Inaugural Nations Championship early test of Rugby World Cup aspirations

England are the only northern hemisphere side to have won the men’s Rugby World Cup, in Australia in 2003, but the inaugural Nations Championship provides an opportunity for one of them to put down a marker by winning it a year out from the 2027 edition.

The biennial 12-team tournament — comprising the Six Nations sides, the four SANZAR teams (Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa) plus Fiji and Japan — pitches teams from the northern hemisphere against their southern counterparts.

After six rounds, three each in July and November, the competition will climax with six matches at Twickenham on finals weekend, November 27-29, to determine final placings.

The southern hemisphere sides will have it comparatively easy when they come north as none of them will face the distances to travel their northern counterparts face over the next three weeks.

England for instance begin against world champions South Africa in Johannesburg on Saturday then head to Liverpool to play Fiji and round off their campaign a week later in Argentina.

“You can either see it as a massive hindrance or something really exciting that none of the other teams have to do — and we’re embracing it,” said defence coach Richard Wigglesworth.

“We’ll get on with it and rip into the exciting part of the challenge. How good will it be? It can’t be an excuse for us, it’s just part of the challenge,” he added.

The Springboks will welcome England, who are resting captain Maro Itoje, with head coach Rassie Erasmus ominously promising to make the 50th Test appearances of Cheslin Kolbe and Damian Willemse “a memorable day for them”.

Erasmus, who has overseen the past two of the record four-time World Cup winners’ lifting of the Webb Ellis trophy, is, though, perhaps not treating the championship as seriously as the organisers might have hoped for.

Indeed his remark ‘I don’t really see it as a competition’ will not have been music to their ears.

“We just want to try and win every match and obviously build squad depth, character and a playing style that everybody’s used to,” the 53-year-old said last week.

“So that when we get to the World Cup, there are a lot of players that can play the style we want to play, do things how we do it in Springbok rugby.”

‘Right to dream’ 

Six Nations champions France provide new All Blacks coach Dave Rennie with a tough opening Test.

Rennie, who replaced Scott Robertson in March but has only recently taken over after fulfilling his club contract in Japan, has had an instant impact on the squad.

“He’s not afraid to be the boss, he definitely owns the room when he speaks, but in a way that’s not too daunting, said veteran hooker Codie Taylor.

“It’s just in a way that you respect and you know what he wants out there on the field.”

France coach Fabien Galthie will have to navigate the southern hemisphere Tests — they also play Australia and Japan — without his talisman Antoine Dupont, who is injured.

Nevertheless Galthie, whose obsession is to win the World Cup after letting slip a golden opportunity on home turf in 2023, is hoping the uncapped players prove themselves and add competition.

“We’re giving ourselves the right to be ambitious,” said Galthie.

“We’re giving ourselves the right to dream.”

Rennie will also pit his wits against Andy Farrell as the Irish, who came within a whisker of winning the Six Nations title this year, round off their series there.

Farrell, who has disappointed potential suitors by signing a new contract through to 2031, first faces old boss Joe Schmidt in the latter’s swansong as Australia head coach.

Farrell will learn a lot about the strength in depth he has as several key players are injured.

Captain Caelan Doris is among those injured but perhaps worst of all fly-half Jack Crowley, whose Six Nations performances looked to have settled once and for all who filled the vacuum left by Johnny Sexton when he retired in 2023.

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