The Nations Championship reaches its midway point Saturday with a blockbuster showdown between two of the world's premier rugby powers as No. 2 New Zealand hosts No. 3 Ireland at Eden Park. Both nations enter Round 3 unbeaten after navigating difficult opening fixtures, making this one of the defining matches of the tournament's opening half.
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The All Blacks have been tested in each of their first two outings, defeating France 34-32 before pulling away for a 47-17 victory over Italy. Ireland also arrives with plenty of confidence after edging Australia 33-31 in Round 1 before defeating Japan 36-20 to take sole possession of first place in the Northern Hemisphere standings.
Recent history favors New Zealand, which has won three straight meetings against Ireland, including victories last November and at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Ireland, however, won the previous two encounters during its historic tour of New Zealand in 2022. With only one place separating the teams in the latest World Rugby rankings and both sides sitting 2-0, Saturday's clash could prove pivotal in both the Nations Championship race and the battle near the top of the world standings.
Watch the match below or watch the match on RugbyPass TV!
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Nations Championship Round 3 Fixtures & Schedule
Saturday, July 18 (ET)
- 3:10 a.m. ET — New Zealand vs. Ireland
- 4:40 a.m. ET — Japan vs. France
- 6:10 a.m. ET — Australia vs. Italy
- 9:10 a.m. ET — Fiji vs. Scotland
- 11:40 a.m. ET — South Africa vs. Wales
- 3:10 p.m. ET — Argentina vs. England
Nations Championship Standings
Northern Hemisphere
- Ireland — 10 points
- France — 7 points
- Scotland — 6 points
- England — 5 points
- Wales — 5 points
- Italy — 0 points
Southern Hemisphere
- South Africa — 10 points
- New Zealand — 10 points
- Argentina — 6 points
- Japan — 4 points
- Australia — 3 points
- Fiji — 0 points
Remaining Nations Championship Schedule
Here's what happens in November.
Nations Championship Round 4
Friday, Nov. 6
- 3:10 p.m. ET — Ireland vs. Argentina
Saturday, Nov. 7
- 6:40 a.m. ET — Italy vs. South Africa
- 9:10 a.m. ET — Scotland vs. New Zealand
- 11:40 a.m. ET — Wales vs. Japan
- 3:10 p.m. ET — France vs. Fiji
Sunday, Nov. 8
- 10:10 a.m. ET — England vs. Australia
Nations Championship Round 5
Friday, Nov. 13
- 3:10 p.m. ET — France vs. South Africa
Saturday, Nov. 14
- 6:40 a.m. ET — Italy vs. Argentina
- 9:10 a.m. ET — Wales vs. New Zealand
- 11:40 a.m. ET — England vs. Japan
- 3:10 p.m. ET — Ireland vs. Fiji
Sunday, Nov. 15
- 10:10 a.m. ET — Scotland vs. Australia
Nations Championship Round 6
Saturday, Nov. 21
- 9:10 a.m. ET — England vs. New Zealand
- 9:10 a.m. ET — Scotland vs. Japan
- 11:40 a.m. ET — Ireland vs. South Africa
- 11:40 a.m. ET — Italy vs. Fiji
- 3:10 p.m. ET — France vs. Argentina
- 3:10 p.m. ET — Wales vs. Australia
Nations Championship Final
The inaugural Nations Championship Final will be played during the weekend of Nov. 27, with the top Northern Hemisphere team meeting the top Southern Hemisphere team to determine the tournament champion.
Here's How Fans Can Watch The Nations Championship
Fans in the United States can stream every Nations Championship match for free on RugbyPass TV and the World Rugby YouTube page.
World Rugby Nations Cup Round 3 Fixtures & Schedule
Saturday, July 18 (ET)
- 10:30 a.m. ET — Samoa vs. Romania
- 1:00 p.m. ET — Uruguay vs. Hong Kong China
- 3:00 p.m. ET — Chile vs. Georgia
- 4:45 p.m. ET — Tonga vs. Portugal
- 7:30 p.m. ET — USA vs. Spain
- 8:00 p.m. ET — Canada vs. Zimbabwe
World Rugby Nations Cup Standings
Pool A
- Chile — 10 points
- USA — 9 points
- Samoa — 5 points
- Tonga — 5 points
- Uruguay — 5 points
- Canada — 3 points
Pool B
- Georgia — 9 points
- Spain — 8 points
- Portugal — 7 points
- Romania — 4 points
- Zimbabwe — 1 point
- Hong Kong China — 0 points
Here's How Fans Can Watch The World Rugby Nations Cup
Fans in the United States can stream every World Rugby Nations Cup match, including all USA Rugby Eagles fixtures, live on Paramount+.
Current World Rugby Men's Rankings
- South Africa — 93.96
- New Zealand — 91.04
- Ireland — 89.32
- France — 87.43
- England — 84.75
- Scotland — 84.09
- Argentina — 84.06
- Australia — 80.60
- Fiji — 78.69
- Italy — 77.31
- Japan — 76.42
- Wales — 76.38
- Georgia — 73.30
- USA — 69.40
- Portugal — 68.67
- Spain — 67.66
- Uruguay — 67.62
- Chile — 67.59
- Samoa — 66.27
- Tonga — 65.85
- Belgium — 61.03
- Romania — 60.92
- Canada — 59.46
- Hong Kong China — 58.86
- Zimbabwe — 58.59
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