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Ireland
Ciarán Frawley’s final drop goal sealed a resounding victory in Durban, stopping South Africa from winning a series against Ireland for the first time. It was the latest thrilling episode in the most important rivalry in world football today and Ireland have now won two of their last three games against the Springboks. Add to that the 2022 series win in New Zealand and Ireland’s ability to secure away wins in the southern hemisphere sets them apart from their European rivals. The fact that they went to South Africa and drew the series without Jamison Gibson-Park speaks volumes about the depth of squad Farrell has unearthed, with full-back Jamie Osborne the latest to shine. Farrell won’t pick his British and Irish Lions team for around 10 months but at this rate it will be dominated by his Irish players.
South Africa
The reigning world champions beat Ireland in Pretoria but at home they set such high standards that defeat in Durban could hurt, particularly given the way they were outplayed in the first half. Truncated tours are a given so soon after a World Cup but a decisive final would be tantalising. Instead, the Springboks can take out their frustration on Portugal before focusing on trying to win a first Rugby League title since 2019. Compared to the other teams at the top of the world rankings, they have an ageing squad – and Faf de Klerk’s form at scrum-half will worry Rassie Erasmus – but it is with that stick that they have been beaten between their two World Cup triumphs.
New Zealand
The record will be a 2-0 win and Scott Robertson has made the best possible start, but in both games against England they were there to be taken. Their ability to get the job done in both games must be acknowledged – and Beauden Barrett’s excellence on the bench – but it remains to be seen whether that obvious clumsiness can be eliminated now that the Robertson era is underway. They look light in the second row without Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick (who wouldn’t?) and Barrett’s performances raise an intriguing question. Stephen Perofeta was preferred on his domestic form while Barrett was on the bench after returning from a stint with Toyota Verblitz. A sabbatical in Japan is seen as the better of both evils – the alternative is losing players to Europe – but had Barrett started in both games, one would think the All Blacks would have been a much brighter side against England. The All Blacks are used to swimming against market forces, but it’s not getting any easier.
England
The team’s two performances in New Zealand, plus the crushing win over Japan, are very positive, but the two defeats and two missed opportunities are there to be found. The positives are the blitz defence, the continued emergence of Immanuel Feyi-Waboso on the world stage and the dogged determination instilled by Steve Borthwick. Of the pressing issues, the scrum is the most important and, to borrow from Borthwick, a tendency to play a little small in the final quarter. To mitigate the negatives, in both New Zealand Tests England finished with particularly novice teams and those players will benefit from experience. But it is worrying that England’s replacements do not seem able to influence proceedings.
France
“A very complicated week,” said captain Baptiste Serin, describing with some modesty the lead-up to France’s second Test defeat by Argentina. First, Melvyn Jaminet was sent home in disgrace after a video of him making racist remarks was posted on social media. Then, two players, Hugo Auradou, 20, and Oscar Jegou, 21, were charged with aggravated rape of a woman. In this context, it was hardly surprising that France lost 33-25 in Buenos Aires, having triumphed in the first Test and beaten Uruguay in midweek. The first Test victory was at least impressive given the number of senior players Fabien Galthié left at home, reinforcing the fact that he has exceptional squad depth.
Australia
Joe Schmidt took over as Wallabies coach with an awareness of the monumental challenge ahead, but back-to-back wins over Wales have Schmidt feeling optimistic. A back-to-basics, fundamentals-focused approach is in keeping with Schmidt’s style and while there is still a long way to go before the Wallabies are anywhere near dining in the top tier again, there is reason to be optimistic with the New Zealander at the helm. At the very least, he gives the impression that the Wallabies have an adult leading the team after Eddie Jones’s endless meltdowns and, with Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Schmidt has a second row around which he can build a formidable pack. Hunter Paisami, Filipo Daugunu and Tom Wright have all been impressive at the back too.
Scotland
It may be a little harsh to put them below their world ranking, but victories over Canada and the USA, plus upcoming games against Chile and Uruguay, don’t count for much. The fact that Duhan van der Merwe has equalled Stuart Hogg as Scotland’s top try-scorer is testament to the massive winger’s finishing prowess, and Gregor Townsend has handed a string of new caps, including to Sale duo Arron Reed and Gus Warr. Harry Paterson wasn’t among the debutants as he won his first cap during the Six Nations, but his second, against Canada, was equally impressive and the Edinburgh full-back looks set for a long international career.
Argentina
Defeat to a short-strength France side was an inauspicious start to his tenure for Felipe Contepomi, but while Argentina didn’t make things easy for themselves in Buenos Aires, the win was their first home victory since 2022. It was also their first against France since 2016 and will give Argentina hope of being able to compete in the Rugby Championship after a future clash with Uruguay. In the win over France, Argentina’s props shone with goals from Eduardo Bello and Thomas Gallo (two). It may be too early to predict a return to their front-row dominance just yet, but if Contepomi can build a solid foundation in attack, Argentina will always have dangerous runners to complement them.
Georgia
A disappointing home defeat to Fiji was quickly forgotten by a surprise win over Japan last weekend, making Eddie Jones’ situation even worse. It was an achievement for Richard Cockerill – against his former England coach – and while the Georgians were helped by a red card, it was clear that the former Leicester director of rugby had proven his worth. After all, it was only the second time Georgia had beaten Japan and while Italy’s performances in the Six Nations have put the debate over promotion and relegation to rest, The Lelos will continue to bang their heads against the locked door.
Wales
Wales have lost nine straight Test matches, which has seen them drop out of the world’s top 10 and into new heights. Warren Gatland has been through a similar situation before (Wales lost eight in a row from the summer of 2012), but it must be said that he managed to turn things around in the following Six Nations, once the New Zealander began his sabbatical to take over the Lions. Gatland will no doubt point to the youth of his team and the bright spots from Australia’s season, including performances from Dewi Lake and Rio Dyer, but an autumn campaign against Fiji, Australia and South Africa is all the more difficult after two defeats to the Wallabies.
The best of the rest
Eddie Jones may have already secured a win after Japan won one of their two matches against the Māori All Blacks, but he is still eager for a first Test victory in charge of the Brave Blossoms. Italy climbed to their best ever position of eighth in the world rankings by beating Tonga, but their previous shock defeat to Samoa shows that consistency is still elusive for the Japanese. BluesCanada, meanwhile, can look back on a 35-22 victory over Romania, which itself came off an impressive away win over the United States.
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