Dan Cole and Ben Youngs predict every Nations Championship game
Rugby NewsWednesday, 01 July 2026 at 19:06
With the inaugural Nations Championship set to begin this Saturday, former England internationals Ben Youngs and Dan Cole have shared their predictions for every fixture on the latest episode of For The Love of Rugby.
The pair assessed each match, debated key talking points, and projected the final standings across both hemispheres. From major upsets to title contenders, their forecasts offer an intriguing preview of what could unfold.
New Zealand vs France
Ben Youngs believes the absence of Shaun Edwards and Antoine Dupont could have an impact.
Combined with several Toulouse players being unavailable, he feels the contest may resemble Bordeaux against the Hurricanes and expects France to come out on top in the atmosphere of the new One New Zealand Stadium.
Dan Cole gives New Zealand the edge, arguing that France may be feeling the effects of a long domestic season, while the All Blacks should benefit from greater continuity under Dave Rennie. Cole predicted a New Zealand bonus point win, with France collecting a losing bonus point. Youngs made the opposite call.
Japan vs Italy
Cole expects Japan to be highly motivated in Tokyo and start strongly in the heat, but sees Italy staying in the contest. He predicts a Japanese bonus point victory, with Italy picking up two losing bonus points.
Youngs, meanwhile, is backing Italy to win with a bonus point, with Japan earning a bonus point of their own.
Australia vs Ireland
One of the most difficult fixtures to call, according to both pundits. After some deliberation, Youngs backed Ireland to win, although he highlighted Australia as dark horses for next year's home World Cup.
Both agreed on five points for Ireland and two for Australia.
Fiji vs Wales
Youngs spoke about his admiration for Fiji and, perhaps influenced by that, tipped them to win with a bonus point while leaving Wales pointless.
Although technically an away fixture, the match will be played in Cardiff. Cole believes Wales will edge a close contest, taking four points while Fiji collect two.
South Africa vs England
Based on England's Six Nations form, Youngs does not see them winning at Ellis Park. He believes England are lacking strength in key areas of the pack and predicts a South African bonus point victory, with England taking nothing.
Cole also expects a South Africa win but hopes a lack of cohesion in the opening game might keep things competitive. Drawing on his own experience of playing at altitude in Johannesburg, he sees England scoring four tries and earning a bonus point.
Argentina vs Scotland
Following Bath's Premiership semi-final win over Exeter Chiefs, where Santi Carreras opted not to attempt a late drop goal, Youngs joked that he hopes this match comes down to a drop goal to see whether Carreras or Finn Russell would take responsibility.
Cole predicts a home bonus point win for Argentina, with Scotland collecting two bonus points. Youngs expects a high-tempo match and the same overall result, although he does not think Scotland will finish within seven points.
New Zealand vs Italy
Both expect New Zealand to dominate, taking five points while Italy come away empty-handed.
Australia vs France
With the match taking place at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, both former internationals spoke fondly of the venue.
They disagreed on the result, however. Youngs backed France, while Cole sided with the Wallabies.
Japan vs Ireland
Played in Newcastle, Australia, this fixture gives Ireland a travel advantage. Both quickly agreed on an Irish bonus point win, with Japan failing to register any points.
Fiji vs England
Scheduled for Everton's stadium, Youngs joked that Fiji could be distracted by Liverpool's nightlife.
He still backed England to win a close encounter, predicting five points for England and two for Fiji, while admitting he expects it to be a difficult watch.
South Africa vs Scotland
Both quickly settled on a South African victory with little debate.
Argentina vs Wales
Cole predicts an Argentina win without a bonus point, while Youngs believes the Pumas will secure a bonus point victory.
New Zealand vs Ireland
At Eden Park, a venue long regarded as a fortress for New Zealand, Youngs cannot see the All Blacks losing. He expects a relatively comfortable victory, though not with a bonus point, and does not see Ireland taking anything from the match.
Cole also predicts a New Zealand win, but with a bonus point and Ireland earning a single bonus point of their own.
Japan vs France
Cole believes this could be a challenging fixture for France and feels they may not be at their best, but still have enough quality to secure victory.
Youngs expects an even more convincing performance, predicting a French bonus point win with Japan left pointless.
Australia vs Italy
Both believe Australia will have the advantage after a long season.
Fiji vs Scotland
Youngs was confident Scotland would win with home advantage, and Cole agreed.
South Africa vs Wales
Both see this as a relatively one-sided contest, with South Africa possessing too much quality, despite Wales showing signs of improvement since the autumn.
Argentina vs England
In the final match of the summer series, Youngs focused on the relationship between Felipe Contepomi and Tom Curry after Contepomi alleged Curry struck him in the tunnel following their Quilter Nations Series encounter.
Cole has backed Argentina to win narrowly in the difficult conditions of Santiago del Estero. Youngs considers the match difficult to predict because it could depend on earlier results, but has ultimately tipped England to edge it.
Autumn Series
Ireland vs Argentina
Both expect Ireland to win, although they anticipate a close match.
Italy vs South Africa
Both predict another comfortable South African victory.
Scotland vs New Zealand
Reflecting on last year's close encounter, Youngs believes Scotland can go one step further and secure a win. He predicts no bonus point for Scotland, but a bonus point for New Zealand.
Cole expects the All Blacks to come out on top.
Wales vs Japan
With Wales having improved since their previous meeting with Japan, both agreed on a Welsh victory.
France vs Fiji
There was little debate, with both backing France to win.
England vs Australia
Both are confident England will win. Youngs was particularly emphatic, although he later tempered his view by praising Australia and describing them as potential World Cup dark horses.
Cole also expects England to come out on top.
France vs South Africa
Youngs believes France must win this match from a psychological standpoint ahead of the World Cup, given the damage South Africa have inflicted in previous meetings. He predicts a narrow French victory and argues that defeat could seriously affect France's World Cup prospects.
Cole agrees that the match will be tight but believes South Africa will win.
Italy vs Argentina
Youngs confidently backed Italy to win in Genoa, and Cole agreed.
Wales vs New Zealand
Despite Wales' improvement, both expect New Zealand to win comfortably.
England vs Japan
There was no debate here, with both predicting an England victory.
Ireland vs Fiji
Both see Ireland winning, collecting five points to Fiji's one.
Scotland vs Australia
Although Youngs had previously tipped Scotland to beat New Zealand, he believes the Scots struggle to back up big results and has therefore gone for Australia in this fixture.
Cole disagrees and expects Scotland to win at home.
Scotland vs Japan
Another straightforward prediction, with both expecting a comfortable Scottish victory.
Italy vs Fiji
Both again agreed quickly on an Italian win.
Wales vs Australia
This fixture produced very different predictions. Youngs believes Australia will simply be too strong, while Cole thinks a long season will leave the Wallabies fatigued and vulnerable to a Welsh upset.
France vs Argentina
Both backed France, although Cole believes Argentina will at least earn a bonus point.
Ireland vs South Africa
Despite the fierce rivalry that has developed in recent years, both surprisingly backed Ireland to beat the world champions in Dublin, and did so with little discussion.
England vs New Zealand
Youngs favours New Zealand because of their cohesion as a team, while Cole backs England to make home advantage and the weather count.
Final Weekend
Wales vs Japan
In the sixth-place playoff, both are convinced Wales will beat Japan.
Italy vs Fiji
For fifth place, both expect another Northern Hemisphere success, with Italy coming out on top.
Scotland vs Argentina
Both see Argentina winning, giving the Southern Hemisphere a much-needed victory.
Third Place Match
Youngs: England vs Australia
Youngs predicts England will face Australia and has backed England to win.
Cole: France vs Australia
Cole expects France to finish third.
Second Place Match
Youngs: Ireland vs New Zealand
Although he expects a close contest, Youngs believes Ireland will prevail.
Cole: England vs South Africa
Cole has backed South Africa to win.
Final Prediction
Youngs: France vs South Africa
Having previously predicted a crucial French victory over the Springboks, Youngs believes France's energy reserves will be depleted by the final. He expects South Africa's physicality to overwhelm them.
Cole: Ireland vs New Zealand
After some hesitation, Cole initially backed Ireland, then considered New Zealand, before ultimately predicting a draw after golden point extra time, with Ireland prevailing in a shootout.
Overall Verdict
Both Youngs and Cole agreed that the Northern Hemisphere would come out on top overall.
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- Jordie Barrett over Damian de Allende is far from being correct. The hype around Dupont is also overreaching, he's probably 4th in the world and has been since the 2023 WC. He also avoids certain matchups which is strange. The rest of the list is pretty good apart from minor subjective biases.JasonMarlow16-09-2026
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