4 November 2026
The inaugural World Rugby Nations Championship enters its high-stakes second phase this weekend, with the reigning world champion Springboks sitting at the summit of the Southern Hemisphere group. However, as the action shifts north for the November Series, South Africa’s path to the grand final remains a high-wire act where the slightest misstep across the next three weeks will spell elimination.
During the mid-year internationals, Rassie Erasmus’s men swept through the Northern Hemisphere elite, defeating England, Scotland, and Wales to pocket a maximum 15 log points.
Since July, the Boks have only enhanced their tournament-favourite status. They travelled to Buenos Aires to edge past Argentina, and then crucially triumphed 3-1 in a gruelling four-Test "Rugby's Greatest Rivalry" series against New Zealand. However, a thrilling 42-38 upset defeat to a resurging Australia in Perth served as a stark reminder of their fallibility, and emphasised how tightly contested the Southern conference remains.
Following the clash in Turin against Italy, South Africa faces a brutal trajectory to protect their top spot. They travel to Paris to face France on Friday, 13 November, before concluding the group stage against Ireland in Dublin on Saturday, 21 November. With the All Blacks breathing down their necks, the Boks know that zero dropped points and a healthy points differential are the only guarantees for a spot in the London showcase.
Because New Zealand also finished the July leg with 15 log points and bounced back with consecutive Bledisloe Cup wins over Wallabies, the race for the single Southern final spot has become a brutal numbers game where points difference could ultimately decide who plays in the final on 27–29 November.
Four months after the tournament began, the competition resumes this weekend with a significantly different dynamic. While the Guinness Men's Six Nations sides have not played since July, every southern visitor arrives in Europe with recent Test rugby under their belts.
Ireland v Argentina
Kick-off: Friday, 6 November, 22:10 SAST at the Aviva Stadium (Dublin)
Argentina arrive in Dublin desperately needing momentum. The Pumas were competitive throughout the Southern Series, defeating Wales while pushing both Scotland and England close. Since then, however, they have endured a mixed southern spring, losing narrowly to South Africa, losing to Australia in Jujuy and then drawing the return match in Mendoza. Those results underlined Argentina's competitiveness but also their difficulty in converting performances into victories. Compounding matters is the loss of Santiago Carreras, who is ruled out for the remainder of the season. His absence leaves a considerable hole in the Pumas' attacking structure. Ireland won two of their three Southern Series matches before running into an inspired New Zealand side, and they will hope home advantage can offset Argentina's greater recent Test exposure.
Italy v South Africa
Kick-off: Saturday, 7 November, 13:40 SAST at the Allianz Stadium (Turin)
Few teams arrive in the Northern Series in better shape than South Africa. The Springboks were flawless during the Southern Series, overcoming England, Scotland and Wales, and they have strengthened their claim to be the tournament favourites since then. After edging Argentina in Buenos Aires, South Africa recovered from losing the opening Test of Rugby's Greatest Rivalry to win the final three matches against New Zealand, securing the series 3-1. There was one reminder of their fallibility, a thrilling 42-38 defeat to Australia in Perth, but overall Rassie Erasmus' side have emerged from the southern spring with their status enhanced. Italy, meanwhile, lost all three Southern Series fixtures and now face arguably the toughest assignment of the weekend.
Scotland v New Zealand
Kick-off: Saturday, 7 November, 16:10 SAST at the Scottish Gas Murrayfield (Edinburgh)
One of the marquee fixtures of the opening weekend pits two teams with genuine ambitions of reaching the Nations Championship Grand Final. New Zealand completed a perfect Southern Series campaign, defeating France, Italy and Ireland, before embarking on their landmark four-Test tour of South Africa. Although they ultimately lost that series 3-1, the All Blacks subsequently responded by recording successive Bledisloe Cup victories over Australia, winning 50-19 in Auckland and 43-21 in Sydney. Those results make the All Blacks a particularly daunting proposition despite their recent setbacks against the Springboks. Scotland enjoyed a strong July, defeating both Argentina and Fiji before falling to South Africa. The challenge for Gregor Townsend's side is whether they can immediately rediscover that form against the All Blacks on opening weekend.
Wales v Japan
Kick-off: Saturday, 7 November, 18:40 SAST at the Principality Stadium (Cardiff)
Both teams enter Cardiff believing this is a realistic opportunity to collect valuable tournament points. Japan opened the Nations Championship with a memorable victory over Italy, though defeats to Ireland and France followed. Since then, Eddie Jones' side have beaten Canada 57-12 but also suffered defeats to Australia and, most recently, Fiji in Tokyo. For Wales, a positive start feels essential after losses to Argentina and South Africa during the Southern Series. Cardiff will expect a response from a side eager to build momentum before tougher challenges later in the month. Encouragingly for the hosts, they came out on top by a single point when they faced Japan a year ago in Cardiff.
France v Fiji
Kick-off: Saturday, 7 November, 22:10 SAST at the OL Stadium (Lyon)
The Outlook: At first glance, this looks like one of the most straightforward fixtures of the weekend. France recovered from a narrow defeat to New Zealand in July to beat both Australia and Japan, finishing the Southern Series in excellent shape and reinforcing their status as leading northern contenders. Yet Fiji arrive with more confidence than their Nations Championship record might suggest. The Flying Fijians lost all three matches during July but ended their southern spring preparations with a 34-28 victory over Japan in Tokyo. That result provided a timely reminder of the quality within Fiji's backline and their ability to trouble established opponents. France remain heavy favourites, but Fiji appear a more dangerous opponent than their standings position indicates.
England v Australia
Kick-off: Sunday, 8 November, 17:10 SAST at the Allianz Stadium (London)
The final match of the round may also be one of the hardest to call. Australia finished the Southern Series with only one victory, but their subsequent results suggest a team that has continued to evolve. The Wallabies claimed victories over Japan, won away in Argentina, drew the return fixture and then produced perhaps the Southern spring's biggest upset by defeating South Africa 42-38 in Perth. While heavy defeats to New Zealand exposed areas for improvement, those losses came against a side that remains among the world's best. On balance, Les Kiss's team arrive in London with considerably stronger form than their July record alone would suggest. England enter the fixture after bouncing back from a convincing defeat to the Springboks by putting Fiji and Argentina to the sword, and would like nothing more than to continue that form against the Wallabies.
