Two home nations sides will travel to New Zealand to take on the All Blacks next July

There will be no three-test tour to New Zealand in July next year with the All Blacks instead hosting two northern hemisphere sides.

Outgoing CEO of Rugby New Zealand, Steve Tew, today confirmed that the Wales and Scotland will both travel to New Zealand in July 2020 for games against the All Blacks.

It will mark the first test matches of the new All Black coach’s tenure, as well as New Zealand’s first match without the likes of departing players Sonny Bill Williams, Ryan Crotty, and Kieran Read.

Wales will be under new guidance with Kiwi Wayne Pivac taking the reins after the World Cup. The All Blacks will play Wales over successive weekends (venues yet to be confirmed) before challenging the ever-improving Scotland.

Neither nation has had much success against New Zealand in recent times.

Wales last secured a win against the All Blacks in 1953 and have only kept the men-in-black to within one score once in the last decade.

Scotland are yet to beat the All Blacks, but managed a draw in 1983. They have pushed New Zealand close in their two most recent games, however, going down 22-17 and 24-16.

2020 will mark the first year that the mid-year tours are played in July – shifted back one month from the old June window to allow for Super Rugby to run interrupted.

As part of the San Francisco agreement, we are likely to see the home nations tour to the Pacific Islands in upcoming years. Given that Wales and Scotland will almost certainly play three test matches in the southern hemisphere next year, the two teams could play games against the likes of Fiji and Samoa.

The full schedules for Wales and Scotland are yet to be announced.