Caluori.
Springboks v Scotland - 17:40 (SA Time)
The reigning world champions return to the Highveld in Pretoria to tackle the tournament's highest-scoring side. South Africa has historically dominated this fixture, winning 25 of the 30 head-to-head meetings, but Gregor Townsend's high-tempo Scots arrive full of confidence after lighting up Córdoba with a seven-try masterpiece. The Springboks put on a clinical display of power rugby against England, scoring seven tries and routinely pinning the opposition deep in their own territory. Centre Damian Willemse was majestic, racking up 16 carries and 127 kick metres, while scrum-half Grant Williams masterminded the territorial game with a round-high 16 box kicks. Backed by hooker Malcolm Marx, who hit a round-high 16 successful lineouts, the Boks will look to exert heavy pressure on Scotland at the set-piece. Scotland, however, possesses a deadly, multi-faceted counter-attack. They currently lead the competition in points (47) and tries scored (7), powered by the elusive running of Kyle Rowe, who topped the charts with 177 carry metres in Round 1. Scotland also possesses a ferocious opportunistic streak, winning more turnovers in the tackle (6) than any other team last weekend, with Matt Fagerson accounting for three.
Teams:
Springboks: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian Willemse, 11 Canan Moodie, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (c), 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 Ruan Nortjé, 4 Cobus Wiese, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Boan Venter. Replacements: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18 Zach Porthen, 19 Ben-Jason Dixon, 20 Vincent Tshituka, 21 Elrigh Louw, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Quan Horn.
Scotland: 15 Kyle Rowe, 14 Kyle Steyn, 13 Rory Hutchinson, 12 Sione Tuipulotu (c), 11 Jamie Dobie, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Ben White, 8 Jack Dempsey, 7 Rory Darge, 6 Matt Fagerson, 5 Scott Cummings, 4 Gregor Brown, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 Ewan Ashman, 1 Pierre Schoeman. Replacements: 16 Gregor Hiddleston, 17 Rory Sutherland, 18 Will Hurd, 19 Alex Samuel, 20 Josh Bayliss, 21 Magnus Bradbury, 22 Tom Jordan, 23 Stafford McDowall.
Argentina v Wales - 21:10 (SA Time)
Round 2 concludes in San Juan with a fascinating clash of styles. While Wales holds the historical edge with a 60.8% win rate across 23 meetings, Los Pumas have taken the spoils in three of the last five encounters, including back-to-back victories. Argentina are currently operating as the most clinically efficient unit in the Nations Championship, boasting a flawless 100% success rate across goal-kicking, scrums, and lineouts. Fly-half Tomás Albornoz leads the competition with 6 successful goals, while midfielder Lucio Cinti remains a constant threat after beating 7 defenders last weekend. With a physical pack that logged 23 dominant carry contacts, Argentina will look to challenge Wales' defensive line at the collision. Wales land in Argentina riding the momentum of back-to-back Test victories, including a 39-point bonus-point triumph over Fiji. Steve Tandy's side generated immense attacking pressure in Round 1, recording 13 visits to the opposition 22 and scoring a round-high 3 maul tries. Captain Jac Morgan remains the heartbeat of the team after a stunning two-try, two-turnover performance last week. If Tomos Williams can maintain his excellent tactical kicking, Wales have every chance of repeating their clinical edge on the road.
Teams:
Argentina: 15 Santiago Carreras, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Justo Piccardo, 11 Mateo Carreras, 10 Tomas Albornoz, 9 Gonzalo Garcia, 8 Joaquin Oviedo, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Santiago Grondona, 5 Guido Petti, 4 Matias Alemanno, 3 Tomas Rapetti, 2 Julian Montoya (c), 1 Boris Wenger. Replacements: 16 Ignacio Ruiz, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Francisco Coria Marchetti, 19 Franco Molina, 20 Pablo Matera, 21 Simon Benitez Cruz, 22 Matias Moroni, 23 Ignacio Mendy.
Wales: 15 Blair Murray, 14 Ellis Mee, 13 Eddie James, 12 Joe Hawkins, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Sam Costelow, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Jac Morgan, 6 James Botham, 5 Adam Beard, 4 Ben Carter, 3 Dillon Lewis, 2 Dewi Lake (c), 1 Rhys Carre. Replacements: 16 Ryan Elias, 17 Nicky Smith, 18 Ben Warren, 19 Teddy Williams, 20 Kane James, 21 Kieran Hardy, 22 Max Llewellyn, 23 Louis Rees-Zammit.