The all-action Nations Championship and Nations Cup tournaments continue this weekend with round five of the new global competitions taking place.

All 24 teams competing at Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 are involved, starting with Friday’s blockbuster clash between France and world champions South Africa in Paris. 

After an explosive start in July, the respective competitions returned with some more fantastic rugby last weekend and there will be eight more mouthwatering matches across the two tournaments this weekend.

Here is a selection of some of the fixtures awaiting us.

France (world ranking 4) v South Africa (1)

Antoine Dupont is back in business for France and threatening South Africa’s 100 per cent record in the Nations Championship.

The former World Rugby Men’s Player of the Year made a try-scoring international return in last weekend’s comfortable win over Fiji and will be fronting France’s bid – from fly-half, with Romain Ntamack joining Matthieu Jalibert on the injured list - to unseat the Southern Hemisphere leaders at the Stade de France.

The Springboks, however, remain one of only two unbeaten sides in the competition and flexed their considerable muscle in a 66-7 win over Italy last weekend. Hooker Malcolm Marx scored two of their nine tries to take his record Test tally for a South Africa forward to 30.

The Springboks knocked hosts France out of RWC 2023 at the quarter-final stage in the same stadium, winning 29-28 in one of the greatest matches in World Cup history.

Key stats: France made the most breaks in the 2026 Six Nations (56), 32 per cent more than their nearest rivals, South Africa have scored the most tries in the Nations Championship (29).

Wales (10) v New Zealand (2)

New Zealand, who like South Africa have four wins out of four, head for Cardiff in buoyant mood after a strong second-half showing took them to victory over Scotland last weekend.

The All Blacks have not lost to Wales for 73 years and have rattled up a half-century of points on each of their last three visits to the Principality Stadium.

The sides have met four times at Rugby World Cups with New Zealand prevailing on each occasion, most recently in the bronze medal match at RWC 2019 in Japan.

Wales will be looking to flanker Jac Morgan, who has made a tournament-high 87 tackles so far, and wing Louis Rees-Zammit, who made five line-breaks in an impressive try-scoring appearance against Japan last weekend, for big individual displays.

Key stats: Wales kicked longer than any of their rivals in the 2026 Six Nations, averaging 29.4m per kick.  New Zealand wing Will Jordan tops the Nations Championship try-scoring charts with six.

England (5) v Japan (12)

Eddie Jones returns to Twickenham with his Japan side taking on England at the Allianz Stadium.

Jones, who took charge of 81 England Tests as head coach between 2016 and 2022, guided them to the 2019 World Cup final.

The Brave Blossoms will be outsiders against a home side who posted an impressive win over the Wallabies last weekend. England’s 45-point tally, which included two tries for flanker Henry Pollock - who was pressed into service on the wing after an injury to Manny Feyi-Waboso - was a new high against Australia.

Japan, though, ran Wales close last weekend, succumbing to a narrow 28-21 defeat and, in industrious flanker Ben Gunter, have one of the tournament’s top five tacklers.

England beat Japan 34-12 in a pool match in Nice at RWC 2023.

Key stats: England had the highest lineout success rate of any side in the 2026 Six Nations with 94.9 per cent. Japan had a 100 per cent lineout success against Wales last weekend (14 out of 14)

Ireland (3) v Fiji (9)

Fiji, under former South Africa World Cup-winning coach Jake White, who took charge last month, seek to bounce back from defeat against France with an improved showing in Dublin.

Ireland will be wary of a side with Fiji’s attacking flair - scrum-half Frank Lomani has provided the equal-most try assists in the tournament with four - but will be confident of maintaining their push for a place in the final.

They are one of three sides along with France and England on three wins at the top of the Northern Hemisphere table.

Ireland will be looking to back up last weekend’s emphatic victory over Argentina, in which full-back Hugo Keenan scored a hat-trick.

The two sides could meet in the quarter-final of RWC 2027 in Brisbane | Meeanjin if they both top their pools and come through their respective round of 16 ties.

Key stats: Ireland made the most jackals in the 2026 Six Nations (19). Fiji have made the most offloads in the Nations Championship (60).

Portugal (14) v Samoa (20)

Portugal attempt to keep the pressure on Pool B leaders Georgia as they take on Samoa for the first time at the Estadio do Restelo in Lisbon in the Nations Cup.

Stade Francais wing Raffaele Storti, who scored two tries in Portugal’s victory over Chile last weekend, already has six in four matches in the tournament.

Samoa have their own in-form wing though with Latrell Smiler-Ah Kiong, of the Waratahs, scoring a hat-trick last weekend in Samoa’s win over Zimbabwe.  

Portugal are building towards their third appearance at a Men’s Rugby World Cup next year and hopes are high after their exploits at RWC 2023, when Os Lobos beat Georgia and drew with Fiji.

They kick off their tournament against Ireland on 4 October next year in Sydney | Gadigal at Sydney Football Stadium, which will host five matches at RWC 2027.

Key stats: Portugal had a 94 per cent tackle completion rate against Chile last weekend. Samoa made 19 line-breaks against Zimbabwe.

Romania (21) v USA (15)

Pool A leaders USA take their unbeaten Nations Cup record to the Stadionul National Arcul de Triumf in Bucharest on Saturday.

The Eagles, who are looking to go five from five in the competition, won 26-18 in the Romanian capital when the sides last met a year ago.

Goal-kicker Chris Hilsenbeck, who formerly represented Germany, will be looking to repeat last weekend’s heroics against Hong Kong China, when his late touchline conversion gave the Eagles a 28-26 win.

Romania will be able to call on 122kg Ospreys prop Gheorge Gajion, who scored two tries in the narrow defeat by Tonga last weekend.

The match will be a repeat of the RWC 1999 thriller between the two in Dublin, won 27-25 by Romania.

Key stats: USA had a 97 per cent ruck efficiency rate against Hong Kong China. Outside centre Nicolas Onutu made 10 of Romania’s 100 carries against Tonga.

For the full schedule of Nations Championship fixtures and kick-off times in your region, click here: https://www.world.rugby/tournaments/fixtures-results

For a full list of Nations Cup fixtures, click here: https://www.world.rugby/nations-cup/en/matches/2026