A groundbreaking new tournament format will replace the Autumn International Test window for 2020, as has just been announced by Six Nations Rugby. The new tournament will deliver 16 matches over four action-packed weekends and includes Fiji and Georgia.
The tournament will start on November 13th and conclude with the final matches on December 6th, 2020.
The format for the Autumn Nations Cup will be two pools of four:
Group A: England, Ireland, Wales and Georgia
Group B: France, Scotland, Italy and Fiji
The action gets underway over the weekend of 13th/14th/15th November kicking off with the mouth-watering clash of Ireland and Wales at The Aviva Stadium on the Friday. This will be followed on Saturday by England V Georgia and Italy V Scotland, while on Sunday France will entertain Fiji.
Based on the pool rankings coming into the final weekend, each team will face off against the team ranked in their same position in the opposite pool, a format which promises some intriguing and unexpected clashes e.g. 1st place Group A v 1st place Group B, 2nd place Group A v 2nd place Group B.
*All times are UK Times
**kick off times may be subject to change
In the coming weeks, as detailed planning continues ahead of the opening round of the Autumn Nations Cup 2020, the health and safety of players, associated staff and supporters will continue to be a key focus. Six Nations remains in close contact with all relevant authorities across the respective jurisdictions to ensure these matches take place in a safe environment and we will announce further details of health and safety protocols and guidance on spectator attendance in due course.
Ben Morel, CEO Six Nations Rugby commented, “We are absolutely delighted to formally announce details of the Autumn Nations Cup. A significant amount of time and effort has gone into delivering this new tournament format in testing circumstances and the spirit of collaboration amongst key stakeholders has been outstanding.
"While the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic made the traditional Autumn Test window unfeasible, we remained determined to deliver a unique and compelling tournament proposition which would ensure world class rugby for our fans globally, and competitive matches for players, unions and federations.
"We cannot wait for the tournament to get underway in November and fans can look forward to some outstanding matches featuring some of the greatest players in the world. We are especially pleased to be joined by Fiji and Georgia and expect them both to be tremendous additions to the competition."
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