Nations Championship Team of the Week: Round One

Saturday, 04 July 2026 at 23:28

byRugby Rucker

The inaugural Nations Championship arrived with a bang as all 12 teams served up a memorable opening weekend.

New Zealand survived a major scare to edge France 34-32, while Ireland completed a dramatic comeback to beat Australia 33-31 in Sydney.

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Japan produced arguably the shock of the round with a 27-10 victory over Italy, Wales saw off Fiji 39-24 and Scotland emerged from a remarkable 47-38 shootout in Argentina.

South Africa then rounded off the action by putting England to the sword, running out convincing 45-21 winners at Ellis Park.

There were standout performances across all six matches, but only 15 players could make our side.

Here is the RUCK Nations Championship Team of the Week.

Back-three:

15. Hugo Keenan (Ireland)

Rescued Ireland with a fantastic tackle on Joseph Sua'ali'i, preventing the former rugby league star from potentially putting the Wallabies 31-12 ahead.

That intervention proved crucial as Ireland remained in the contest and eventually edged a thriller, with Keenan then going over for one of their second-half tries.

Ireland’s comeback simply would not have been possible without his contribution.

14. Will Jordan (New Zealand)

Despite New Zealand being down a man early on, Jordan needed just one opportunity to make his mark.

The prolific winger finished brilliantly from Beauden Barrett’s looping long pass before following Luke Jacobson down the right touchline to grab his second late on.

Clinical, ruthless and once again decisive.

11. Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa)

Marked his 50th Springbok appearance in style by skinning Cadan Murley to score during South Africa’s devastating opening blitz.

Kolbe was also brilliant in the air, made several excellent defensive reads and contributed from the kicking tee.

Centres:

13. Rory Hutchinson (Scotland)

Silky smooth as always.

Hutchinson’s running game caused Argentina problems throughout, but his step inside the drifting defence before firing out a pass for Sione Tuipulotu’s try was simply outstanding.

The Northampton Saint then powered over for a try of his own before half-time.

12. Joe Hawkins (Wales)

Hawkins continues to establish himself as Wales’ first-choice inside centre and produced another impressive display against Fiji.

The 23-year-old was outstanding defensively, making 12 tackles in the first half alone, while his growing partnership with Eddie James is starting to look like the real deal.

There was one questionable kick in behind after Wales had built pressure, but otherwise this was another assured display.

Half-backs:

10. Matthieu Jalibert (France)

As always, Jalibert was central to France’s fast-paced attacking game and kept New Zealand guessing with his mixture of running and kicking.

He concluded the match with a surprisingly powerful finish, bursting through Ardie Savea to keep France’s hopes alive and showcasing another side to his game.

9. Cam Roigard (New Zealand)

Named player of the match after providing quick, sharp service and keeping the All Blacks attack flowing at a relentless tempo.

Roigard showed excellent support play to score just before half-time before grabbing a second following brilliant work from his centres.

His sniping runs continued to cause France problems after the break.

Front-row:

1. Ellis Genge (England)

Questions were asked before the game about whether England could front up physically against the Springboks, and Genge certainly answered them.

A constant threat with ball in hand, the prop showed real intent throughout and repeatedly looked to inject tempo with quick penalties.

He fully deserved his try after powering through Thomas du Toit from close range.

2. Malcolm Marx (South Africa)

The lineout was shaky at times, and Marx must shoulder some of the blame, but the reigning World Rugby Player of the Year still produced a statement performance.

He played the full 80 minutes, led the Springbok tackle count, threatened at the breakdown, scored a try and assisted another.

Simply marvellous.

3. Thomas du Toit (South Africa)

Set the tone for South Africa’s dominant victory by powering over for the opening try after just three minutes, sparking the Springboks’ devastating early blitz.

Du Toit was not perfect, with Ellis Genge getting the better of him for England’s first try, but he remained a powerful presence in the tight and played his part as the hosts gradually overwhelmed England up front.

A try-scoring performance in a commanding 45-21 victory was enough to earn him the tighthead shirt in our Team of the Week.

Second-row:

4. Pieter-Steph du Toit (South Africa)

Shifted into the second row and handed the captaincy following the late withdrawals of Siya Kolisi and Eben Etzebeth, but the disruption hardly bothered him.

Du Toit was everywhere across his 80 minutes, carrying powerfully, dominating contact and providing an important presence at the lineout.

Another colossal performance.

5. Sam Darry (New Zealand)

Involved from the opening minutes with a relentless stream of carries and tackles.

Darry had already reached double figures defensively inside the opening half-hour and even stepped in as a makeshift scrum-half during the build-up to New Zealand’s second try.

Finished with a game-leading 23 tackles.

Back-row:

6. Ben Gunter (Japan)

One of the easiest selections in the entire XV after a colossal performance in Japan’s shock victory over Italy.

The blindside was named player of the match after finishing with a game-high 19 completed tackles and played a huge role in Japan shutting Italy out completely after half-time.

Gunter then delivered the decisive moment shortly after the break. After Japan worked through 16 phases, he powered through four defenders to score and move the Brave Blossoms into a commanding lead.

A relentless display at the heart of the weekend’s biggest upset.

7. Jac Morgan (Wales)

Wales’ best player and thoroughly deserving of his player-of-the-match award.

Morgan put in a huge shift, finishing as his side’s top tackler with 17 while also playing a crucial role at the breakdown.

He also crossed for two tries.

A superstar.

fiji v wales 2026 nations championship 4

CARDIFF, WALES - JULY 04: Aaron Wainwright of Wales speaks to the media following the 2026 Nations Championship match between Fiji and Wales at Cardiff City Stadium on July 04, 2026 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Alex Livesey - Nations Championship/Nations Championship via Getty Images)