Springboks v England, All Blacks v France headlines Nations Championship opening round + can the Wallabies upset Ireland?

A brand-new World Rugby era begins, with David Pembroke and Ewen McKenzie teeing up a massive opening weekend of the Nations Championship and Nations Cup, plus the key questions already bubbling away. The headline act is France v New Zealand in Christchurch, with a Hurricanes-flavoured All Blacks spine, Ruben Love at 10, and France leaning heavily on Bordeaux combinations. There’s plenty of heat too: England head to Johannesburg to face a loaded Springboks side, while the Wallabies name a few surprises for Ireland in Sydney, including Josh Nasser at hooker and Jock Campbell at 15. Japan roll the dice without Eddie Jones in the coaches box, starting a fourth-year university flyhalf against Italy. The lads also touch on under-20s results, crowd concerns, and why meaningful windows and better communication matter if rugby wants more eyeballs.Also in this episode:● Nations Championship launch and why it’s historic● France v New Zealand selections and key match-ups● Japan v Italy: Ryunosuke Ito starts at 10● Wallabies team debate for Ireland in Sydney● England v South Africa: power, altitude, bench impact● Nations Cup fixtures: Uruguay, Georgia, Samoa, Chile, USAPLUS: Why global calendar alignment and meaningful tournaments keep rugby’s best players visible.RUGBY UNITY LIVE! IN NEWCASTLE 10 JULY 2026: https://tickets.iwannaticket.com.au/event/hunter-rugby-luncheon-japan-v-ireland-61ffdoSIGN UP TO THE BIG 3 HERE: https://tinyurl.com/big3rugbyunity 👈👈Ask Eddie Jones and Ewen McKenzie anything! Fill out the form below 👇https://tinyurl.com/rugbyunityquestions 👈👈👉 Want more from Rugby Unity? Subscribe to our Substack for exclusive content, blogs, behind-the-scenes insights, and full podcast access — all in one place: Rugby Unity | Substack 📧 Get in touch: [email protected] to Eleven labs for providing a grant to Rugby Unity so that we can use their world leading software.TikTok | Instagram | YouTube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.