England will begin their inaugural Nations Championship campaign next summer by travelling to South Africa to lock horns with the two‑time defending world champions.
As revealed by the Guardian in June, Steve Borthwick’s side, who are not playing the Springboks this autumn, also face fixtures against Fiji and Argentina next summer.
England last toured South Africa in 2018 and the clash next year – likely to be at Ellis Park in Johannesburg – will be only the second meeting between the two sides since the 2023 World Cup semi-final.
The game with Fiji is also set to take place in South Africa in an attempt to minimise travel, as per tournament protocols. Fiji had wanted to play the match in Europe, either in France or at Twickenham, but the expectation is England’s first two matches will be in South Africa before they return to Argentina, having played two Tests there last summer.
The 12-team competition, which will be held every two years and replaces traditional tours, will break new ground next year. The format of the competition splits the 12 teams into two conferences – the Six Nations in one and the four Sanzaar countries as well as Japan and Fiji in another.
Three of the Six Nations teams – England, Scotland and Wales – will play the same three opponents next summer while France, Italy and Ireland will travel to face New Zealand, Australia and Japan. The expectation is that matches against Japan will take place in New Zealand or Australia.
Next autumn the fixtures swap over so England will host the All Blacks – who they defeated at Twickenham for the first time in 13 years last Saturday – as well as Australia and Japan. Points are accrued across both windows before a finals day next November at Twickenham.
“The Nations Championship has the power to redefine the future of rugby, and the partnership between Six Nations Rugby and Sanzaar signals a tectonic shift in the sport,” the Six Nations chief executive, Tom Harrison, said.
“Rugby’s strongest nations have collaborated with a clear vision to grow the game, by challenging traditional ways of operating to create a tournament structure with genuine global relevance, which will unlock the true value of the sport.”
