Ireland could up the Springboks as they get a shot at All Blacks' Eden Park record

NEWS: The All Blacks have confirmed their home fixtures for 2026, which include some historic matches for New Zealand fans.

The All Blacks will kick off their 2026 Nations Championship campaign against France at Christchurch’s new One New Zealand Stadium.

It will be the first of four home fixtures across New Zealand’s three biggest cities.

Italy will play the All Blacks at Wellington’s Sky Stadium on Saturday, July 11, while Eden Park in Auckland will host Ireland on Saturday, July 18 and Australia on Saturday, October 10, the first of the two annual Bledisloe Cup Tests.

The season opener will mark the All Blacks’ first Test at a large, permanent stadium in the Canterbury region since the 2011 Christchurch earthquake saw the end of the Lancaster Park era. It will also be the first Test of the new 12-team Nations Championship.

New Zealand Rugby CEO Mark Robinson said the first Test of the year would be a significant moment for rugby.

“For the All Blacks to play at the new One New Zealand stadium 15 years after the earthquakes will be a special moment for the team and a significant occasion for rugby at the start of a new era for the international game.

“Hosting France, Italy and Ireland in consecutive weeks will be new for our players and it creates three unique match experiences for fans in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland as we kick off the Nations Championship era.

“The Bledisloe Cup is a hugely important trophy to the All Blacks, as is the team’s record at Eden Park, and our home fans will no doubt play their part again in the Tests against Ireland and Australia.”

Italy will play their first Test in Wellington and fourth in New Zealand since the two side’s first met in their opening pool match at the 1987 Rugby World Cup.

The All Blacks 52 Test unbeaten streak at Eden Park will be on the line twice in 2026, first against Ireland, then against an Australian team trying to win the Bledisloe Cup for the first time since 2002.

The last team who try to end the record was the Springboks, but the back-to-back World Champs suffered a 17-24 defeat during the Rugby Championship showdown.

Ireland’s visit to Eden Park will be their fourth in New Zealand since their first trip to New Zealand in 1976. They have never won at Eden Park and only twice in New Zealand, but the rivalry between the teams have been evenly matched in recent years with the All Blacks winning six of the last 10 Tests.

All Blacks Head Coach Scott Robertson said: “Playing at home will always be special to the All Blacks and to host three Northern Hemisphere nations in consecutive weeks is a great start to our 2026 campaign and a challenge we will embrace. It will be an historic occasion for Christchurch at the new stadium.

“We know Italy will be highly motivated as we start the Nations Championship and, as always, we will walk toward the challenge of defending our record at Eden Park against Ireland and Australia.”

Through August-September the All Blacks will embark on Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry (RGR) historic tour of South Africa, including four Tests against the Springboks, and four mid-week fixtures against South Africa’s United Rugby Championship teams.

The Bledisloe Cup home and away series will run over two weeks in October, while there are three additional Nations Championship fixtures in November against Wales, Scotland and England as well as the tournament Finals Weekend in London from 27-29 November.

The All Blacks’ 2026 home Test schedule is:

Nations Championship

All Blacks v France, Saturday 4 July, One New Zealand Stadium, Christchurch
All Blacks v Italy, Saturday, 11 July, SKY Stadium, Wellington
All Blacks v Ireland, Saturday, 18 July, Eden Park, Auckland

Bledisloe Cup
All Blacks v Australia, Saturday 10 October, Eden Park, Auckland