2026 Nations Championship Round 1 Report

The eagerly anticipated 2026 Nations Championship finally kicked off on the first weekend of July, with the first set of fixtures from Round 1 of the Southern Hemisphere Series.

At LiveRugbyTickets.co.uk, you'll be able to buy Nations Championship tickets on our resellers platform for every single match from the initial Southern and Northern Hemisphere pool series, as well as the Finals Weekend in late November.

The new tournament, which features 12 of the top rugby union teams from around the world in a unified format, is expected to transform the international game, and its first six matches delivered drama by the bucketful. Let's recap what happened in round one:

New Zealand 34--32 France (Christchurch)

Supporters were served up an epic tournament opener in Christchurch on July 4 in a sensational skirmish between New Zealand and Six Nations champions France at Te Kaha.

The All Black prevailed in a nine-try thriller, recovering from an early setback to triumph thanks to tries from winger Will Jordan (2), Peter Lakai and Cam Roigard (2).

This was the opening salvo of Dave Rennie's tenure as New Zealand boss and the bonus-point win was a dream start for the 62-year-old former Kobe Steelers boss.

Margins were slim throughout with the teams swapping leads into the second half, though New Zealand didn't fold under the pressure, even when a late score from Frenchman Matthieu Jalibert threatened to turn the game on its head.

Japan 27--10 Italy (Tokyo)

Tipped to make little impact pre-tournament, Japan delivered a statement performance to topple Italy in front of an energetic Tokyo crowd, taking full advantage of an error-strewn Italian display to collect four points.

A touchline ban kept coach Eddie Jones away from proceedings, though the Brave Blossoms excelled in his absence, in a massively improved display that combined control and thrust in a nod to their coach's experience and tactical prowess.

Italy did break the deadlock in the fifth minute through Juan Ignacio Brex, however, Japan didn't waver and right from captain Warner Dearns leveller, they were in command. Takuro Matsunaga and flanker Ben Gunter added further tries, and though Italy dominated possession, they lodged over 26 turnovers and made few inroads.

Australia 31--33 Ireland (Sydney)

Much to the delight of the Irish diaspora in Sydney, Ireland roared to a stirring second-half comeback win over their Australian hosts to land a historic victory in their first-ever Nations Championship fixture.

Joe Schmidt's Australia held sway for large parts of the game and registered four first-half tries through Dylan Pietsch, Jock Campbell, Josh Canham, and Ryan Lonergan to build what looked like an unassailable advantage.

Scores from Cian Prednergast and Josh van der Flier allowed Ireland to hang onto their host's coattails, before Hugo Keenan and a match-winning try from sub Thomas Clarkson put the visitors in the driving seat. A dramatic late Ben Donaldson penalty miss sewed up a famous Irish victory.

When Ireland are done globetrotting, they will take on Argentina in the first of three home games at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin in November. Check out our range of Ireland vs Argentina Nations Championship tickets and purchase your seats today.

Fiji 24--39 Wales (Cardiff)

In a contest with an unusual feel, Wales took on the role of away team despite running out at their home at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff in a hard-fought victory over a spirited Fiji in the Welsh capital.

Fiji looked a cut above in the first half, putting the first score on the board after just two minutes through flanker Pita Gus Sowakula, though a spate of loose turnovers in possession denied them the chance to turn their territorial dominance into a first-half advantage.

Steve Tandy's Wales showed strength in the pack to dismantle the Fijian attack in the second half, though they sparkled in attacking phases two, securing tries through Rhys Carré, Josh Adams, Ryan Elias and Alex Mann to add gloss to the final scoreline.

South Africa 45--21 England (Johannesburg)

Nations Championship 2026 favourites South Africa made a major statement of intent when they overpowered England at Ellis Park, notching seven tries on their road to victory in a one-sided Johannesburg opener.

The Springboks were in the mood from the first whistle, scoring three tries in the opening 13 minutes of the contest through Thomas du Toit, Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse to canter into an early 17--0 lead.

England's light didn't dim completely in the face of that onslaught however, and brought the score back to 17-14 by the time the teams halted for half time.

The reigning world champions put their foot down after the break however, and added tries from Grant Williams, Jesse Kriel, Malcolm Marx and Ben-Jason Dixon to widen the score against an English side that was reduced to 13 players in the dying embers.

England start their official home fixtures in the first week of November when they host Australia at Twickenham. Use our secure platform to find tickets for England vs Australia in the Nations Championship now.

Argentina 38--47 Scotland (Córdoba)

Seven tries, some impressive individual performances and a biggest-ever points haul on Argentinean soil represented the most positive of starts for Gregor Townsend's Scotland during Round 1 of the 2026 Nations Championship.

Argentina, who are ranked fifth in the world, probably expected an easier ride in the summer sun at the Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, however, the Scots had other plans, overcoming some early injury issues to claim the spoils.

Captain Sione Tuipulotu, Pierre Schoeman, Rory Hutchinson, Gregor Brown, Scott Cummings, debutant Gregor Hiddleston and Kyle Rowe all got in on the act during a frenetically high-scoring bout in Córdoba.

Scotland's win puts them second in the Northern Hemisphere Pool behind Wales. The Scots are back in action at Murrayfield on July 18 when they take on Fiji. You can buy Scotland vs Fiji tickets today on our marketplace. View our latest listings for the game to select your seats.

Buying tickets for the 2026 Nations Championship

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