Five things to watch in the Nations Championship including a Springboks starlet and England vs Argentina

The first phase of the inaugural Nations Championship is almost at an end as the world’s leading 12 sides reach the close of a busy July.

The new cross-hemisphere competition has delivered plenty of captivating contests, though concerns remain over the demand placed on players both in terms of time on the field and travel involved.

The results from this summer will be carried over to November when the nations from each hemisphere will meet those from the other they did not play in this first window – with South Africa, New Zealand and Ireland best placed so far after two wins from two.


One of those winning records will go in Auckland as Andy Farrell’s side bid to become the first team to beat the All Blacks at Eden Park since 1994 in the pick of the round three fixtures.

What should you be looking out for this weekend? Here are five things to watch:

Will Sam Prendergast stake a fly half claim?

The assumption is that Jack Crowley will be back to re-take the No 10 shirt in November once the Munster playmaker is fit again regardless of how Sam Prendergast goes against New Zealand – but overseeing a historic win at the All Blacks’ fortress would represent a coming-of-age performance for the Leinster-man. It is clear that Farrell still loves the options that Prendergast offers, and has confidence that the pivot can reach his heigh ceiling, though the hosts have the ability to make it a tough day for a 23-year-old who it still feels is figuring out his game at the top level.

Dave Rennie has successfully blooded his own new fly half in the last two weeks, and sticking with Ruben Love is a big show of faith in the Hurricane. He fits the expressive and expansive style that suits this All Blacks pool of players well, though Farrell was right to point out the steel that he had seen in Rennie’s side since the head coach’s installation – it feels significant that both bosses have gone with a long-limbed lock on the blindside with the battle at the lineout and maul surely set to be key.

What are Japan?

Credit must be extended to France for travelling to Tokyo to take on Japan, with Fabien Galthie’s side at the end of a particularly long season but still fulfilling their competition commitments properly. This will serve as useful preparation for the pair as they look ahead to a Pool E meeting in Brisbane at the World Cup next year. An enigmatic Japan are a little tough to figure out – they feel upwardly mobile after beating Italy and pushing Ireland, particularly with young fly half Ryunosuke Ito seeming to have Eddie Jones’ backing to fill a problem position.

France, though rotated in places, will be a good gauge of where they are actually at when it comes to matching top packs. A second row of Warner Dearns and Harry Hockings has the muscle to mix it with the French big boys, though the fact that Jones has rotated his forwards in other places could be cause for concern.

Can Fiji find something?

The great disappointments of this July so far have been Fiji, bad against Wales, worse against England and now hosting Scotland at…Murrayfield. Sure. The circumstances surrounding Mick Byrne’s departure remains slightly unclear and the upheaval appears to have unsettled a group that had built structure steadily on to the more extravagant touches that will always remain a trademark of their game. So far in this Nations Championship there has been too much of the latter – and nowhere near enough of the former.

One feels some sympathy for a side that would be a different team entirely were they playing in Suva – where, of course, Scotland were well beaten on their summer tour last year. What was striking about that performance was how Fiji built pressure and turned it into penalties, leaving Scotland down to 14 on three occasions and then striking from their lineout a couple of times. Can they do the same again?

A Springboks fly half for the future…or now?

In another world, Vusi Moyo would be in Tbilisi this weekend looking to steer South Africa’s Under 20s to another Junior World Championship crown in the final of the age-grade competition against France. Instead, Moyo will make his Test debut at 10 inside a month of turning 20 as Rassie Erasmus looks to a fly half of the future against Wales.

It could be that Moyo has a bigger role over the next 18 months than it might first appear. One dares not write Handre Pollard off but the veteran hasn’t necessarily convinced in recent outings, while Manie Libbok has a few flaws in his game and has never quite seemed trusted in the very biggest games by the Springboks. It is tough to see Moyo, highly rated by good judges, usurping Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu but with the Stormer currently injured, and five more Tests to come in short order, the youngster could yet be busy.

Argentina vs England…again

It may not be the most consequential or politically-charged sporting encounter between Argentina and England this week but there could be a bit of bad blood in Santiago del Estero on Saturday evening. Argentina were incensed by the way the game between these two ended at Twickenham in November, with Tom Curry branded a bully by head coach Felipe Contepomi after a bust-up in the tunnel.

England went very well in South America last year even short of their British and Irish Lions, and have seemed to enjoy playing the Pumas under Steve Borthwick. It feels like they have learned relatively little from their two games this far this summer, well beaten by a superior South Africa and then comprehensively putting a pretty poor Fiji away. Can their backline click again against a better standard of opposition? Will their edge defence and aerial work be as good as it was in Argentina last year? Another win would give Borthwick and his squad a degree of optimism with which to move forward.