HEADING INTO THE final weekend of the first block of Nations Championship games, Ireland sit top of the Northern Hemisphere standings, with back-to-back World Cup champions South Africa the team to catch on the Southern Hemisphere side.
Ireland will need to produce something special to hang onto top spot as they head to New Zealand’s Eden Park fortress on Saturday, where the All Blacks are unbeaten across 52 Tests stretching back to 1994.
Nations Championship 2026 Round 3 is the final Saturday of cross-hemisphere matches of the Southern Series in July and represents the halfway mark in the Nations Championship. The points gained by the teams will combine with those from the three rounds of the Northern Series in… pic.twitter.com/3fIP2qNuPj
So while Andy Farrell’s men have a real battle to hold onto their standing, it would be a major shock if the Springboks left Durban with anything other than a third win of the competition, as Rassie Erasmus’ side host Wales.
Erasmus has used these games to test the depth of an already fearsome squad, and this week is no different with four uncapped players named in the matchday 23.
The most intriguing call comes at out-half, where 20-year-old Vusi Moyo wins his first Test cap, and in doing so becomes the first black South African to start at 10 for the Boks.
This promotion has happened fast for Moyo, who only debuted for the Sharks two months ago. His coaches have highlighted his goal-kicking and ability to calm amid the chaos as standout traits, while Erasmus pointed to his physicality as another eye-catching quality.
“For his age, Vusi is a big boy. He certainly does not stand back from the physical side of the game,” Erasmus told reporters this week. “For a big guy, he’s got really soft hands.”
Sharks winger Jaco Williams, Bordeaux-Begles tighthead Carlu Sadie and Montpellier second row Ruben van Heerden are the three other fresh faces in the Boks squad. Sadie started all of Bordeaux’s knockout games on their run to Champions Cup success this season.
Bordeaux tighthead Carlu Sadie is set to debut for the Springboks. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
South Africa opened their Nations Championship with a bruising defeat of England, before overcoming a stubborn Scottish side in Pretoria. Even with the changes, the hosts should continue their strong record against the Welsh. Wales have a 15.9% win rate against the Springboks, winning just seven of 44 Tests, the most recent of which was a harrowing 73-0 defeat last November.
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This is arguably the biggest challenge Steve Tandy has faced since taking the Wales job, and he’ll be grateful to have captain Dewi Lake available after being forced off with injury against Argentina last week.
Wales kick-started their campaign with a welcome ‘away’ win over Fiji in Cardiff, before a 35-21 defeat in Argentina which wasn’t as competitive as that scoreline might suggest.
Tandy has refreshed his squad this week, opting for a new centre partnership of Max Llewellyn and Ben Thomas, while out-half Dan Edwards and Louis Rees-Zammit are also restored to the starting team.
England have perhaps had the most interesting week of all the Nations Championship sides, arriving in Buenos Aires after Argentina knocked Thomas Tuchel’s Lions out of the World Cup on Wednesday. As you would expect, spirits are high in the Argentine capital with fireworks keeping some of the travelling English party awake until well into the early morning hours. As such, Steve Borthwick’s squad have decided to relocate to a less boisterous location when they return to the capital on Sunday, dodging the celebrations should Lionel Messi’s men topple Spain in the World Cup final.
Their Saturday Test against Argentina takes place in Santiago del Estero, and Borthwick has stuck with an unchanged selection following last weekend’s drubbing of a dismal Fiji in Liverpool.
That means Henry Pollock stays on the bench despite his hat-trick at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, as does 19-year-old winger Noah Caluori, who looks a coming force having scored on his Test debut. Northampton Saints flanker Pollock is already getting headlines in Argentina after footage emerged of the 21-year-old taunting locals as the team bus slinked through busy streets during the week. It should be fizzing by the time he gets on the pitch tomorrow.
The Argentines are emotional, passionate people, and Pumas head coach Felipe Contepomi spoke powerfully in calling for his players to take inspiration from what his nation produced in that World Cup semi-final.
“I wouldn’t even say it moves me emotionally – it’s bigger than that,” Contepomi said. “Emotions are momentary; inspiration stays.”
Wallabies head coach Felipe Contepomi. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
The former Leinster player has made two tweaks to the side that beat Wales, with Bristol’s Matias Moroni replacing Saracens man Lucio Cinti at 13 while Mayco Vivas comes in for Boris Wenger at tighthead.
Number eight Joaquín Oviedo was a constant source of go-forward against Wales, where he scored two tries, while Tomás Albornoz continues to be a classy operator at 10.
France have decided to stick with their dual play-maker experiment which worked nicely against the Wallabies last week, Fabien Galthié accommodating two traditional 10s in his backline by starting Romain Ntamack at out-half and shifting Matthieu Jalibert to fullback.
This week they face a Japan side who battled hard in defeat to Ireland, and have never beaten Les Bleus in 14 previous attempts. Having played their ‘home’ game in Newcastle, Australia last week, the JRFU will welcome the sold-out crowd expected at Tokyo’s 67,750-capacity MUFG Stadium.
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Eddie Jones had brought flanker Esei Haangana in for a debut while shaking up his entire front row. With a hot, humid day forecast in the Japaneses capital, along with potential thunderstorms, it will be a challenge for both sides to deliver the tempo they usually strive for.
Galthié has also made changes to his pack having been left dissatisfied with some of his team’s scrum work against Australia.
How Joe Schmidt would love to have Galthié’s problems. If the Wallabies are to end the Schmidt reign with a win against Italy in Perth, then they need to deliver a more consistent performance. Schmidt saw his team lose grip of a 12-point lead against Ireland on the opening weekend, before shipping 30 unanswered points against France, having led 21-12 at half time. That’s now six straight defeats and nine in their last 10, marking Australia’s worst run of form in a decade.
Joe Schmidt signs off as Wallabies head coach this week. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Flanker Fraser McReight surprisingly drops to the bench for this one, as Carlo Tizzano comes into the starting side.
It’s been a tough month for Italy, who have now lost five of their last six Tests, suffering defeat to Japan and New Zealand (trailing by only four at half-time) on this tour. That frustration is encapsulated in the fact they go into this game without head coach Gonzalo Quesada, suspended following his comments about the officiating in that loss to the All Blacks.
With lock Niccolo Cannone also suspended for a headbutt and fullback Tommaso Allan and back row Lorenzo Cannone injured, there’s a total of nine changes to Italy’s starting XV.
Fiji have also struggled in this tournament, with the ‘home’ advantage of playing all their games in the UK unsurprisingly proving to be no advantage at all on the pitch. It’s a shame the Fijians don’t get to host the big boys in their own backyard more often (they did beat Scotland 29-14 in Suva last summer) but they only have themselves to blame for the lack of application and discipline on show against England, a major drop off from the flashes of brilliance shown in defeat to Wales a week previously.
You’ll recognise the name of debutant Virimi Vakatawa at centre. Yes, that’s the same Vakatawa capped over 30 times for France, now starting a new Test left at the ripe age of 34.
Scotland will remain favourites ‘away’ in Edinburgh, with Gregor Brown the only survivor from the battling performance against a rotated Springboks. Back-row Freddy Douglas and hooker Gregor Hiddleston both come in for their first Test starts, while Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe are named for their first appearances in this series.
Yet there’s a gamble in making so many changes. The competition could do with a wounded Fiji finding the fight to give Scotland a scare.
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Nations Championship: A new face at 10 for the Boks and England's noisy week in Argentina
HEADING INTO THE final weekend of the first block of Nations Championship games, Ireland sit top of the Northern Hemisphere standings, with back-to-back World Cup champions South Africa the team to catch on the Southern Hemisphere side.
Ireland will need to produce something special to hang onto top spot as they head to New Zealand’s Eden Park fortress on Saturday, where the All Blacks are unbeaten across 52 Tests stretching back to 1994.
So while Andy Farrell’s men have a real battle to hold onto their standing, it would be a major shock if the Springboks left Durban with anything other than a third win of the competition, as Rassie Erasmus’ side host Wales.
Erasmus has used these games to test the depth of an already fearsome squad, and this week is no different with four uncapped players named in the matchday 23.
The most intriguing call comes at out-half, where 20-year-old Vusi Moyo wins his first Test cap, and in doing so becomes the first black South African to start at 10 for the Boks.
This promotion has happened fast for Moyo, who only debuted for the Sharks two months ago. His coaches have highlighted his goal-kicking and ability to calm amid the chaos as standout traits, while Erasmus pointed to his physicality as another eye-catching quality.
“For his age, Vusi is a big boy. He certainly does not stand back from the physical side of the game,” Erasmus told reporters this week. “For a big guy, he’s got really soft hands.”
Sharks winger Jaco Williams, Bordeaux-Begles tighthead Carlu Sadie and Montpellier second row Ruben van Heerden are the three other fresh faces in the Boks squad. Sadie started all of Bordeaux’s knockout games on their run to Champions Cup success this season.
South Africa opened their Nations Championship with a bruising defeat of England, before overcoming a stubborn Scottish side in Pretoria. Even with the changes, the hosts should continue their strong record against the Welsh. Wales have a 15.9% win rate against the Springboks, winning just seven of 44 Tests, the most recent of which was a harrowing 73-0 defeat last November.
This is arguably the biggest challenge Steve Tandy has faced since taking the Wales job, and he’ll be grateful to have captain Dewi Lake available after being forced off with injury against Argentina last week.
Wales kick-started their campaign with a welcome ‘away’ win over Fiji in Cardiff, before a 35-21 defeat in Argentina which wasn’t as competitive as that scoreline might suggest.
Tandy has refreshed his squad this week, opting for a new centre partnership of Max Llewellyn and Ben Thomas, while out-half Dan Edwards and Louis Rees-Zammit are also restored to the starting team.
England have perhaps had the most interesting week of all the Nations Championship sides, arriving in Buenos Aires after Argentina knocked Thomas Tuchel’s Lions out of the World Cup on Wednesday. As you would expect, spirits are high in the Argentine capital with fireworks keeping some of the travelling English party awake until well into the early morning hours. As such, Steve Borthwick’s squad have decided to relocate to a less boisterous location when they return to the capital on Sunday, dodging the celebrations should Lionel Messi’s men topple Spain in the World Cup final.
Their Saturday Test against Argentina takes place in Santiago del Estero, and Borthwick has stuck with an unchanged selection following last weekend’s drubbing of a dismal Fiji in Liverpool.
That means Henry Pollock stays on the bench despite his hat-trick at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, as does 19-year-old winger Noah Caluori, who looks a coming force having scored on his Test debut. Northampton Saints flanker Pollock is already getting headlines in Argentina after footage emerged of the 21-year-old taunting locals as the team bus slinked through busy streets during the week. It should be fizzing by the time he gets on the pitch tomorrow.
The Argentines are emotional, passionate people, and Pumas head coach Felipe Contepomi spoke powerfully in calling for his players to take inspiration from what his nation produced in that World Cup semi-final.
“I wouldn’t even say it moves me emotionally – it’s bigger than that,” Contepomi said. “Emotions are momentary; inspiration stays.”
The former Leinster player has made two tweaks to the side that beat Wales, with Bristol’s Matias Moroni replacing Saracens man Lucio Cinti at 13 while Mayco Vivas comes in for Boris Wenger at tighthead.
Number eight Joaquín Oviedo was a constant source of go-forward against Wales, where he scored two tries, while Tomás Albornoz continues to be a classy operator at 10.
France have decided to stick with their dual play-maker experiment which worked nicely against the Wallabies last week, Fabien Galthié accommodating two traditional 10s in his backline by starting Romain Ntamack at out-half and shifting Matthieu Jalibert to fullback.
This week they face a Japan side who battled hard in defeat to Ireland, and have never beaten Les Bleus in 14 previous attempts. Having played their ‘home’ game in Newcastle, Australia last week, the JRFU will welcome the sold-out crowd expected at Tokyo’s 67,750-capacity MUFG Stadium.
Eddie Jones had brought flanker Esei Haangana in for a debut while shaking up his entire front row. With a hot, humid day forecast in the Japaneses capital, along with potential thunderstorms, it will be a challenge for both sides to deliver the tempo they usually strive for.
Galthié has also made changes to his pack having been left dissatisfied with some of his team’s scrum work against Australia.
How Joe Schmidt would love to have Galthié’s problems. If the Wallabies are to end the Schmidt reign with a win against Italy in Perth, then they need to deliver a more consistent performance. Schmidt saw his team lose grip of a 12-point lead against Ireland on the opening weekend, before shipping 30 unanswered points against France, having led 21-12 at half time. That’s now six straight defeats and nine in their last 10, marking Australia’s worst run of form in a decade.
Flanker Fraser McReight surprisingly drops to the bench for this one, as Carlo Tizzano comes into the starting side.
It’s been a tough month for Italy, who have now lost five of their last six Tests, suffering defeat to Japan and New Zealand (trailing by only four at half-time) on this tour. That frustration is encapsulated in the fact they go into this game without head coach Gonzalo Quesada, suspended following his comments about the officiating in that loss to the All Blacks.
With lock Niccolo Cannone also suspended for a headbutt and fullback Tommaso Allan and back row Lorenzo Cannone injured, there’s a total of nine changes to Italy’s starting XV.
Fiji have also struggled in this tournament, with the ‘home’ advantage of playing all their games in the UK unsurprisingly proving to be no advantage at all on the pitch. It’s a shame the Fijians don’t get to host the big boys in their own backyard more often (they did beat Scotland 29-14 in Suva last summer) but they only have themselves to blame for the lack of application and discipline on show against England, a major drop off from the flashes of brilliance shown in defeat to Wales a week previously.
You’ll recognise the name of debutant Virimi Vakatawa at centre. Yes, that’s the same Vakatawa capped over 30 times for France, now starting a new Test left at the ripe age of 34.
Scotland will remain favourites ‘away’ in Edinburgh, with Gregor Brown the only survivor from the battling performance against a rotated Springboks. Back-row Freddy Douglas and hooker Gregor Hiddleston both come in for their first Test starts, while Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe are named for their first appearances in this series.
Yet there’s a gamble in making so many changes. The competition could do with a wounded Fiji finding the fight to give Scotland a scare.
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