5 Bold Predictions: Nations Championship Round 3

The third and final week in the 2026 Nations Championship is upon us, and we are set for another thrilling round of fixtures to close out the first ever Southern Series.

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There is more than international pride on the line as we approach the half-way stage of the inaugural Nations Championship, as the 12 competing teams jostle for position, ahead of the Northern Series this coming November. As it stands, Ireland lead the way in the Northern Conference as the sole unbeaten side from the Six Nations representatives, whilst the Springboks and All Blacks are tied on 10 points each, with just a +6 points difference putting South Africa to the summit of the Southern Conference.

The stage is set to end either Ireland or New Zealand’s unbeaten run this weekend, with the historic 32-year, 52 Test streak also on the line when the sides clash at Eden Park. This blockbuster fixture kicks things off in Auckland, before Japan host France at the MUFG Stadium in Tokyo. Australia then take on Italy in the weekend’s resident ‘race to the bottom clash’, with both the Wallabies and Azzurri desperate to get off the mark with their first win of the Nations Championship.

Fiji then ‘host’ Scotland in Edinburgh. yet the more than familiar settings of the Murrayfield cauldron would likely play to the advantage of the Scottish ‘visitors’. The action then returns back to the Southern Hemisphere for the two closing fixtures, as Wales take on a heavily rotated, yet never underestimated Springboks outfit in Durban, before England look to build on last weekend’s return to winning form as they take on Argentina in Santiago del Estero.

We’ve kept the crystal ball out for one more week in RUCK headquarters, and took a look into what’s in store for the near future in the Nations Championship. Here’s our predictions for the third round of action, as the Southern Series comes to a close.

NEW ZEALAND KEEP EDEN PARK STREAK ALIVE

For avid RUCK readers, you would be right to call out how we are back-peddling upon an earlier prediction made ahead of the Nations Championship. Coming into the competition, we made the bold assumption that following their tremendous run of form in the 2026 Six Nations, Ireland could make history in Auckland and end the Eden Park streak held by the All Blacks. However, the men in green have been less than convincing upon their Southern campaign thus far, in their efforts against Australia and Japan.

The win over the Wallabies could easily have fallen the other way, had replacement fly half Ben Donaldson slotted the 80th minute penalty attempt to prevent Ireland’s 33-31 victory in Sydney. Whilst there is no taking away from the attacking attrition displayed by Andy Farrell’s side, Ireland leaked several uncustomary tries in New South Wales, and found themselves fortunate to outscore the opposition, in a Test match that better resembled a basketball game at the Allianz Stadium.

Whilst Farrell made a plethora of changes and handed four debuts in the clash with Japan, this by no means justifies the sub-par display presented in Newcastle. The 36-20 win may read convincing on paper, but the Brave Blossoms had ample opportunities to steal the victory, as Eddie Jones men dominated the set-piece, and Ireland struggled at both the scrum and line-out. Such short-comings displayed in the Australia and Japan Tests will not go unpunished against the All Blacks, who are looking all the more formidable as each week passes under the control of their astute head coach Dave Rennie.

PREDICTION: ALL BLACKS WIN BY 9 TO KEEP EDEN PARK STREAK ALIVE

AUSTRALIA DEFEAT ITALY IN ‘RACE TO THE BOTTOM’ BATTLE

The second match on this Saturday’s blockbuster card sees Australia take on Italy, with both sides searching for their first win of the Nations Championship, to avoid finishing towards the bottom of their respective tables. The Wallabies came agonisingly close to picking up the win over Ireland, yet the 45m penalty kick from wide out on the right touch-line proved too much for Donaldson to close out round one.

Last weekend was another tough day at the office for Joe Schmidt’s side, as France unleashed a torrent of second half tries to complete a memorable 42-26 comeback, after trailing 21-12 at the break. Romain Ntamack, Matthieu Jalibert and Maxime Lucu ran rings around the Wallabies at the Suncorp Stadium, as Tom Wright’s spell in the sin-bin opened the floodgates for Les Bleus.

Meanwhile, Italy have endured a crashing return back down to reality after riding unadulterated highs throughout the 2026 Six Nations. Having secured their first ever win over England and maintained a three-match unbeaten run in Rome, Italy collapsed upon their trip out to the Far East, as Japan dominated the gain-line for a 27-10 win in Tokyo. Italy then had the unenviable travel schedule for a clash with the All Blacks in Wellington, and Gonzalo Quesada’s side never got out the starting gate, as New Zealand raced away for the 47-17 win – with Will Jordan becoming the All Blacks top try scorer in the process upon his 50th try.

So, with all eyes turning to Perth, there’s no doubt that the Wallabies will be salivating at the opportunity to bag a home-soil win over an off-form Italian side. The Wallabies have collaborated with Western Force Women for a special double header event, as the Super Rugby Women’s semi-final against the Waratahs will proceed the Nations Championship clash at HBF Park. We anticipate a long awaited, but incredibly tense win for Australia, with departing Joe Schmidt eager to ‘leave the house in good order’ for the incoming head coach Les Kiss.

RUCK PREDICTION: AUSTRALIA WIN BY 6 POINTS

SCOTLAND HAND FIJI A THIRD STRAIGHT SUMMER DEFEAT

It has been quite the arduous Summer campaign for the Flying Fijians, with the Pacific Islanders sporting an unwanted Nations Championship record of two defeats from their opening two matches. Senirusi Seruvakula’s men suffered an opening round loss to Wales (39-24) in the Cardiff City Stadium, before a resurgent England team dropped the hammer down in last weekend’s emphatic 11-try landslide, that finished 73-8 at the final whistle.

We see little alternative beyond a third straight loss for Fiji, who are set to ‘host’ Scotland this Saturday in their own back yard of Murrayfield Stadium. Due to the infrastructure limitations back home in Fiji, Seruvakula’s side can’t welcome the Northern nations down to Suva, which is why they have adopted a ‘Barbarians-esque’ nomadic approach across the UK this Summer. With World Rugby confirming plans to rectify this in the years to come with enhanced stadia and facilities to be developed across Fiji, this could well be a one off for the Pacific Island side.

All the while, Scotland have enjoyed a solid Summer campaign thus far, with a strong opening round win over Argentina (47-38), which set a stunning precedence out in Cordoba. Finn Russell and Sione Tuipulotu were then at their very best in last weekend’s trip down to South Africa, where Gregor Townsend’s side fought tooth and nail against the world champion Springboks. It was a respectable first half effort against the best team in the world, yet the Springboks eventually ran away in the latter stages for the 42-28 win. Scotland are certainly the favourites ahead of their return to Edinburgh, and we back them for the steady win.

RUCK PREDICTION: SCOTLAND WIN BY 18 POINTS

WALES ARE NO THREAT FOR THE NEW LOOK SPRINGBOKS

A little over a year out from the 2027 Rugby World Cup, and the possibility of an unprecedented Springboks ‘three-peat’ has never looked more likley. The back-to-back (or Bokke-to-Bokke) world champions refuse to take their foot off the gas, with head coach Rassie Erasmus instead opting to deepen the fuel reserves before next Autumn’s trip down to Australia.

Ahead of the Nations Championship, Erasmus laid out how he will be unleashing several new waves of emerging Springboks talents this Summer, and the longest-serving South Africa head coach has certainly made good upon his promises. The opening two rounds have witnessed impressive green and gold victories against England in Johannesburg (45-21) and over Scotland in Pretoria (42-28), with four uncapped players now named to take on Wales for the Southern Series closer this Saturday in Durban.

Whilst we anticipate a routine win for South Africa, that by no means takes away from how Wales have continued to progress under Steve Tandy. Wales secured a steady opening round win over Fiji to kick-off their campaign, in what marked back-to-back wins for Tandy’s side, following on from their Six Nations closing triumph over Italy. However, the latest trip to Argentina went off-script, as Jaoquin Oviedo and Santiago Carreras ran rampant in the 35-21 Pumas win. We expect the Springboks to end their Southern Series unbeaten, before welcoming the All Blacks for an epic four match Test saga later in the Summer.

PREDICTION: SPRINGBOKS TO WIN BY 24 POINTS.

ENGLAND CONTINUE THEIR WINNING FORM OUT IN ARGENTINA

“England versus Argentina” has certainly become the most discussed topic of conversation for sports fans this week, as the Three Lions take on Lionel Messi and co in the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup this Wednesday. However, dependent on the result out in the USA, Steve Borthwick’s England team will either look to secure revenge for the fallen footballers, or emulate the efforts of Thomas Tuchel’s triumphant side.

England close out the 2026 Nations Championship Southern Series down in Santiago del Estero, with Borthwick’s men adamant to build upon their long-awaited return to winning form this past weekend. England dropped a hammer and anvil down upon 14-man Fiji, with Henry Pollock’s hat-trick stealing the show, alongside debut tries for Noah Caluori and Benhard Janse van Rensburg in the thunderous 73-8 win. England head down to South America with a full head of steam after ending their five-match losing run, and eye up a repeat of last Summer’s back-to-back touring victories over Argentina by bagging the win this weekend.

However, Felipe Contepomi’s men are not going to lay down easily for the incoming English, and like Borthwick’s side, will have one eye on ‘el futbol’ for some last-minute motivation. Argentina successfully navigated a return to winning form last weekend, as Los Pumas bounced back from their opening round defeat to Scotland with a measured and authoritative display against Wales. An away trip to Argentina is no mean feat, with altitude, climate and a hostile home support all favouring the men in blue and white. However, we foresee England calling upon their recent success in Argentina for the win, but it will come down to the wire.

RUCK PREDICTION: ENGLAND WIN BY 3 POINTS

5 Bold Predictions: Nations Championship Round 3 – England to beat Argentina