Rugby's Nations Championship Returns: Ireland Host Argentina as Scotland Chase First-Ever Win Over the All Blacks

DUBLIN — International rugby's newest competition returns to centre stage on Friday night, when Ireland host Argentina at the Aviva Stadium to open the northern leg of the inaugural Nations Championship — a weekend that will also see Scotland chase a first-ever victory over New Zealand, South Africa put its world No. 1 ranking on the line in Italy, and Fiji hand a late-career international recall to former England international Nathan Hughes. After three rounds played in the southern hemisphere in July, the 12-team tournament resumes with six matches across three days, and every result will shape the standings ahead of the Finals Weekend at Twickenham from 27 to 29 November.

Illustration: A packed rugby stadium under floodlights at night, with teams in green and sky-blue-and-white striped jerseys lining up for kickoff.

What Happened

The Nations Championship, rugby's new biennial competition, was launched this year as a "North versus South" contest bringing together the six Six Nations sides — England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, France and Italy — and six southern hemisphere teams — New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, Argentina, Japan and Fiji. The teams play six rounds split between July and November, with the November programme deciding the final pool standings before the six-match Finals Weekend in London.

Round four opens on Friday, 6 November, with Ireland against Argentina in Dublin at 8:10pm GMT. Argentina arrive looking to end an 11-year losing streak against the Irish, according to Planet Rugby, and Ireland have turned to young fly-half Sam Prendergast to run the game. Saturday brings five more fixtures: Italy host South Africa in Turin at 11:40am GMT, Scotland meet New Zealand at Murrayfield at 2:10pm, Wales face Japan at 4:40pm, and France take on Fiji in Lyon at 8:10pm. The weekend closes on Sunday with England against Australia.

Scotland's meeting with the All Blacks carries the weekend's most compelling storyline. Head coach Gregor Townsend has named a full-strength side for the Murrayfield clash, welcoming back centre Huw Jones from injury alongside captain Sione Tuipulotu and fly-half Finn Russell, with Kyle Rowe preferred at full-back ahead of Blair Kinghorn. Scotland have never beaten New Zealand in 33 Tests, a record stretching back more than a century, but Townsend's selection — with ten Glasgow Warriors in the starting side — signals genuine belief that this is the weekend the drought ends.

The team news has not all been good for the Scots. Flanker Jamie Ritchie and prop Elliot Millar Mills have both been ruled out for the rest of the Nations Championship through injury, robbing Townsend of two experienced forwards before the All Blacks visit. Matt Fagerson returns from a groin injury to start at blind-side flanker, while Rory Darge and Jack Dempsey complete the back row. Notably absent from the matchday squad are Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe, Scotland's top two try scorers, who were both left out by Townsend.

In Turin, South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus has named a powerful, experienced Springbok side for the visit to Italy, refusing to take a depleted Italian team lightly. The world champions won all three of their July matches, as did New Zealand, and the Springboks arrive in Europe with their world No. 1 ranking under threat. Erasmus has kept faith with his senior players for the first of three November Tests before the finals weekend.

Fiji, meanwhile, have selected Nathan Hughes for their Nations Championship clash against France in Lyon on Saturday — the second game in charge for new coach Jake White. Hughes, 35, won 22 caps for England between 2016 and 2019 and now gets another shot at international rugby late in his career. The Fiji-born number eight is eligible to represent his country of birth under World Rugby's revised Regulation 8, which allows players to switch international allegiance after a three-year absence from their previous national team, provided they have a qualifying birthright connection and World Rugby's approval. Fiji also meet Ireland in Dublin on 14 November and Italy in Udine a week later.

Background

The Nations Championship was created to give the November and July international windows a competitive structure, replacing a calendar of standalone friendlies with a tournament that has standings, a finals weekend and, its organisers hope, jeopardy in every match. The 12 teams play each other across the two hemispheres over six rounds, with the northern series in November completing the pool phase. The top sides then contest a finals weekend at Twickenham, the home of English rugby, from 27 to 29 November.

The July rounds gave the southern hemisphere sides the early advantage on home soil. South Africa and New Zealand both won all three of their opening matches, and the Springboks have held the world No. 1 ranking into the November window. The northern sides now get their chance to respond at home, where autumn conditions — cold, wet and heavy underfoot — traditionally favour the hosts.

Scotland's record against New Zealand is the longest winless run in the fixture's history. The All Blacks have won all 33 meetings, and while Scotland have come close in recent years — pushing New Zealand hard at Murrayfield in past autumns — they have never crossed the line. Townsend, who played against the All Blacks himself, has spoken openly about the fixture as the one remaining frontier for his team, and the return of Jones, Russell and Tuipulotu together gives Scotland its strongest available midfield for the attempt.

Ireland's own story is one of transition. Andy Farrell's side open the northern series at home against an Argentina team that has grown into one of the most dangerous sides in world rugby, beating southern hemisphere giants on their own turf in recent seasons. Los Pumas have not beaten Ireland since 2015, however, and the Aviva Stadium on a Friday night is one of the toughest assignments in the sport. Prendergast's selection at fly-half underlines Ireland's willingness to build around youth even as they chase a finals-weekend place.

Illustration: A rugby lineout at a historic stadium, with players in dark blue jerseys lifting a teammate against players in black jerseys.

For South Africa, the trip to Turin is a different kind of test. Italy are depleted by injury, but Erasmus has resisted the temptation to rotate heavily, naming a side packed with experience. The Springboks know that a slip in Italy would damage both their ranking and their finals-weekend seeding, and the coach's message this week has been that no opponent in this competition can be taken lightly. Italy, for their part, get a rare home fixture against the world champions at the Allianz Stadium, home of Juventus.

Fiji's selection of Hughes is the latest example of World Rugby's revised eligibility rules reshaping international rugby. Regulation 8 now allows a player to switch allegiance once, after standing down from international rugby for three years, if they were born in the country they wish to represent or have a parent or grandparent born there. Hughes, born in Lautoka, qualifies through birth, and his selection for a new-look Fiji under Jake White — the coach who led South Africa to the 2007 World Cup — adds a compelling subplot to Saturday night in Lyon.

Why It Matters

The Nations Championship matters because it is rugby's first serious attempt to make the autumn internationals count for something beyond rankings points. For decades, November Tests were glorified friendlies: entertaining, often brutal, but ultimately without consequence. A league structure with a finals weekend changes the incentives — every match now affects seeding, every bonus point could matter, and a shock result in Turin or Edinburgh can reshape the entire tournament.

For Scotland, the stakes are emotional as much as competitive. Beating the All Blacks would be the biggest result in Scottish rugby history, a win that would end 33 matches of frustration and announce Scotland as genuine contenders rather than plucky underdogs. Townsend has built a side capable of it — Russell's game management, Tuipulotu's power, Jones's finishing — but the All Blacks have made a habit of finding a way in this fixture, and New Zealand also arrive unbeaten in the competition.

For the sport's economics, the tournament is a test of whether a new competition can cut through in a crowded calendar. Rugby already has the Six Nations, the Rugby Championship, the World Cup and the club game competing for attention and revenue. The Nations Championship's answer is a simple one: the best teams in the world, playing each other, with something at stake, twice every two years. A strong November — full stadiums, tight finishes, a Scottish upset — would go a long way to proving the concept.

The eligibility story matters too. Hughes's switch to Fiji is not a one-off; it is part of a wider shift that has strengthened Pacific Island rugby, with former All Blacks and Wallabies now representing Tonga, Samoa and Fiji. The revised rules have made the tier-two nations more competitive, and a Fiji side containing a 22-cap former England international is a far more dangerous proposition for France than the Fiji of a decade ago.

What Happens Next

The action begins on Friday night in Dublin, with Ireland against Argentina at 8:10pm GMT. Saturday's schedule runs from Italy against South Africa at 11:40am GMT through Scotland versus New Zealand at 2:10pm, Wales against Japan at 4:40pm, and France against Fiji at 8:10pm. England against Australia closes the round on Sunday.

Round five follows next weekend, with Fiji travelling to Dublin to face Ireland on 14 November and Scotland hosting Australia at Murrayfield on 15 November, before the final round of pool matches and the Finals Weekend at Twickenham from 27 to 29 November. By then, the tournament will have its first champions — and, if Scotland's gamble pays off, perhaps its first great upset.

For now, the questions are simple ones. Can Scotland finally beat the All Blacks? Can Argentina end 11 years of hurt in Dublin? And can the Springboks hold on to their No. 1 ranking through a November that promises to be anything but straightforward? The answers start on Friday night.

Illustration: A rugby ball resting on a stylized world globe with glowing lines connecting continents, symbolizing the northern and southern hemisphere competition.

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FAQ

What is the Nations Championship?

The Nations Championship is rugby's new biennial international competition, launched in 2026. It brings together the 12 leading rugby nations — the six Six Nations teams and six southern hemisphere sides — in a six-round tournament played in July and November, ending with a Finals Weekend at Twickenham.

When does the November series start?

Round four begins on Friday, 6 November 2026, with Ireland hosting Argentina at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin at 8:10pm GMT. Five more matches follow on Saturday, and England against Australia closes the round on Sunday.

Has Scotland ever beaten New Zealand?

No. Scotland have never beaten the All Blacks in 33 Tests, a winless run stretching back more than a century. Gregor Townsend has named a full-strength side for Saturday's match at Murrayfield, with Huw Jones, Finn Russell and captain Sione Tuipulotu all starting.

Why is Nathan Hughes playing for Fiji?

Hughes, 35, was born in Lautoka, Fiji, and won 22 caps for England between 2016 and 2019. Under World Rugby's revised Regulation 8, he can switch allegiance after a three-year absence from his previous national team, provided he has a qualifying birthright connection and World Rugby's approval.

When is the Nations Championship Finals Weekend?

The Finals Weekend takes place at Twickenham, London, from Friday 27 to Sunday 29 November 2026. The November rounds decide the final pool standings and which teams contest the showpiece matches.

Sources

• Reuters — "Fiji select former England international Hughes to face France," 5 November 2026. https://www.reuters.com/sports/fiji-select-former-england-international-hughes-face-france-2026-11-05/
• Reuters — "Scotland at full strength for clash with All Blacks," 5 November 2026. https://www.reuters.com/sports/scotland-full-strength-clash-with-all-blacks-2026-11-05/
• Sky Sports — "Huw Jones, Finn Russell, Sione Tuipulotu start in Scotland quest for first-ever win vs New Zealand's All Blacks," 5 November 2026. https://www.skysports.com/rugby-union/news/13608330/nations-championship-huw-jones-finn-russell-sione-tuipulotu-start-in-scotland-quest-for-first-ever-win-vs-new-zealands-all-blacks
• Planet Rugby — "Nations Championship: How things stand, weekend's kick-off times, where to watch and referee appointments," 5 November 2026. https://www.planetrugby.com/news/nations-championship-how-things-stand-weekends-kick-off-times-where-to-watch-and-referee-appointments
• ESPN — "What is the Nations Championship? Explaining rugby's new competition, fixtures, format, how to watch in UK," 5 November 2026. https://www.espn.ph/rugby/story/_/id/49076874/what-nations-championship-rugby-newest-competition-explained-fixtures-format-how-watch