A new era of international rugby is well underway with the inaugural edition of the Nations Championship.
The action began with the Southern Hemisphere Series, with all four of the home nations are in action. In November, England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales will have home advantage during the Northern Hemisphere Series.
So for anyone wondering exactly what to watch out for in this new competition, we have you covered.
What is the Nations Championship?
The Nations Championship is a revamp of the international fixtures between north and south.
In July, teams from the north headed south to take on three opponents, before the teams from the south do the same in November.
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At the end of those six rounds of action, the teams will be separated into two tables – one for the Six Nations sides, and one for the southern hemisphere teams (plus Japan).
The teams competing in this competition are England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France and Italy, who will be representing the Northern Hemisphere, while the Southern Hemisphere teams will be Argentina, Australia, Fiji, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa.
There will then be a Finals Weekend at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham on the final weekend in November which will see sides from each hemisphere take on their respective finisher in the table. For example the teams who finish sixth will meet on Friday November 27 as part of a double header, with the third-place finishers facing off in the second game that evening.
It will culminate with the battle of the top two sides on Sunday November 29, with the results of the Finals Weekend set to determine the dominant nation and the balance of power between hemispheres.
Where are the Nations Championship matches happening?
All the fixtures during the July swing have now been played, with no action to take place in the tournament until November, when the Northern Hemisphere swing takes place.
Then, each team will play the remaining teams they have yet to face from the opposing hemisphere, with all fixtures being hosted in the Northern Hemisphere.
It includes mouthwatering ties such as England vs Australia, Scotland vs New Zealand, and France vs South Africa.
Twickenham will host all three of England’s matches, while Murrayfield, the Aviva Stadium, and Millennium Stadium will stage the remaining fixtures for Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, respectively.
Once the standings are set, the Finals Weekend will take place at Twickenham.
Where to watch the Nations Championship?
The good news for rugby fans is that the games are available to watch free on terrestrial television.
ITV have won the rights for the entire competition in the UK, while in Ireland, the games will be shown on Virgin Media.
Nations Championship results and fixtures
Southern Hemisphere Series (home nations)
Round 1
Australia 31-33 Ireland
Fiji 24-39 Wales
South Africa 45-21 England
Argentina 38-47 Scotland
Round 2
Japan 20-36 Ireland
Fiji 8-73 England
South Africa 42-28 Scotland
Argentina 35-21 Wales
Round 3
New Zealand 40-21 Ireland
Fiji 17-33 Scotland
South Africa 43-0 Wales
Argentina 24-31 England
Round 4 Fixtures
6 Nov - Ireland v Argentina - Aviva Stadium, Dublin. Kick-off: 8:10pm GMT
7 Nov - Italy v South Africa - Juventus Stadium, Turin. Kick-off: 11:40am GMT
7 Nov - Scotland v New Zealand - Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Edinburgh. Kick-off: 2:10pm GMT
7 Nov - Wales v Japan - Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. Kick-off: 4:40pm GMT
7 Nov - France v Fiji - Groupama Stadium, Lyon. Kick-off: 8:10pm GMT
8 Nov - England v Australia - Twickenham Stadium, London. Kick-off: 3:10pm GMT
How did British players fare in the Southern Hemisphere swing?
With the Southern series block coming to a close, there were plenty of British & Irish Lions proving the difference across the tightly contested matches.
Facing New Zealand at Eden Park is one of rugby’s toughest tasks, but Hugo Keenan proved solid under the high ball and only enhanced his reputation as a leading full-back in the world game, despite Ireland’s 40-21 loss.
Ireland sit fourth in the Northern Hemisphere table, but they still have an opportunity to win the group, with France, Scotland, and England all matching their record of two wins and one loss.
In England’s scrappy 31-24 victory over Argentina, Ben Earl grabbed two smart tries to set the visitors on their way and was a dominant presence from the back row.
Marcus Smith showed his hand in a strong display at full-back, as well as shuffling to scrum-half, due to England’s four yellow cards across the game. Eventually, he sealed the bonus point with a superb try in the corner, throwing water on Argentina’s growing comeback.
And Tommy Freeman played a key role too, plucking Fin Smith’s cross-field kick from the air to dot down in the first four minutes.
It was England’s second win on the bounce, after the previous weekend’s 73-8 win over Fiji.
Henry Pollock came off the bench to score a hat-trick a year after a maiden Lions Tour at 20 and continued his development with a stellar second-half showing, while Marcus Smith scored a try and played 20 minutes at scrum-half in the victory.
England skipper and three-time Lions tourist Jamie George also crossed in the first half as his side claimed five points for their win.
Scotland also earned their second win of the tournament with a comeback 33-17 victory against Fiji, hosted in Edinburgh.
Scott Cummings grabbed the Scots’ fourth try to put the game beyond the islanders, with Duhan van der Merwe unsurprisingly pulling the strings that allowed Jamie Dobie to run in the crucial points.
Pierre Schoeman was introduced in the second half to great effect as he immediately burst over the line and under the posts to get Scotland back on track as they sit second in the table, one point above England.
Wales suffered a heavy 43-0 defeat to world champions South Africa, but Jac Morgan did his utmost to halt the marauding Springboks, slowing down the ball wherever he could.
Wales enjoyed a 39-24 victory over Fiji in the first fixture before back-to-back losses, but there are green shoots of improvement that they will use heading into their Round 4 fixture against Japan.
