Nations Championship: Round 1 Report

Round 1 of the Nations Championship saw both hemispheres come out with 3 wins a piece, with South Africa leading the Southern Hemisphere table following their dominant display against England at Ellis Park, and Wales surprise leaders of the Northern Hemisphere table following their show of force against Fiji at Cardiff City Stadium.

The inaugural Nations Championship got off to a mesmerising start. From Christchurch to Tokyo, here’s how the opening round played out.

New Zealand 34–32 France (Christchurch)

The Dave Rennie era got off to a breath-taking start as New Zealand edged out Six Nations champions France in a nine-try thriller to launch the inaugural Nations Championship. Despite missing several marquee names like Antoine Dupont, Les Bleus stunned the Christchurch crowd within two minutes when Damian Penaud crossed for a record-extending 41st international try. The hosts’ early woes worsened when debutant fly-half Ruben Love was sin-binned in the build-up.

However, the All Blacks quickly found their footing. Prolific winger Will Jordan struck back in the corner before flanker Peter Lakai finished off a sharp interchange with Caleb Clarke. While scrum-half Maxime Lucu kept France close with the boot, a sniping score from opposite number Cam Roigard gave the hosts a 19–13 cushion at the interval.

The second half shifted momentum rapidly. Replacement Antoine Hastoy briefly restored the French lead, only for Roigard to instantly answer with his second try. Wing Theo Attissogbe then kept the visitors within a solitary point, but Love’s penalty and a clutch, high-stakes finish from Jordan ultimately secured the southern giants a crucial bonus-point victory. A late 77th-minute burst from Matthieu Jalibert set up a grandstand finish, but New Zealand masterfully controlled possession in the dying moments to hold on.

Japan 27–10 Italy (Tokyo)

Japan delivered an emphatic opening statement in the Nations Championship, capitalising on an error-strewn performance from Italy to secure a dominant victory in front of a passionate Tokyo crowd. Despite missing head coach Eddie Jones due to a touchline ban, the Brave Blossoms displayed vast improvement, utilising sharp tactical kicking from university debutant Ryunosuke Ito to consistently pin the visitors back.

Italy enjoyed an ideal start when outside centre Juan Ignacio Brex sliced through the defensive line to score in the fifth minute. However, the hosts responded rapidly as captain Warner Dearns bulldozed over from close range to level the scores. Japan soon seized the lead when inside centre Yuya Hirose broke the line and sent fullback Takuro Matsunaga over. Matsunaga proved instrumental, spearheading the victory with a clinical 17-point individual haul.

A Paolo Garbisi penalty just before the interval cut Japan’s lead to seven, but the hosts struck decisively early in the second half. Following a relentless 15-phase assault, flanker Ben Gunter muscled his way over the line to break Italian resistance. While the Azzurri dominated possession midway through the second half, their efforts were completely derailed by a staggering 26 turnovers. Japan comfortably managed the final exchanges to seal a memorable victory.

Australia 31–33 Ireland (Sydney)

Ireland mounted a thrilling second-half fightback in Sydney to secure a dramatic opening-round victory, escaping by the barest of margins after a last-gasp Australian penalty fell wide. Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies dominated large stretches of the match, unleashing a potent attack that yielded four first-half tries through Dylan Pietsch, Jock Campbell, Josh Canham, and Ryan Lonergan to secure a swift four-try bonus point.

Despite spending much of the opening period pinned on the back foot, Andy Farrell’s men stayed within touching distance via short-range scores from back rowers Cian Prendergast and Josh van der Flier. A brilliant defensive effort from the returning Hugo Keenan prevented a runaway Australian lead, paving the way for number nine Jamison Gibson-Park to snipe over just before the break, leaving Ireland trailing 24–19.

The second half transformed into a brutal battle of attrition. Keenan scored early doors to briefly put the visitors ahead, but Australia rapidly countered through replacement scrum-half Tate McDermott. With ten minutes left, Ben Donaldson missed a crucial penalty that would have extended the Wallabies’ lead, allowing a determined Irish pack to mount one final assault. In the 77th minute, replacement prop Thomas Clarkson powered over from close range for the decisive, match-winning score. Deep in injury time, Donaldson had a final opportunity to snatch victory from 50 metres out, but his kick drifted wide to seal a breath-taking Irish win.

Fiji 24–39 Wales (Cardiff)

In a unique encounter staged at the Cardiff City Stadium, Wales overcame a brilliant first-half onslaught from Fiji to secure an impressive if improbable bonus-point victory. Despite technically playing as the away side, Steve Tandy’s men displayed immense resolve to withstand Fiji’s trademark attacking flair and register their first back-to-back Test wins since the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Fiji looked to be in a different league during a frantic opening period, opening the scoring after just two minutes through flanker Pita Gus Sowakula. Bolstered by the dangerous running of Salesi Rayasi and Jiuta Wainiqolo, the Pacific Islanders dominated territory and possession but were ultimately undone by sloppy execution and 26 loose turnovers. Wales relied on the clinical pragmatism of their driving maul to strike back, turning the tide with close-range scores from centre Eddie James and their inspirational captain, Jac Morgan, to enter the interval locked at 10–10.

The second half belonged to the Welsh pack, who effectively shut down Fiji’s offloading game as the visitors began to tire. Loosehead prop Rhys Carré put Wales ahead before a bizarre defensive miscalculation from Selestino Ravutaumada allowed a chasing Josh Adams to sneak in and score an audacious try between the defender’s legs. Although Fiji rallied through Elia Canakaivata and a redeeming score from Ravutaumada to pull within a single point, Wales closed out the match with authority. Late driving maul scores from Ryan Elias and Alex Mann put the result beyond doubt.

South Africa 45–21 England (Johannesburg)

South Africa opened their Nations Championship campaign with a powerful display of precision and physicality at Ellis Park, withstanding late squad disruptions to secure a comprehensive seven-try victory. Despite the late withdrawals of key veterans Siya Kolisi and Eben Etzebeth, the Springboks unleashed a blistering opening assault, crossing the line three times in the first thirteen minutes via Thomas du Toit, Cheslin Kolbe, and Kurt-Lee Arendse to establish a rapid 17–0 advantage.

England adapted well to the initial onslaught and showed commendable character to claw their way back into the contest before the interval. Spearheaded by the tactical direction of fly-half Fin Smith and powerful forward carries from forwards George Martin and Ellis Genge, the visitors executed two quick-tap tries to capitalised on a temporary numerical advantage. A well-struck 50:22 from Smith set the platform for Martin to power through the defensive line on the stroke of half-time, narrowing the deficit to a competitive 17–14.

However, the reigning world champions reasserted their authority immediately after the restart. Squeezing England through disciplined set-piece pressure and dominant breakdown work, the Springboks completely controlled the second-half territory. Scrum-half Grant Williams sniped through for a crucial score before Jesse Kriel finished a slick backline move in the corner. Late disciplinary pressure saw England reduced to 13 men following two quick yellow cards, allowing Malcolm Marx and Ben-Jason Dixon to cross in the final moments and seal a clinical bonus-point win for the hosts.

Argentina 38–47 Scotland (Córdoba)

Gregor Townsend’s Scotland ignited their summer with a historic, seven-try masterclass in Córdoba, claiming their highest-ever points haul on Argentine soil. Facing a formidable Pumas side ranked fifth in the world, the visitors overcame an early injury crisis – which saw both Tom Jordan and Elliot Millar-Mills forced off inside the opening fifteen minutes – to produce a clinical and high-tempo attacking display.

Los Pumas struck first via a powerful close-range drive from hometown number eight Joaquín Oviedo. However, the visitors adjusted brilliantly; an audacious, looping assist from Rory Hutchinson released captain Sione Tuipulotu to level the score, before prop Pierre Schoeman marked his 50th cap by driving over to seize the lead. Centre Hutchinson then turned scorer to give the Scots a 19-10 advantage at the interval.

The second half transformed into a high-scoring epic. Wing Rodrigo Isgró hit back instantly for the hosts, but scores from Gregor Brown and Scott Cummings secured a swift bonus point for the rampant visitors. Despite a late yellow card for Jamie Dobie allowing Tomás Rapetti to cross for Argentina, debutant hooker Gregor Hiddleston lunged over from a rolling maul, followed by a sharp Kyle Rowe finish to make it 47–24. A late lapse in Scottish game management allowed Lucio Cinti and Agustín Moyano to cross for two consolation tries in the final minutes, but the damage was already done as Scotland held firm for a statement victory.