Rugby news and scores from around the world

Nations Championship: the picture before the finals

The inaugural Nations Championship pits the six Six Nations sides against South Africa, New Zealand, Argentina, Australia, Fiji and Japan. Each team plays six matches, three in July and three in November, and those results decide the pairings for a finals weekend at Twickenham on 27, 28 and 29 November. The first-placed northern side meets the first-placed southern side for the trophy, and the 1st v 1st match is worth two points while every other final is worth one.

After the July window, France and South Africa lead their pools, with New Zealand also unbeaten and level on points with the Springboks. The July rounds produced plenty of talking points: New Zealand edged France 34-32 in the opening game, South Africa beat Wales 43-0, England thrashed Fiji 73-8, and Will Jordan broke the All Blacks try-scoring record with a hat-trick against Italy.

Ireland dismantle Argentina in Dublin

Andy Farrell's side started the November window with a 42-12 win over Argentina at the Aviva Stadium on Friday. Fullback Hugo Keenan scored a hat-trick and was named player of the match. Argentina struck first through Mateo Carreras in the ninth minute, but Ireland led 28-5 by the 42nd minute after Sam Prendergast scored their fourth try, securing the bonus point.

Nations Championship fixtures this month

Round four continues today with Italy against South Africa in Turin, Scotland against New Zealand in Edinburgh, Wales against Japan in Cardiff and France against Fiji in Lyon. England host Australia at Twickenham on Sunday. Round five brings France v South Africa in Paris on 13 November, and round six includes England v New Zealand and Ireland v South Africa on 21 November. UK viewers can watch every game on ITV.

Bledisloe Cup: All Blacks win again

Before the November window, New Zealand retained the Bledisloe Cup for a 24th straight year with a 50-19 win at Eden Park on 10 October, then beat Australia 43-21 in Sydney a week later. The All Blacks led 36-7 at half-time, and the result was the Wallabies' 13th consecutive defeat to New Zealand and the second in the series under head coach Les Kiss. Australia's last win in the fixture was in November 2020.

Rugby League World Cup: semi-finals set, England out

The Rugby League World Cup semi-finals are locked in, and for the first time in the tournament's history England will not be there. England beat Papua New Guinea 34-12 in their final group game, but needed a much bigger Tonga win over Samoa to progress. Tonga edged Samoa 20-18 in front of a record CommBank Stadium crowd to set up a semi-final against New Zealand.

Champions Cup and Challenge Cup: where things stand

Round one of the 2026/27 Champions Cup produced 109 tries in 12 games. Toulouse beat Exeter 43-40 despite playing more than an hour with 14 men after Rodrigue Neti's red card, Bordeaux Bègles drew 36-36 at Gloucester, Leinster won 48-23 at Clermont, and the Bulls beat Stade Français 56-20. In the Challenge Cup, Harlequins beat Vannes 57-19 and the Sharks won 40-33 at Lyon. Both competitions return on 11, 12 and 13 December for round two.

For earlier reports, tables and previews, see our rugby news and scores hub.