"Eden Park Streak Broken" - 5 Bold Predictions: 2026 Nations Championship July Series

The first ever Nations Championship will kick off in July, for a three week Summer series featuring the tier one countries, along with the invited tier two sides, Japan and Fiji. The European residents of the Six Nations will head down to the Southern Hemisphere, and embark upon block-buster Test matches against the Springboks, All Blacks, Wallabies and Pumas.

The Nations Championship July Series replaces the Summer tours of old, and acts as a 'part one' to the overall tournament. Later in the year, the Nations Championship will return to replace the old Autumn Internationals, with the regular November schedule bolstered to include 'Finals Weekend' at Twickenham.

So, before the inaugural competition gets underway in a couple of months time, we've decided to dust off the old crystal ball once again, to see what July has in store. Before we get started, here's a run down of all the fixtures set to take place across the Summer.

New Zealand vs France / Australia vs Ireland / Japan vs Italy

Fiji vs Wales / South Africa vs England / Argentina vs Scotland

New Zealand vs Italy / Australia vs France / Japan vs Ireland

Fiji vs England / South Africa vs Scotland / Argentina vs Wales

Japan vs France / New Zealand vs Ireland / Australia vs Italy

Fiji vs Scotland / South Africa vs Wales / Argentina vs England

Let's start off with a really bold prediction, as Ireland head over to Auckland for their third and final Test of the Summer. The stage is set at the iconic Eden Park for a thunderous showdown with the All Blacks, in what is a venue that New Zealand men's team have not lost at since 1994. The All Blacks have beaten all on-comers at the incredible amphitheater, with 52 games on the bounce now unbeaten in Auckland.

However, if the latest Guinness Six Nations is anything to go by, then Ireland are returning to their very best form in time for this trip to New Zealand. Andy Farrell's men recovered from an opening round set-back against France to win the remaining four rounds in a row, including a new record margin of victory against England at Twickenham. Ireland finished the 2026 Six Nations a nail-biting second, as England's dramatic loss in Paris handed the title back over to Les Bleus.

New Zealand by contrast have endured a mixed-bag of recent form, with the departure of head coach Scott Robertson coming mid-way through a Rugby World Cup cycle - something that is unprecedented for the All Blacks. 2025 was an interesting year for New Zealand, as they were handed a humbling all-time record margin of defeat by the Springboks (43-10) in the Rugby Championship, and slipped up at Twickenham for a defeat to England in a rare showing of Northern tour fragility. It's sizing up to be a colossal clash in Auckland with Ireland now in far better form, than when they were defeated the All Blacks in Chicago last November.

Our next bold prediction may not hold the same gravitas as an end to the All Blacks' streak at Eden Park, but there is certainly a statement to be made for a Springboks clean sweep. South Africa host England, Scotland and Wales, for three marquee match-ups across Johannesburg, Pretoria and Durban. You would certainly place your bets on the Springboks to deliver the goods, as the back-to-back world champions look immovable at the summit of the men's game.

The Springboks enjoyed a rather dominant calendar year across 2025, with just two defeats to speak of against a total of 13 wins. A Summer of easy wins over the Barbarians, Italy and Georgia rolled quickly into the Rugby Championship, as Rassie Erasmus' men retained the title for the first time in Springbok history. With defeats to Australia and New Zealand, it was not a flawless run, yet the Boks closed out their year with a Northern tour Grand Slam of wins over Japan, France, Italy, Ireland and Wales.

The men in green and gold continue to build momentum, with a fresh cohort of aspiring Springboks in the fold. South Africa will view the Nations Championship as the perfect opportunity to build momentum, ahead of welcoming the All Blacks for a three-match series in wake of the forgone Rugby Championship. With England on the mend from a historic low Six Nations, Scotland fumbling the Triple Crown, and Wales still a far cry from their very best, this Summer Series is shaping up to see three wins for the Springboks.

Whilst we don't anticipate to see England take the win from their incoming trip to Johannesburg, this clash with the Springboks could certainly be closer than many are anticipating. With the pressure on head coach Steve Borthwick, England are in desperate need for a return to winning form, following their worst ever performance across the Guinness Men's Six Nations.

England struggled in this year's championship, with just one win from five matches handing them the fifth placed finish. After a solid start on the road against Wales, England collapsed in the Calcutta Cup match, before taking a heavy defeat at home to Ireland. Round Four brought about an agonising first-ever defeat to a much improved Italian side, before England impressed in Paris for the final round defeat to France.

It's this closing encounter that has the gears turning, as England traded the lead time and again with a Les Bleus side that everyone had pinned for a walkover. A score of 48-46 sent shock-waves across Europe, as England turned a corner in this all-time barn-stormer. We expect England to return to winning ways for their second week game against Fiji, with the home-field advantage to boot as rugby takes over the home of Everton football club. A hard-fought win over Argentina would end the Summer on a high, and hand Steve Borthwick back some much-needed favour with the England fans.

You would need to re-wind the clocks back to February of 2022, to find the last time Wales won back-to-back men's Test matches at the Principality Stadium. Coming in Round Two of the 2022 Six Nations, Wales defeated Scotland in Cardiff to bag the Celtic bragging rights. Prior to this, Wales beat Australia in the closing weekend of the 2021 Autumn Series. (2022 Six Nations Round 1 was away to Ireland).

Wales can make it two on the trot at the Principality Stadium this Summer, as they welcome Fiji to the heart of the capital city. Whilst this is officially penned in as a 'home match' for the Flying Fijians, the travel and venue restrictions to the Pacific Islands sees Fiji play their 'Southern Series' fixtures across Everton, Cardiff and Edinburgh. Wales closed out their 2026 Six Nations campaign with a long-awaited home win, as they triumphed 31-17 over Italy for the first victory of the Steve Tandy era.

Now, there is no understating how Fiji can deliver against tier one nations. Over recent years, the high-octane Pacific Islanders accrued a first win over England at Twickenham, and defeated Australia at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. This will certainly be a trying test match for Wales, yet with the hoodoo of the first win off their shoulders, Tandy's side can continue their re-building phase with optimism high ahead of the inaugural Nations Championship. A second home win in a row would lift the spirits around Cardiff, with captain Jac Morgan out to lead his men to another much needed victory.

At the end of every domestic season, a glimmer of international hope emerges once again for the top talents that are yet to earn a cap. For our last bold prediction, we've picked out three players who we expect will make their international debuts in the Nations Championship. Our first pick is Saracens wing Noah Caluori, with England fans willing Steve Borthwick to unleash the hot-stepping 19-year-old.

Caluori has been a human highlight-reel in the Gallagher PREM this season, with a stunning strike rate of 24 tries across his 23 appearances in all competitions. His stand-out moments have come against Sale, as Caluroi has twice scored five tries in his two PREM meetings with the Sharks this season. The most talked about young talent in the PREM, Borthwick could look no further than unleashing Caluori upon Fiji, with his England A honours putting him upon the international radar.

Next up is Bryn Ward of Ulster, who has surpassed his own expectations for the URC season. The 21-year-old set himself the challenge of making five Ulster caps, but has progressed to be a mainstay in Richie Murphy's back row with an Ireland A cap to boot. With Ulster rejuvenated in the URC play-off mix and with the Challenge Cup Final on the horizon, Ward has to focus upon the here and now before an expected Ireland debut comes calling this Summer.

Closing out our bold predictions for the 2026 Nations Championship, we anticipate a Wallabies debut for Zac Lomax, who sent shockwaves upon his code-switch earlier this year. The former NRL star swapped over to union, and was swiftly snapped up for Super Rugby side Western Force. Lomax has taken Perth by storm, and could emulate his former State of Origin New South Wales teammate Joseph Sua'ali'i with a run in the Wallabies back-line very soon indeed.