LONG READ Paul Williams: 'The Nations Championship is right up there with any of the summer blockbusters.'

The Nations Championship flew out of the traps with six helter-skelter, rip-roaring fixtures that ensured rugby fans were glued to their seats for longer than is deemed sensible. Individual brilliance, teams pulling together with rearguard actions and genuine jeopardy from the starting gun meant it was an unforgettable weekend…

The format was a huge influence

The Nations Championship was right up there with any of the summer blockbusters that’ll be launched in 2026 – The Odyssey and Toy Story 5 need to up their game. For the first time we had back-to-back summer Test rugby that didn’t feel like a set of discordant summer ‘friendlies’. From the very first game, the quality of rugby was fully dialled up to Mach 1 test level – which has not always been the case on traditional summer tours. On occasion, the opening fixtures of summer tours have fallen a bit flat. But the Nations Championship simply doesn’t allow for sluggishness. Every game now matters and has implications for the rest of the calendar year. You can’t simply lose a test match and ‘move on’ to next week like the previous week didn’t happen. Perhaps the greatest aspect of the weekend was seeing a table at the end it. This might seem a like a prosaic detail on which to dwell – given the quality of rugby on show. But those columns and rows, created in Excel, are important. They mean that the summer matches are now entwined with the Autumn Tests. Rugby finally has a sticky web of summer and autumn fixtures that have consequences – good or bad. And it’s fantastic for the game.

The Boks remain the benchmark

In that playing them is like having a massive wooden school bench, from the 1970’s, dropped on your head – which then leaves a mark. Against England, their domination of the gainline verged on bullying – with only George Martin and Ellis Genge being able to make any meaningful dents with or without the ball. And let’s not forget that this South African team was missing RG Snyman, Jean Kleyn, Franco Mostert, Lood de Jager, Salmaan Moerat. Riley Norton and of course Eben Etzebeth – that’s more injured beasts than a vet typically faces along the Orange River. Many will look at possession, territory or defensive completion to determine a team’s dominance/ control, when in reality the penalty count is a far more solid overall key indicator – the Boks conceded just six after 80 minutes (England had 13). To keep the Boks under 50 points is the goal for virtually every team in the world – with the possible exception of France and the All Blacks. Well played South Africa.

Fiji’s offloads were a thing of beauty

Fiji lost, but as always they won the adoration of every watching rugby fan. To watch them play ‘one touch’ rugby for 80 minutes, at test level, is remarkable. They are the only team in the world who play rugby like that. They offloaded the ball 25 times in the first half, to the point where they almost didn’t need to hit a ruck for 40 minutes. Not ‘hitting the deck’ and constantly keeping the ball alive meant that they made 400m post tackle – whereas Wales made just 150. Playing the way they do is of course tiring for Fiji’s players. Not knowing where the next breakdown is, or when it will occur, requires a lot of roaming around the field. But as tiring as it must be for them, it’s like drinking three litres of Red Bull for the viewer.

Australia are back, for real.

It’s great to see a fully competitive Australia back in test rugby. When they were struggling to click, rugby union felt a lonelier, emptier place – like the first time your kids leave for University. But as we saw against Ireland, they are regaining their mojo and it has delivered a lovely warm feeling – like when the kids come home from university for the summer. Yes the Wallabies lost, but they now have a genuinely competitive pack of forwards. Especially at lock where they have struggled in recent seasons – Josh Canham is fast becoming a proper handful. And let’s not forget their backline. To watch them pass the ball, is to witness seven massive silk worms at work. The way that they move the ball through the 12 and 13 channel is better than any team in the world. Well played Australia.

Japan bring the accuracy

Japan’s victory over Italy was impressive – hugely impressive. This is an Italian team that can largely compete with any team in the world and yet was taken apart by a level of precision not referenced since the Japanese automotive manufacturing stereotypes of the 1980s. Japan were so accurate with their passing, and their breakdown work, that they only turned the ball over 7 times in 80 minutes – that’s low. It was the lowest turnover number of any team in the opening weekend of the competition – the Italians by comparison turned it over 26 times. Well played Japan.

Wales go solid on set piece

Wales beating Fiji by 39 points to 24 was important. It felt like the squad had turned an awfully long and chaotic corner – a bit like something from Mario Kart. But perhaps the most pleasing aspect of the win was the practicality with which it was achieved. Plenty of Welsh teams have fallen foul of Fiji in recent memory – even some of the Grand Slam teams struggled. Those illustrious teams often lost by trying to out Fiji, Fiji. This current squad didn’t even attempt that, and it was genius. They stuck to set piece solidity, and it worked. Wales’ scrum was impressive and so too was the lineout – Wales won 10 from 10 at the scrum and had a 96% completion at the lineout (16 throws). But it was the five-metre maul which really stood out – it was driven so efficiently that it could secure the second seat at McLaren. Rhys Carre continued his impressive scrummaging and Dewi Lake had one of the best games in a Welsh shirt. Jac Morgan, was simply Jac Morgan. Promising.

France B are a top tier ‘nation’

The All-Blacks v France was an incredible game. To witness rugby played at that speed, whilst watching at 8am in the UK, should come with a motion sickness warning. The passing in the 15m channel, by both teams, was exceptional. They were regularly executing three or four perfect passes in a three-metre space – it was so clean that it almost looked AI. But as good as both teams were, a special shout out needs to go to France. For varying reasons, that was their second-string team – especially in the pack. To see them competing to that level, against a good All Blacks’ squad, is a warning to everyone.

Gregor Townsend keeping on, keeping on

When Gregor Townsend next writes his CV, under interests he should put ‘continually proving people wrong’. To beat Argentina, out in Argentina, was a remarkable result – and the final score rather underplayed their dominance. Keep up the good work, Mr Townsend.