England will open the inaugural rugby union Nations Championship in July by visiting South Africa. This new tournament, a collaboration between Six Nations Rugby and SANZAAR, involves the six European nations (England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Italy, and France) touring the southern hemisphere for three Test matches against teams from New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, Argentina, Japan, and Fiji.
Following this, the southern hemisphere teams will travel north in November for three more matches. The results from these six games per nation will determine league standings within each hemisphere.
These rankings will then set up a finals weekend at Twickenham in late November, where the sixth-ranked teams from each hemisphere will play each other, progressing up to the top-ranked teams competing for the Nations Championship trophy. England's summer schedule includes matches against South Africa, Fiji, and Argentina.
The Nations Championship is designed to be a biennial event, held in years without a Rugby World Cup or British & Irish Lions tour, replacing the traditional summer Test series. Tournament organizers believe it will significantly reshape the future of rugby by fostering greater global competition and relevance.
The tournament aims to grow the sport's reach and elevate international rugby.
