New Zealand 40–21 Ireland (Auckland)
New Zealand preserved their legendary 32-year undefeated streak at Eden Park in style, unleashing a six-try blitz to overwhelm Ireland 40-21 and secure a perfect 15-point haul from their home Nations Championship fixtures. Under Dave Rennie, the clinical All Blacks capitalised heavily on an error-strewn Irish performance to hand Andy Farrell’s men a fourth consecutive defeat in this heavyweight rivalry.
The hosts signalled their intent early, playing at a blistering tempo that tore the visitors' defence apart. Lock Patrick Tuipulotu opened the floodgates off a short Josh Lord pass, before skipper Ardie Savea drove through two defenders from a scrum to make it 14-0.
Ireland found a brief lifeline when Kiwi flanker Luke Jacobson was sin-binned for a dangerous clearout on Josh van der Flier. Jack Conan powered over to cut the deficit, but Irish self-inflicted wounds quickly extinguished any threat of a comeback. A misplaced pass near Ireland's own line was snatched up by winger Will Jordan for his sixth try in three Tests, before replacement hooker Asafo Aumua rumbled over on the stroke of half-time to secure the hosts' try bonus point at 28-7.
Farrell’s side showed grit after the interval, and powerhouse lock Joe McCarthy burrowed over to close the gap. However, the All Blacks quickly reasserted dominance, finishing a beautiful team move through fullback Damian McKenzie. His opposite number, Hugo Keenan, squeezed into the corner with 20 minutes left to keep Ireland hunting for a bonus point, but a cohesive Kiwi defence choked out any further resistance before Anton Lienert-Brown claimed a late try to cap a dominant display.
Japan 15–42 France (Tokyo)
France concluded their Southern Series with a dominant six-try performance, cruising past Japan 42-15 at a packed National Stadium in Tokyo. Despite brutal humidity, Les Bleus showcased their clinical edge to finish the southern leg with two wins from three matches, while Eddie Jones’s side suffered their second consecutive defeat.
The visitors ignited the scoreboard inside two minutes when hooker Maxime Lamothe powered over from a lineout maul. Japan initially looked shell-shocked but made the most of French disruption following early head-injury assessments to forward duo Lenni Nouchi and Florian Verhaege. A Takuro Matsunaga penalty and a blistering counter-attack finished by winger Kippei Ishida briefly handed the hosts a slim lead.
However, France swiftly reasserted control. Fly-half Matthieu Jalibert exploiting wide spaces to score, shortly before Japanese lock Harry Hockings was sin-binned. Exploiting the extra man, Alexandre Roumat – making his international return – rolled over from another driving maul, before skipper Maxime Lucu darted across to secure the four-try bonus point. Japan clawed back a lifeline right before the interval when prop Sojiro Otsuka steamrolled over from a quick tap penalty to make it 28-15.
Any hopes of a home comeback evaporated immediately after the restart. Jalibert jinked over for his second try of the afternoon off a crisp switch pass from Lucu, before Lamothe muscled through to grab his own brace ten minutes later. Though Japan fought valiantly in the final quarter – even seeing a Tiennan Costley try chalked off for a double movement while France suffered two late yellow cards – the damage was already done.
Australia 57–10 Italy (Perth)
Australia snapped a painful six-game losing streak in breathtaking fashion, dismantling a weary Italy 57-10 in Perth to give departing head coach Joe Schmidt a perfect send-off. In front of a fifth consecutive sell-out home crowd, the Wallabies unleashed a devastating nine-try assault, leaving incoming coach Les Kiss with a wave of momentum ahead of next year's World Cup.
The Italians—forced to operate without head coach Gonzalo Quesada due to a stadium ban—walked straight into a gold ambush. Playing with unprecedented tempo, Australia secured a statement lead within twelve minutes. Lock Josh Canham opened the scoring after a grueling 17-phase build-up, fullback Tom Wright jinked over off an acrobatic Allan Alaalatoa offload, and hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa burrowed across to make it a stunning 19-0.
Italy briefly responded through a Michele Lamaro try, but the home side remained relentless. Canham barge over for his second, before prop Angus Bell and a resurgent Len Ikitau added further scores to secure a commanding 38-5 advantage at the half-time siren.
Though a familiar second-half lapse allowed Monty Ioane to strike back for the Azzurri, the Wallabies quickly slammed the door on any Italian resistance. A roaring charge from Rob Valetini paved the way for Canham to complete a sensational hat-trick in just his fifth Test match. A powerful rolling maul yielded a try for replacement hooker Billy Pollard, before Italian frustrations boiled over; replacement prop Marco Riccioni was red-carded from the bench for punching during a late-game fracas. Ben Donaldson then cruised under the posts at the death to seal Australia's biggest win under Schmidt and ignite a bright new era.
Fiji 17–33 Scotland (Edinburgh)
Scotland overcame a sluggish first half and a ten-point interval deficit, unleashing 26 unanswered points to secure a hard-fought 33-17 bonus-point victory over a resurgent Fiji at Murrayfield. A heavily rotated Scottish line-up found themselves firmly under the pump early on, but Gregor Townsend’s heavily loaded bench completely transformed the contest in the second half.
The match opened brightly for Scotland when Jonny Gray blasted over from close range following an elegant line break by outside centre Ollie Smith. However, the initial momentum quickly dissolved as Fiji, seeking redemption after a heavy defeat to England, responded with breath-taking flair and ferocious breakdown defence. Captain Tevita Ikanivere immediately hit back from a driving maul, before winger Selestino Ravutaumada finished a sensational, length-of-the-field counter-attack with an adroit chip-and-chase try.
Even when Fijian openside Lekima Tagitagivalu was sin-binned for a dangerous high challenge, the Scots faltered. Instead of exploiting the extra man, Scotland surrendered a soft try to Elia Canakaivata, who dove through an unguarded ruck to stretch Fiji’s lead to 17-7 at the break.
Townsend reacted decisively by introducing his elite heavy artillery early in the second period. Replacement prop Pierre Schoeman immediately re-energised the pack, bouncing off defenders to power under the posts. Minutes later, substitute scrum-half Jamie Dobie darted over to controversially put Scotland ahead after a tense video review.
As the Fijians visibly tired under the intense physical pressure, Scotland clinical edge took total control. Lock Scott Cummings crashed over from close quarters to seal the crucial try bonus point, before Dobie completed the route by regathering a delicate inside offload from Duhan van der Merwe to grab his second try in the final moments.
South Africa 43–0 Wales (Durban)
South Africa effortlessly secured a seven-try, 43-0 bonus-point victory over Wales in Durban, maintaining their unblemished record at the peak of the Nations Championship standings. Even while resting numerous frontline superstars, Rassie Erasmus’s Springboks consigned Steve Tandy’s side to a second consecutive scoreless defeat against the two-time world champions.
The hosts’ physical intent was evident from the opening whistle. Following a sharp break from full-back Aphelele Fassi, powerhouse number eight Jasper Wiese shrugged off a desperate Welsh tackle to open the scoring. Minutes later, the South African pack completely dismantled a Welsh scrum on its own five-metre line, allowing veteran scrum-half Cobus Reinach to pounce on the loose ball and glide over for a 14-0 lead. Though 20-year-old debutant fly-half Vusi Moyo endured an uneven Test debut, his clever cross-field kick on the stroke of half-time allowed Jesse Kriel to gather and score, leaving Wales facing a 19-point deficit at the break.
The onslaught continued immediately after the restart. A loose Welsh clearance kick was punished as new winger Jaco Williams sprinted away to lock down the four-try bonus point. Wales briefly mounted a rare period of concerted pressure deep inside the home 22, but a miserly Springbok defensive effort effortlessly repelled multiple tap penalties to keep the tourists scoreless.
Erasmus flexed the immense depth of his bench in the final quarter to completely run away with the contest. Replacement scrum-half Herschel Jantjies marked his international return with a sharp try, before a yellow card to Welsh prop Ben Warren for a high tackle completely broke the visitors' resistance. Exploiting the extra man, Manie Libbok delivered a beautiful cutout pass to unleash Kurt-Lee Arendse into the corner, before the former U20 captain, back rower Paul de Villiers, appropriately capped off the Boks’ complete set-piece dominance by crashing over from a maul.
Argentina 24–31 England (Santiago del Estero)
England narrowly escaped an historic second-half collapse in Argentina, clinging on to a breathless seven-point victory over the Pumas after finishing the match down to just 12 men. In a chaotic encounter defined by disarray and cards, a dramatic, last-gasp try-saving tackle from veteran centre Henry Slade on Bautista Delguy prevented the hosts from snatching a draw at the death and preserved a vital away win for Steve Borthwick's tenure.
The visitors dominated the opening half with sharp attacking intent, silencing a hostile home crowd to build a commanding 19-3 interval lead. Winger Tommy Freeman opened the account by plucking a Fin Smith cross-kick out of the air, before number eight Ben Earl struck twice – burrowing over from a powerful carry and dribbling the ball through a rapidly retreating Pumas scrum.
However, England's recurring disciplinary issues severely undermined their efforts after the break. The Pumas retaliated fiercely, with Mateo Carreras blasting through the visitors’ line to score. As English composure crumbled under pressure, both Jack van Poortvliet and Alex Coles were sent to the sin-bin in quick succession, with the latter's infringement resulting in a penalty try that dragged Argentina back within two points.
England temporarily arrested the slide through a brilliant injection of energy from substitute Henry Pollock. The young back-rower's scything line break set up a crucial corner finish for Marcus Smith, before a weaving, low-slung run from Immanuel Feyi-Waboso secured the four-try bonus point.
But the drama was far from over. Repeated offside penalties saw Pollock and Manny Iyogun yellow-carded, reducing England to 12 men and forcing them to sacrifice a back just to contest the scrums. A late try from Pumas substitute Justo Piccardo set up an agonisingly tense finale, but a lengthy TMO review ruled out a potential late equaliser on the touchline, allowing a highly relieved England side to head into the Northern Series this autumn with a hard-earned victory.
