France ended South Africa’s perfect run in the Nations Championship with a narrow 21-19 win at the Stade de France on Friday, pushing themselves six points clear at the top of the northern hemisphere standings with one pool match remaining. The victory brought France’s tally to four wins from five matches and put them in strong position ahead of the final round.
South Africa remain first in the southern hemisphere rankings but face the threat of being overtaken by New Zealand if the All Blacks beat Wales in Cardiff on Saturday. New Zealand’s recent 43-21 win over Scotland added weight to their challenge. The southern hemisphere table is tightly contested as the tournament nears its climax.
England hold second place in the northern pool, sitting just behind France on points difference after a 45-22 win over Australia last week. Steve Borthwick’s side will look to narrow the gap further when they face Japan at Allianz Stadium on Saturday. England’s young winger Sian Feyi-Waboso impressed during their last outing, adding fresh energy to Borthwick’s squad.
Ireland started their November home fixtures with a 42-12 victory over Argentina and currently sit third. They host Fiji in Dublin on Saturday, while Scotland, positioned fourth, face Australia at Murrayfield on Sunday after their loss to New Zealand. Scotland have recorded two wins and two defeats so far.
Wales, who overcame Japan 28-21 in their first home match of the championship, remain fifth in the northern standings. Their upcoming match against New Zealand this weekend carries significant weight for their hopes of climbing the table.
France’s final pool game is against Argentina on 21 November, where they will be favourites to secure a place in the inaugural Nations Championship final. The finals weekend runs from 27 to 29 November at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham, featuring all six play-off matches. The tournament concludes with the title match between the top-ranked northern and southern hemisphere sides.
The Nations Championship pits northern hemisphere Six Nations teams, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, and Italy, against southern hemisphere giants South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, plus invited teams Fiji and Japan. Each team plays all six opponents from the opposing hemisphere once across July and November fixtures. Rankings are determined within each hemisphere, with the final weekend serving as a play-off event.
The play-offs award points to each hemisphere, with one point per win except for the final between the top-ranked teams, which gives two points. The first hemisphere to reach four points across the weekend wins the hemisphere title.
Recent autumn fixtures included Ireland’s 42-12 win over Argentina, South Africa’s 66-7 thrashing of Italy, and France’s 54-17 victory over Fiji. England’s 45-22 win over Australia and Wales’s 28-21 win over Japan rounded out the weekend. These results have set the stage for the weekend’s matches.
Saturday will see Italy face Argentina at 11:40 GMT, followed by Wales v New Zealand at 14:10 GMT, England v Japan at 16:40 GMT, and Ireland v Fiji at 20:10 GMT. Sunday features Scotland versus Australia at 15:10 GMT.
The final pool round on 21 November includes England against New Zealand, Scotland facing Japan, Ireland hosting South Africa, Italy playing Fiji, France meeting Argentina, and Wales taking on Australia.
The Nations Championship has provided a mixture of tight contests and commanding victories since its July start. New Zealand edged France 34-32 in the opening match, while South Africa’s 45-21 win over England established their early dominance. France’s recent win over South Africa has shifted attention to the northern hemisphere as the tournament moves toward its conclusion.
All eyes will be on the matches this weekend to see which teams confirm their places in the finals and how the hemispheres stack up ahead of the play-offs at Twickenham.
According to Yahoo Sports.
