Nations Championship refresher: What the All Blacks need to do to reach the final
The All Blacks face a critical path to reach the Nations Championship final, requiring bonus points and favorable results from other matches. The team must navigate a complex tournament structure involving both Northern and Southern Hemisphere series.
Why it matters
It provides essential context for international rugby fans following the competitive standings of top-tier national teams.
‘Previously on the Nations Championship ... ’
It’s some sporting competition that has a 16-week break between matches but that’s what you have to deal with when countries from both hemispheres meet in home and away series.
The Northern Hemisphere Series starts this weekend with three rounds before the Nations Championship finals series.
Remember when the All Blacks played the Southern Hemisphere Series in July? It was 10 games ago. Before Ardie Savea was ruled out for the season, before Richie Mo’unga was an All Black again ... it was five Will Jordan tries ago. The All Blacks began the Dave Rennie era with a 34-32 win over France , a 47-17 crushing of Italy and a pretty convincing 40-21 win against Ireland .
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