The Autumn Nations Cup is a competition scheduled to be held in November and December 2020 in place of the customary international visits of Southern Hemisphere sides.
What is the Autumn Nations Cup
Eight teams will take part in the Autumn Nations Cup. The Six Nations Championship side England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales will be joined by Georgia and Fiji. The eight Test nations will be divided into two groups of four.
Japan’s Brave Blossoms had been tapped up to take part, but withdrew due to restrictions on outbound travel. As a result they were replaced by Georgia and Fiji were moved to Group B.
Each team will face the other sides in its group once during the group stage of the short competition.
The teams in first place in each group will play each other to determine the overall winner. The teams in second, third and fourth, will face off to determine the overall final standings.
The tournament opens with a match between Ireland and Wales at the Lansdowne Road on 13 November 2020.
The final matches will be hosted by the teams from Group A on the weekend of 5/6 December 2020, the exception being Georgia whose “home” match will be played at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland.
France’s opening match against Fiji had to be postponed due to coronavirus concerns.
Autumn Nations Cup fixtures
Fixtures in the 2020 Autumn Nations Cup rugby union tournament (all kick-off times SAST)
Matches will be broadcast in South Africa on SuperSport, consult your DStv guide for details.
Group A
Ireland, Wales, England, Georgia
Group B
France, Fiji, Scotland, Italy
Round One
13 November: Ireland vs Wales, Lansdowne Road, Dublin (21:00)
14 November: Italy vs Scotland, Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence (14:45)
14 November: England vs Georgia, Twickenham (17:00)
15 November: France vs Fiji, Stade de la Rabine, Vannes (17:00)
Round Two
21 November: Italy vs Fiji, Stadio del Conero, Ancona (14:45)
21 November: England vs Ireland, Twickenham (17:00)
21 November: Wales vs Georgia, Parc Y Scarlets, Llanelli (19:15)
22 November: Scotland vs France, Murrayfield (17:15)
Round Three
28 November: Scotland vs Fiji, Murrayfield (15:45)
28 November: Wales vs England, Parc Y Scarlets (18:00)
28 November: France vs Italy, Stade de France, Paris (22:10)
29 November: Ireland vs Georgia, Lansdowne Road (16:00)
Finals Weekend
Teams will play the side finishing in the same position in the opposite pool
5 December: Georgia vs TBD, Murrayfield (14:00)
5 December: Ireland vs TBD, Lansdowne Road (16:15)
5 December: Wales vs TBD, Parc Y Scarlets (18:45)
6 December: England vs TBD, Twickenham (16:00)
