England vs South Africa: Nations Championship inaugural clash in July

England will face South Africa in the Nations Championship

The highly anticipated Rugby Nations Championship, with a revamped format, will kick off in July with a stellar match between England and the Springboks on South African soil. This competition, the result of collaboration between the Six Nations and SANZAAR, will see England, Italy, Ireland, Wales, and Scotland travel to the southern hemisphere in July to play three test matches against New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, Argentina, Japan, and Fiji. Subsequently, the Southern Hemisphere teams will move north in November to play another three test matches. The results of the six matches of each nation will be accumulated in a classification table by hemisphere. The teams will face each other in a final weekend, which will be held in Twickenham from November 27 to 29. The team ranked sixth in the southern hemisphere will face its northern hemisphere equivalent, and so on, culminating in a match between the top two ranked for the inaugural Nations Championship trophy.

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For England, the summer schedule includes matches against South Africa, Fiji (probably also in South Africa) and Argentina in July. In November, they will play against Australia, New Zealand and Japan at Twickenham. Ireland will face Australia, Japan, and New Zealand in July, and Argentina, Fiji, and the Springboks at home in November. Wales will play against Fiji, Argentina and South Africa in July, and then host Japan, New Zealand and Australia. Scotland will travel to Argentina, South Africa and Fiji in July, before hosting Australia, New Zealand and Japan. The confirmation of this tournament has been a long time coming, given that the original format was announced during the 2023 Rugby World Cup. It will be a biennial tournament, to be played in the years when there is no World Cup or British & Irish Lions tour, and will replace the traditional three-test summer series.

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“The Nations Championship has the power to redefine the future of rugby, and the partnership between Six Nations Rugby and SANZAAR indicates a tectonic shift in the sport,” said Tom Harrison, CEO of Six Nations.
Tom Harrison, CEO of Six Nations

Harrison added that the tournament “will act as a catalyst to increase the reach of rugby globally” and “will take international rugby to new heights”. Brendan Morris, CEO of SANZAAR, stated: “The establishment of the Nations Championship is a historic and exciting step for rugby that will see SANZAAR member unions, with the addition of Fiji and Japan, face the best of Europe and the Northern Hemisphere every two years.” “SANZAAR nations have a proud and successful international history. Our goal is to continue this history, and the Nations Championship, along with our rugby calendar for the 2026-2030 period, will provide the perfect path to continued success.” “We warmly welcome our Pacific neighbors, Japan and Fiji, to the tournament, as part of our ‘team’. The participating teams are excited, the broadcasters are excited, and the fans are excited, and we look forward to July 2026, when it all begins.”