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Wales will start their international season next weekend when they return to the Nations Championship, marking the beginning of the road to the 2027 World Cup in Australia. Steve Tandy’s side faces four games, hosting Japan, New Zealand, and Australia in Cardiff before a final play-off match at the Allianz Stadium completes the November schedule.
What is the Nations Championship?
The Nations Championship features northern hemisphere teams from the Six Nations—England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, and Italy—competing against southern hemisphere giants South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and Argentina, alongside invited sides Fiji and Japan. All teams play each of the six nations in the opposing hemisphere once, with three rounds of fixtures previously staged in July and another three scheduled for November. Results will rank the teams within their respective hemispheres from one to six ahead of a final play-off weekend at the Allianz Stadium in Twickenham.
Wales Campaign So Far and Upcoming Fixtures
Wales will resume the tournament in fifth place in the northern hemisphere standings following a mixed July campaign. The run began with a six-try victory against Fiji at the Cardiff City Stadium, which served as a home venue for the Pacific Islanders. However, Wales struggled during subsequent away matches, losing to Argentina in San Juan and suffering a heavy defeat against South Africa in Durban.
Tandy’s squad now faces three home games in Cardiff, starting with Eddie Jones’ Japan side, who also sit fifth in their table. The tests escalate when Dave Rennie brings New Zealand to Cardiff on November 14, followed by Australia a week later. In July, Wales defeated Fiji 39-24, fell 35-21 to Argentina, and lost 43-0 to South Africa. The November fixtures at the Principality Stadium feature Japan on 7 November, New Zealand on 14 November, and Australia on 21 November.
Squad Selection and Injuries
Uncapped Dragons duo Aneurin Owen and Che Hope, along with Cardiff prop Rhys Barrett, were named in a 39-strong group for the November Tests, with hooker Dewi Lake retaining the captaincy. Head coach Tandy also called up Dragons lock Seb Davies and Cardiff number eight Taine Basham for the first time during his tenure. Dragons wing Rio Dyer initially earned a recall but was forced to withdraw due to a hamstring injury, replaced by uncapped Scarlets back Macs Page. Leicester flanker Tommy Reffell, scrum-half Kieran Hardy, and veteran number eight Taulupe Faletau are absent due to injury. Fifteen players are based outside of Wales, with 14 playing in England and Montpellier lock Adam Beard based in France.
Ticket Sales and Stadium Attendances
Ticket sales indicate there could be empty seats at the Principality Stadium this autumn, with the WRU website showing a significant number of tickets still available for the three home matches. The opening test aims to match the 61,000 crowd that witnessed a dramatic 24-23 win against Japan a year ago, while a sellout is anticipated against the All Blacks due to a favorable Saturday afternoon kick-off time. Attendance figures will highlight whether ongoing upheaval in Welsh rugby affects fan interest or if apathy is taking hold, as players perform against a backdrop of an uncertain domestic future while the WRU pursues a policy of cutting the Ospreys or Scarlets by 2028. Ticket sales form more than 50% of the annual turnover for the WRU, which recently announced an £18m loss, ahead of an annual general meeting held a day after the Australia match and a professional rugby summit in December.
The Twickenham Play-Off Finals
The final weekend in November features a three-day play-off event at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham, where teams from the northern hemisphere play off against their equivalents in the southern hemisphere standings. On Friday evening, the sixth-placed and third-placed finishers face each other. Saturday features the fifth-place and second-place matches, while Sunday’s finale includes the fourth-placed sides competing before the top seeds clash to determine the inaugural Nations Championship winner. A parallel Ryder Cup-style hemisphere title will also be contested, with each match winner earning one point for their hemisphere, except for the top-ranked match which awards two points, with the first hemisphere to reach four points crowned the winner.
