Amazon Prime will be announced as the main broadcaster in the next 24 hours for the inaugural Autumn Nations Cup, which was announced on Thursday.
As it’s a new event, it was open to all comers and subscription channel Amazon Prime looks set to make a big entry into the rugby market.
According to business experts, it will give Amazon an extra strategic push to attract new customers before Christmas.
The format for the Autumn Nations Cup will be two pools of four – Group A will include England, Ireland, Wales and Georgia with Group B comprising of France, Scotland, Italy and Fiji.
The action gets underway over the weekend of 13th/14th/15th November kicking off with the mouth-watering clash of Ireland and Wales at The Aviva Stadium on the Friday. This will be followed on Saturday by England V Georgia and Italy V Scotland, while on Sunday France will entertain Fiji.
The Autumn Nations Cup will conclude on the weekend of the 5th and 6th December with a special final round of matches.
Based on the pool rankings coming into the final weekend, each team will face off against the team ranked in their same position in the opposite pool, a format which promises some intriguing and unexpected clashes e.g. 1st place Group A v 1st place Group B, 2nd place Group A v 2nd place Group B.
JOIN THE RUCK:
Every Gallagher Premiership club’s most famous fan
From Mary Berry to Sir Alex Ferguson, we run through the stars in the stands for every top-flight team
Bath RFC: Mary Berry
Best known for her cakes – that definitely do not have a soggy bottom – she is beloved across the nation. The 84-year-old, who is best known for previously judging on The Great British Bake Off and her 75 cookbooks, was born in Bath has been involved with the club on a number of occasions.
Bristol Bears: Simon Pegg
The famous actor, best known for Star Trek, Sean of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, revealed in his autobiography that attended Bristol matches when attending university in the city. He revealed in an interview in 2017 that he still follows the team and he hopes to get to a game in the near future
Exeter Chiefs: Liam Tancock
Affectionately known as ‘The Tank’, Liam Tancock is a Devon born athlete to make his mark on the sporting world. Born in Exeter, Liam played for the Exeter Chiefs until he was 13 when his coach persuaded him to pursue a career in swimming over rugby. Keeping his roots close to his heart, he is a keen supporter of Exeter City Football Club and Exeter Chiefs Rugby Club.
