The inaugural Nations Championship rugby tournament kicked off on Saturday, July 4, 2026, with South Africa defeating England at Ellis Park.
Ireland and Wales also secured victories against Australia and Fiji, respectively.
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New Zealand narrowly beat France in Christchurch, while Japan triumphed over Italy.
Scotland concluded the opening round by avenging a previous defeat against Argentina in a high-scoring match.
Tournament Format
The tournament features six northern hemisphere teams from the Six Nations and six southern hemisphere sides, including invited nations Fiji and Japan.
Each team will play every opponent from the opposing hemisphere once, across three rounds in July and three in November.
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Results will determine hemisphere rankings from one to six, according to the BBC.
A three-day play-off event at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham during the final weekend of November will decide the ultimate champion.
A parallel hemisphere title using a Ryder-Cup style system will award points based on play-off weekend performances.
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The first hemisphere to accumulate four points will be crowned the winner.
