# Springboks v England, All Blacks v France headlines Nations Championship opening round + can the Wallabies upset Ireland?

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/rugby-unity-7315104/springboks-v-england-all-blacks-v-france-headlines-nations-championship-opening-round-can-the-wallabies-upset-ireland
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/rugby-unity-7315104/springboks-v-england-all-blacks-v-france-headlines-nations-championship-opening-round-can-the-wallabies-upset-ireland.md
Podcast: [Rugby Unity](https://stenobird.com/podcast/rugby-unity-7315104)
Published: 2026-07-03T05:31:42+00:00
Episode link: https://shows.acast.com/contentrfc/episodes/6a47493fecd12391431005fa
Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/67b5539aef66dc14d103716d/e/6a47493fecd12391431005fa/media.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/rugby-unity-7315104/episodes/springboks-v-england-all-blacks-v-france-headlines-nations-championship-opening-round-can-the-wallabies-upset-ireland
Duration seconds: 3965

## Resource

A brand-new World Rugby era begins, with David Pembroke and Ewen McKenzie teeing up a massive opening weekend of the Nations Championship and Nations Cup, plus the key questions already bubbling away. The headline act is France v New Zealand in Christchurch, with a Hurricanes-flavoured All Blacks spine, Ruben Love at 10, and France leaning heavily on Bordeaux combinations. There’s plenty of heat too: England head to Johannesburg to face a loaded Springboks side, while the Wallabies name a few surprises for Ireland in Sydney, including Josh Nasser at hooker and Jock Campbell at 15. Japan roll the dice without Eddie Jones in the coaches box, starting a fourth-year university flyhalf against Italy. The lads also touch on under-20s results, crowd concerns, and why meaningful windows and better communication matter if rugby wants more eyeballs. Also in this episode: ● Nations Championship launch and why it’s historic ● France v New Zealand selections and key match-ups ● Japan v Italy: Ryunosuke Ito starts at 10 ● Wallabies team debate for Ireland in Sydney ● England v South Africa: power, altitude, bench impact ● Nations Cup fixtures: Uruguay, Georgia, Samoa, Chile, USA PLUS: Why global calendar alignment and meaningful tournaments keep rugby’s best players visible. RUGBY UNITY LIVE! IN NEWCASTLE 10 JULY 2026: https://tickets.iwannaticket.com.au/event/hunter-rugby-luncheon-japan-v-ireland-61ffdo SIGN UP TO THE BIG 3 HERE: https://tinyurl.com/big3rugbyunity 👈👈 Ask Eddie Jones and Ewen McKenzie anything! Fill out the form below 👇 https://tinyurl.com/rugbyunityquestions 👈👈 👉 Want more from Rugby Unity? Subscribe to our Substack for exclusive content, blogs, behind-the-scenes insights, and full podcast access — all in one place: Rugby Unity | Substack   📧 Get in touch: inf…

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