“2/10” – Six players who flopped in Nations Championship Week One

Saturday, 04 July 2026 at 22:29

byRugby Rucker

The inaugural Nations Championship got off to a spectacular start, with all six opening-round matches delivering drama, points and plenty of talking points.

⭐ Save us to your Google Favourites for nonstop RUCK content!

Every result from Nations Championship Week One:

There were just two points between New Zealand and France, Ireland snatched a thrilling victory in Australia, while Scotland emerged from a 47-38 shootout against Argentina.

Elsewhere, Japan stunned Italy, Wales pulled clear late on to beat Fiji and world champions South Africa handed England a bruising defeat at Ellis Park.

But while plenty of players enhanced their reputations, others endured opening weekends they will want to forget.

Here are six players who flopped in Nations Championship Week One.

Louis Rees-Zammit (Wales)

With the experiment of using him as an international full-back seemingly over, the Bristol Bears star returned to the wing against Fiji.

However, his comeback to the outside channels did not go to plan. Rees-Zammit received a brutal welcome back when he was driven into touch by both Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula and Frank Lomani.

Compared to the rest of the Welsh backline, the speedster was unusually quiet and struggled to impose himself on the contest.

Wales eventually ran in six tries to claim a 39-24 victory, but Rees-Zammit will know much more is required ahead of tougher Tests against Argentina and South Africa.

Raj

@raj_2406

·Follow

Rees Zammit having an absolute stinker so far! Get Ellis Mee on!

1:42 PM · Jul 4, 2026

Read 1 reply

Demba Bamba (France)

You are never going to become a consistent Test player if you cannot hold your own at scrum time, and that remains the biggest concern surrounding Bamba.

The France tighthead endured a torrid afternoon against New Zealand, conceding penalties at the set-piece as the All Blacks gradually gained the upper hand.

He was also guilty of a needless infringement in the loose during a performance littered with mistakes.

RugbyPass handed Bamba a 4.5/10, while his opposite number Ethan de Groot was praised for his work against the French prop.

Demba Bamba écope de la pire note du match des Bleus https://t.co/Bc4flXN1cx

— blog-rct.com (@Blog_RCT) July 4, 2026

Marcus Smith (England)

Promoted from the bench after George Furbank was admitted to hospital for appendix surgery, Smith once again found himself wearing the No.15 shirt.

His one-on-one defence was exposed by Kurt-Lee Arendse for South Africa’s early try, although there was a measure of revenge when his pass later forced the Springbok wing into a deliberate knock-on and yellow card.

That numerical advantage helped ignite England’s brief fightback, but Smith was largely anonymous after the break and was caught biting in defensively for Jesse Kriel’s try.

Planet Rugby handed the Harlequins playmaker a brutal 4/10.

Can we seriously @EnglandRugby stop pretending that Marcus Smith and Caden Murley are International rugby players!!! #RSAENG

— Wattsy (@ros_watts) July 4, 2026

Josh Canham (Australia)

There was plenty to like about Canham’s performance against Ireland, particularly his hands, carrying close to the defence and a crucial lineout steal after 55 minutes.

Unfortunately, the bad comfortably outweighed the good.

The lock was far too upright when attempting to stop Cian Prendergast, produced a shocking tackle attempt for Josh van der Flier’s score and then conceded the penalty which preceded Hugo Keenan’s try.

Canham crossed for a try himself, but his defensive errors contributed to three Irish scores. Joe Schmidt gambled by selecting him ahead of Nick Frost and Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, and it backfired.

Planet Rugby rated him just 3/10.

James Ryan (Ireland)

Ryan endured a surprisingly error-strewn afternoon despite Ireland escaping Sydney with a dramatic victory.

He was caught out of position as Carter Gordon’s break created Jock Campbell’s try and struggled to provide his usual authority at the lineout, with Ireland losing four throws across the contest.

Ryan then lost a crucial attacking lineout five metres from the Wallabies line before his illegal obstruction on Rob Valetini wiped out what appeared to be a Dan Sheehan try.

He worked hard defensively, but several high-profile errors almost proved extremely costly.

Death, taxes, James Ryan giving away needless penalties

— Ricky Harries (@RickyHarries) July 4, 2026

Lorenzo Cannone (Italy)

Italy’s entire pack will want to forget their trip to Tokyo, but Cannone endured a particularly frustrating afternoon as Japan dominated the second half.

The Azzurri turned possession over more than 20 times and failed to score a single point after the break as Japan pulled clear for a convincing 27-10 victory.

Cannone struggled to provide his usual carrying influence as Italy repeatedly lost momentum and control. After an encouraging Six Nations campaign, this was a major step backwards for Gonzalo Quesada’s side — and their No.8 was unable to drag them out of trouble.