Rugby World
Watch Lions v All Blacks: Free streams & TV channels for Greatest Rivalry clash

Watch Lions v All Blacks to see if Dave Rennie’s side can extend their 100% record in South Africa (PHILL MAGAKOE / AFP via Getty Images)Can the tourists make it four wins out of four against South Africa’s United Rugby Championship sides?Watch Lions v New Zealand as the All Blacks look to follow their stunning victory over the Springboks over the …Continue reading » [...]

How to watch Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour 2026: Official broadcasters, TV & streaming guide for South Africa vs New Zealand

Watch the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry action as the All Blacks tour South Africa for the first time since 1996 (PHILL MAGAKOE / AFP via Getty Images)The All Blacks are in South Africa to play the Springboks in their own backyard. Here’s how to follow every second of the tour.Watch Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry live streams, as the All Blacks continue their first tour of South Africa since 1996. Back …Continue reading » [...]

How to watch South Africa v New Zealand: Live stream the first Greatest Rivalry Test for free from anywhere

Watch South Africa v New Zealand as the eagerly anticipated Greatest Rivalry Test series kicks off in Johannesburg (Phil Walter/Getty Images)Can the first Springboks v All Blacks Test live up to its Greatest Rivalry billing?Watch South Africa v New Zealand as the two top-ranked sides in the men’s game kick off their eagerly anticipated …Continue reading » [...]

Scotland rugby fixtures: Men’s and women’s matches in 2026-27, including WXV, Nations Championship and Six Nations

Scotland’s upcoming rugby fixtures include the home leg of the Nations Championship, the 2027 Men’s Six Nations and the Men’s Rugby World Cup (Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)When to watch Scotland’s men’s and women’s teams in action this seasonScotland's men and women's teams have a busy schedule lined up [...]

Wales rugby fixtures: Who the men’s and women’s teams are playing 2026-27

The next Wales rugby fixture for Steve Tandy’s men sees them welcoming Japan to the Principality Stadium (Ian Cook - CameraSport via Getty Images)Your guide to confirmed Wales rugby fixtures, including the WXV Global Series, Six Nations, Nations Championship and Men’s Rugby World Cup.This guide to Wales rugby fixtures has all the information you need to watch the men’s and women’s teams in …Continue reading » [...]

How to watch Bulls v New Zealand: Free streams & TV channels for today’s Greatest Rivalry encounter

Watch Bulls v New Zealand as the All Blacks roadshow lands in Pretoria (Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images/Getty Images)It’s the All Blacks’ final warm-up before facing the Springboks next weekend...Watch Bulls v New Zealand as the All Blacks’ Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry itinerary takes them to Pretoria to face this …Continue reading » [...]

How to watch Australia v Japan for FREE: Stream today’s Townsville Test from anywhere

Watch Australia v Japan as the sides attempt to live up to last weekend’s 35-32 thriller in Osaka (Paul Miller/Getty Images)Eddie Jones returns to his home country looking to get one over on his former employers.Watch Australia v Japan as the Wallabies’ new boss, Les Kiss, attempts to make it two from two against one …Continue reading » [...]

The Greatest Rivalry Tour between South Africa and the All Blacks is retro rugby at its finest and should signal a return for old school tours

The Greatest Rivalry Tour is a rugby throwback (Getty Images)Paul Williams believes the All Blacks' Greatest Rivalry Tour of South Africa is the perfect mix of old and newPaul Williams believes the All Blacks' Greatest Rivalry Tour of South Africa is the perfect mix of old and new [...]

PREM Rugby stadiums: A guide to the capacities, histories and quirks of the venues England’s top clubs call home

Franklin’s Gardens, home of Gallagher PREM champions Northampton Saints, was a great place to watch rugby last season (David Rogers/Getty Images)A tour around the 10 Gallagher PREM rugby grounds, from venues established in the Victorian era to modern, purpose-built arenas.PREM Rugby stadiums are a proper mixed bag. A journey fom Exeter Chiefs’ Sandy Park in the south-west to Newcastle …Continue reading » [...]

Ireland rugby fixtures: 2026-27 schedules for the men’s and women’s teams

Upcoming men’s Ireland rugby fixtures include the northern hemisphere leg of the Nations Championship and the 2027 Six Nations (Steve Christo/Getty Images)This Rugby World guide includes kick-off times and (where available) venue information for men’s and women’s Ireland rugby fixtures in 2026 and 2027.A guide to all the Irish men and women's fixtures [...]

South Africa rugby fixtures: When the Springboks and Springbok Women are in action 2026-27

Next up for Siya Kolisi and his team are four challenging South Africa rugby fixtures against the All Blacks (Juan Jose Gasparini/Gallo Images/Getty Images)All we know about South Africa rugby fixtures in 2026 for the men and women's teams, including the Nations Championship, Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry and WXV.Every upcoming Springboks and Springbok Women fixture in one place [...]

Sharks v All Blacks live streams: How to watch Tuesday’s Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry match for FREE

Watch Sharks v New Zealand to see if the All Blacks can continue their winning start to the Greatest Rivalry tour in Durban (Rodger Bosch / AFP via Getty Images)New Zealand could face double World Cup-winning legend Ma’a Nonu in the second game of their South Africa tourWatch Sharks v New Zealand, as Dave Rennie’s tourists attempt to make it two wins out of two at the …Continue reading » [...]

Australia 2027

QUALIFICATION PROCESS

BIG 12 AUTOMATIC SPOTS
> As hosts Australia qualify automatically for the 2027 tournament with another 11 teams gaining automatic qualification by finishing in the top three positions in their pools in the 2023 World Cup. Those teams are: South Africa, New Zealand, England, Argentina, Ireland, France, Wales, Fiji, Scotland, Italy and Japan. The remaining 12 spots in the 2027 expanded 24-team format will be allocated through teams competing in a global qualification process.

Four of those spots have already gone to the semi-finalists in the Rugby Rurope Championship, with semi-finalists Georgia, Spain, Portugal and Romania all qualifying for Australia 2027. The winner of the fifth-place play-off will earn a ticket to the Final Qualification Tournament in November, when one place in Australia 2027 will go to the winner of the tournament.

EUROPE – 4 TEAMS
Qualification matches: January-March 2025
> The four teams that reach the semi-finals of the Rugby Europe Championship 2025 will qualify directly for Australia 2027. Nations involved: Belgium, Georgia, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Switzerland.
The winner of the fifth-place play-off will secure their ticket to the Final Qualification Tournament (see below).

ASIA – 1 TEAM
Qualification matches: June-July 2025
> The Asia Rugby Championship 2025 winners will qualify directly for Australia 2027.
Nations involved: Hong Kong China, Korea, Malaysia and United Arab Emirates.
The runner-up in the tournament will progress to the Asia/Africa Play-off (see below).

AFRICA – 1 TEAM
Qualification matches: July 2025
> The Rugby Africa Cup 2025 champions will qualify directly for Australia 2027. Nations involved: Algeria, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Namibia, Senegal, Uganda and Zimbabwe. The runner-up in the tournament will progress to the Asia/Africa Play-off (see below).

SOUTH AMERICA – 1 TEAM
Qualification matches: July-September 2025
> The Sudamerica Rugby Championship 2025 winners will secure their place at Australia 2027, with the runner-up qualifying for the South America/Pacific Play-off (see below) and the third-placed team joining the line-up for the Final Qualification Tournament (see below). Nations involved: Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay.

PACIFIC – 3 TEAMS
Qualification matches: August-September 2025
> The top three teams in the Pacific Nations Cup 2025 (other than already-qualified Fiji and Japan) will qualify for Australia 2027. The sixth-placed team will join the South America/Pacific Play-off (see below). Nations involved: Canada, Fiji, Japan, Samoa, Tonga and the United States.

SOUTH AMERICA/PACIFIC PLAY-OFF – 1 TEAM
Qualification matches: September 2025
> A home-and-away play-off between the runner-up and the team finishing sixth in the Pacific Nations Cup. The winner qualifies for Australia 2027, while the loser will join the Final Qualification Tournament (see below).

ASIA/AFRICA PLAY-OFF
Qualification matches: September 2025
> The Rugby Africa Cup 2025 runner-up will play the Asia Rugby Championship runner-up in a home-and-away play-off. The winner qualifies for the Final Qualification Tournament (see below).

FINAL QUALIFICATION TOURNAMENT – 1 TEAM
Qualification matches: November 2025
> The final qualification tournament will comprise one pool of four teams, playing in a round-robin format with the winner - on competition points - qualifying for Australia 2027. The four teams will comprise the Sudamerica Rugby Championship 2025 third-place team; the South America/Pacific Play-off loser; the Rugby Europe Championship 2025 fifth-placed team; and the Africa/Asia Play-off winner.

The full Australia 2027 qualifying process explained

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Categories

BBC

Bristol Bears sign former Leicester Tigers lock Harry Wells on a three-month deal. [...]

Bath captain Ben Spencer will miss the start of the 2026-27 season but Will Stuart and Jaco Coetzee among those returning. [...]

Ireland head coach Scott Bemand says it is "particularly pleasing" to name seven uncapped players who impressed in the Women's Interprovincial Championship in his squad for the WXV Global Series. [...]

Hooker Jack Singleton is nearing the end of his rehabilitation from a cardiac incident but is leaving Gloucester. [...]

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu pays for an indifferent showing in South Africa's series opener against New Zealand, as the fly-half drops to the Springbok bench. [...]

Argentina prop Francisco Moreno joins Newcastle Red Bulls, signing a one-year deal with the Prem outfit. [...]

Kyle Tayler-Woolston feared rejection as a gay man in rugby, but is flourishing in Super Rygbi Cymru thanks to the support at Newport. [...]

BBC Sport spends a day in Wales' pre-season camp, watching players put through their paces ahead of the new WXV Global Series. [...]

The cases of hundreds of players in rugby's multi-million-pound concussion legal battle allowed to continue after High Court ruling. [...]

Wales' Donna Rose tells BBC Sport how rugby union has helped her manage Borderline Personality Disorder. [...]

Prem Rugby side Leicester Tigers sign New Zealand-born Tonga international hooker Sam Moli. [...]

Exeter Chiefs' Italy international lock Andrea Zambonin is set to be out until the end of November following shoulder surgery. [...]

Alex Davies joins Steve Tandy's Wales management team as kicking coach after leaving Leicester. [...]

Watch the highlights as England hold on to beat Argentina in a chaotic match in the Nations Championship with the hosts having a last-gasp try controversially ruled out. [...]

Watch highlights as South Africa secure an emphatic 43-0 victory over Wales in the Nations Championship. [...]