The Nation's Championship, 2026, Week One

 Rather than traditional reviews, since I didn’t get the chance to watch all the matches, I’m going to comment on the impact of each result for each team. This will be kind of a “Happy Coaches” thing but with a broader context than just one week, and influenced by the standings in the North and South tables. 

• Wales Tandy et al will be delighted with their excellent win over Fiji. This was a tough match on paper, Fiji are more highly rated than Wales, and despite a healthy points margin, it was a tough match on the day. The team made and took their chances, in tight play and out wider, and defended well against a free-flowing Fiji. They have continued to build on what they were doing in the M6N. There may be sterner tests ahead, but a great start.
• Scotland Likewise Townsend. This was close until the last few minutes when the Scots pulled away and could finally relax a little. But Argentina away was a tough ask, doubly so without Russell. If I were a gambler I’d have probably put the price of a cuppa on Los Pumas to win that one.
• Japan This was a tricky choice. On paper Italy were meant to win this, but playing in Japan in the summer is always hard. A decent margin of victory in a match they were expected to lose just sneaks them up here.
• South Africa Everyone, probably even the most diehard English fan, expected a South African victory, that’s the only reason they’re this low on the list. The sides above them over-performed in some way, the Boks delivered what was expected of them against an England that, honestly, underperformed. 
• New Zealand It was clear that this was the first run out for the All Blacks under Rennie, but it was also clear that his style of play was asking them to do things that are more in the wheelhouse of most of the players. Razor, and the Crusaders, play a somewhat different style to the rest of the Kiwi teams, a different emphasis, and it works well, but it’s hard to learn. Rennie lets everyone play in their normal style, and the Saders on the team take their extra off. 
• France Les Bleus put out a hybrid A+ team rather than their senior team. There will be eight additional players joining the squad, and it would be nine, after travelling late following the Top 14 final. LBB is also rested after a heavy season. Despite that they missed out on a couple of chances, balls that bounced badly and weren’t grounded type chances, and gave up one to the only poacher that rivals LBB for deadliness and that was the difference between the teams, when they’re missing half their first choice players. 
• Ireland The Irish are edged under Les Bleus because they will be, or ought to be, disappointed by their performance. There is a narrative that the Wallabies played all the rugby, the Irish won due to their street-smarts. Like most such narratives this is too simplistic but not entirely untrue. Ireland probably won because they have that winning mentality and more nous. But they certainly played a fair old chunk of the rugby too. Even in this day and age you don’t fluke your way to scoring five tries without playing some good rugby. But all the lingering criticisms of Ireland were on display and if Australia had a slightly more potent team, or could score slightly closer to the sticks and make the kicking that bit easier, then they could easily, probably should, have lost. 
• Australia Just as age-old criticisms of Ireland can be held up, the same could be said of the Wallabies. However, whilst we’re not going to see some of the necessary changes under Schmidt, this was a much better performance than at the end of last year. The G&G were abject in November. Whilst they were flawed on Saturday, they looked like a team that belonged in that 6-12 slot in the world rankings, and one that has the potential to improve. Just like in the match, they are edged out by the Irish. 
• Argentina In a game where 85 points are scored, losing by nine is disappointing and frustrating, not disastrous. A case could be made for putting them above Australia but… realistically, Australia exceeded expectations pushing the Irish that close, Los Pumas didn’t meet theirs, playing Scotland without their talisman. Argentina will be strengthened by several returning Top 14 finalists, but will rue the one that got away. 
• Fiji The Fijians might regret taking the money and moving away from Suva. It was warm in Wales, but nothing like the heat in Fiji that might have made for a very different game. They have reverted to a more traditional Fijian style of play as well, under their new coach, and whilst it certainly troubled the Welsh repeatedly, ultimately it came up short. 
• Italy This was supposed to be a relatively easy win for the Italians. Playing in Japan in the summer is never easy though, and Eddy successfully ambushed them from the stands. 
• England No one, probably including the players and coaches deep down inside, expected England to win this. So why are they at the bottom of the list, under Argentina and Italy, who were expected to win but lost? Simple. England were abject. They were 6th in the world (they still are, Scotland and Argentina swapped places around them) but that’s meant to be in a position to be a reasonable challenge to the first placed team. They only looked like they were playing the same game for about ten minutes. There was a period early on when Ox Nche charged through two set forwards and it looked like a granny in a mobility scooter charging through litter blowing in the breeze. They scattered before him like nothing and he kept on rumbling up the field for another 20m or so. Whilst that particular incident is going to be played on highlight reels for years to come, it felt indicative of the general play of the English. Weak and uncommitted defence, clueless attack and no challenge. In round three Wales could play like that and I would be much more forgiving; Wales are currently ranked 11th in the world, and over 17 ranking points behind SA. That is supposed to be a thrashing. For the record, I would be disappointed if Wales performed like that. I won’t be that disappointed if we get a result like that, but I want to see them try and play, and be beaten by the better team, rather than not try. And, to me, for large parts of the game, England were not trying.