Nations Championship recap: Biggest winners and losers

OPINION: After three rounds of the Nations Championship, Rugby365 takes a look at the biggest winners and losers of the southern hemisphere leg.

The first half of the inaugural Nations Championship saw the SANZAAR teams, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, along with Fiji and Japan, battle it out against the Six Nations contingent of England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France, and Italy in the Southern Hemisphere leg.

In November, the teams from the south will head up north.

In the opening half, South Africa and New Zealand emerged unbeaten, while Fiji and Italy failed to register a win.

After all six pool rounds are completed, teams are ranked within their respective pools, with a finals weekend set to take place at Allianz Stadium in London in November.

Teams will take on the opposition from the opposing hemisphere that finishes in the corresponding pool position.

We look at how things stand and how the teams performed during the first three rounds.

Southern Hemisphere Pool:

Biggest Winners: South Africa, New Zealand

The Springboks top the Nations Championship combined log with three wins in as many matches. While the All Blacks have also won three from three, the Boks have a superior points difference (81 to 51).

Rassie Erasmus’ team scored more than 40 points in each of their clashes against England, Scotland, and Wales, blanking the Welshmen for the second consecutive time.

The Boks’ main focus was building depth, with a total of 43 players used in three Tests – more than any other team in the competition. Five players made their international debuts, while scrumhalves Embrose Papier and Herschel Jantjies made their first appearances in the national colours in eight and three years, respectively.

South Africa scored an average of 43 points in their first three Nations Championship games, while they also scored the most tries, 20, and the most points, 130.

Biggest Losers: Fiji

The Islanders didn’t have the advantage of proper home matches; instead, they played them at alternative venues in the north.

Against Wales in round one, they played their “home” match in Cardiff, against England they played in Liverpool, and they concluded what was supposed to be their home leg against Scotland in Edinburgh.

While they pushed Scotland and were dismantled by England, one would have expected more from such a talent-rich rugby nation, especially against a struggling Wales.

Still, the factor of real home-ground advantage cannot be underplayed.

Notable Achievements from the Southern Hemisphere Teams: South Africa’s 11-match unbeaten run, global clean sweep, and coaching record, New Zealand’s individual all-time try-scoring record, Australia’s record score in Perth, and Japan’s first win in official tier-one competition.

South Africa’s 11-match unbeaten run and global clean sweep

While the Springboks were the top team in the Nations Championship, their uninterrupted dominance stretches back to September 2025 when they went down to the All Blacks in Auckland.

They have also now beaten every Six Nations and Rugby Championship team in a 12-month period, the first team to do so, while Erasmus led the Boks into a record-breaking 55th Test as head coach to surpass the previous record of 54 Tests held by Jake White.

New Zealand’s individual all-time try-scoring record

The All Blacks’ Will Jordan broke New Zealand’s Test try-scoring record when he surpassed Doug Howlett’s previous record of 49 tries thanks to a hat-trick of five-pointers during the 47-17 win over Italy in round two. He has since extended that tally to 51 tries in 57 Tests.

Australia’s record score in Perth

Another record was broken in Australasia, when the Wallabies demolished Italy 57-10 in Perth to snap a six-match losing streak.

The result marked their highest score on Australian soil in 12 years in Joe Schmidt’s last assignment as Wallabies coach.

But it was also their only win; while they were impressive against Ireland, they fell short (31-33), while a dominant first half wasn’t enough to contain France (26-42).

Japan’s first win in official Tier-One competition

The Brave Blossoms recorded their first-ever win in a tier-one tournament by defeating Italy 27-10 in the opening round.

While the Azzurri went into the new biennial tournament fresh off of one of their best Six Nations campaigns in recent history, they were underwhelming as Eddie Jones’ team were deserved winners.

Biggest Negative: Japan’s “home” match in Newcastle

What’s the point of the north going south and vice versa if the entire premise of the competition doesn’t apply to all teams?

Japan being made to host Ireland in New South Wales wasn’t just unfair to them and their supporters, but it also takes away from the integrity of the competition; after all, the travel factor is a core part of it.

Whether Japan boss Eddie Jones, who attributed the venue of the round-two fixture to Irish influence, saying the game that should have been hosted in Tokyo was moved to Australia so Ireland would not have to travel too much, is true or not, it’s just not right.

Northern Hemisphere Pool:

Biggest Winners: France

Les Bleus top the Northern Hemisphere pool after winning two of their three Tests, beating Scotland to the top spot due to a greater points difference (41 to 11).

It was a largely impressive tour for the French, who haven’t enjoyed the best record playing outside Europe.

While they secured comfortable victories over Australia and Japan, one of their highlights will be how they pushed New Zealand in their opening match while missing a number of key players. The All Blacks edged the visitors 34-32 in Christchurch.

Biggest Losers: Italy

The Italians didn’t manage a single win in three rounds in the Southern Hemisphere.

It was as if their Six Nations form disappeared into thin air – they suffered a defeat to Japan in their opening match and followed it up with hapless showings against New Zealand and Australia.

Notable Achievements from the Northern Hemisphere Teams: Leading Statistics

Other than leading the charts in a few stats columns, the Northern Hemisphere teams didn’t set or break any major records.

France’s Maxime Lucu is the top points-scorer at the halfway mark with 37 points, while Matthieu Jalibert has made the most metres, 268.

Italy’s Joaquin Oviedo boasts the most carries, 60, and Ross Vintcent has made the most tackles, 68.

England’s Jack van Poortvliet has the most try assists, four.

Biggest Negative: England’s Discipline

Steve Borthwick’s team copped four yellow cards in their 31-24 win over Argentina in round three, and while the record total of seven yellow cards in that outing wasn’t just on them, with Los Pumas also sent to the sin-bin three times, it took England’s tally to 14 yellow cards in their eight games in 2026.