Nations Championship Round 1 | Shocks In Store?

The wait is finally over. A brand new era of international rugby kicks off this weekend with Round 1 of the inaugural 2026 Nations Championship. In this episode, I am breaking down every single matchup, giving my honest thoughts and making my official match-by-match predictions. Are we in for some massive opening-round shocks, or will the heavyweights hold firm? We have absolute blockbuster tier-1 clashes waiting for us. The World Champion Springboks play host to a dangerous England squad at Ellis Park. Meanwhile, Dave Rennie’s All Blacks welcome France to Christchurch for a massive test of intent. Plus, Joe Schmidt's Wallabies face a brutal opening test against Ireland in Sydney. I go through all six fixtures to separate the pretenders from the contenders. Drop your own predictions in the comments below, who is your lock of the week, and where is the upset happening? 👇If you enjoy the content, please smash that LIKE button, SUBSCRIBE to the channel for my take on rugby talk, and hit the notification bell so you never miss an episode! 🏆 #springboks #southafrica, #allblacks