A tour de force for the southern nations. The Rugby Championship’s four big names struck a blow at the weekend, sweeping aside their European hosts. South Africa rounded off the show of force without a moment’s hesitation, with a 15-32 win over Scotland at Murrayfield.. The world champions of Rassie Erasmus – who decided to bring out his famous “bomb squad” (seven forwards, only one back on the substitutes’ bench) – dominated, without ever shaking, the Scots, reduced to fourteen after Scott Cummings was shown a 20-minute red card. England, who have already stumbled against New Zealand and Australia, will have their work cut out on Saturday at Twickenham… A third defeat in a row for the Pink XV would be a real fiasco for Steve Borthwick.

Announced as moribund after a disappointing Rugby Championship (two defeats to the Boks, a home defeat to the Pumas), New Zealand struck hard when they landed in Europe, firstly to snatch a victory in England (before the international window), followed by the powerful and masterful bending of the Irelandwho had won 19 times in a row at Aviva Stadium.

Damian McKenzie’s winning comeback

“I’m very proud of the effort the guys put in, especially our pack who really muscled up and our backs who managed to put our opponents under pressure. It’s never easy to win here, so we’re very happy”, savors Damian McKenzie, voted man of the match on his return to the opening game. The reigning runners-up will be keen to make their mark next Saturday and make amends against Les Bleus, winners of their last two encounters.

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More surprisingly, after a chaotic summer, the Wallabies toppled the English, at the end of a completely mad match. It was a spectacular wake-up call for the Australians, who had come bottom of the last Rugby Championship, with five defeats in six outings, including a 67-27 humiliation against Argentina. The New Zealander Joe Schmidtthe successor to Eddie Jones after a successful spell with Leinster and then Ireland, has his first major breakthrough on his hands. The Welsh are in the throes of collapse after being beaten at home for the first time in their history by the Fijians. New Zealand’s Steve Hansen (2002-2003) and Warren Gatland (2023-2024) now share the record for consecutive defeats at the helm of Wales (10).

Sua’ali’i, Australia’s XIII pearl

From the XIII, the Australian Joseph Sua’ali’i Joseph Sua’ali i made a stunning debut for the Wallabies at Twickenham on Saturday. He was imperial in the air, with a bewildering array of supports, gaps and passes after contact. In line with the successful transitions of his compatriot Israel Folau or the New Zealander Sonny Bill Williams. “I know there were doubts about his selection and the risk we were taking, admitted the Australia coach, who also played for ASM Clermont Auvergne. But now, people have understood the opportunity there was to involve a young man like him.”

Last representative from the South, Argentina got off to a rather quiet start against a totally outmatched Italian side who were quickly deprived of their nugget Ange Capuozzo, who was quickly ruled out with injury (18-50). The Pumas – on the heels of a Rugby Championship in which they won three matches – face a much tougher test against the Irish, who will surely be offended. For this clash, they recover two key players emblematic third row Matera (back from suspension) and Santiago Carreras, who was their fly-half at the last World Cup and is returning from a calf injury.

When you play New Zealand, Australia and South Africa twice, there’s a certain intensity that we were able to express against Italy.

Felipe Contepomi, Argentina coach

Pumas coach, Felipe Contepomihighlighted the experience accumulated in the southern hemisphere’s flagship competition. “When you play New Zealand, Australia and South Africa twice, there’s a certain intensity that we managed to express against Italy. It was difficult at times, but my players didn’t deviate from the plan”.praised the former international opener. Argentina have not beaten Ireland since the quarter-finals of the 2015 World Cup (43-20) and have lost twice at Aviva Stadium (28-17 in 2017 and 53-7 in 2021). Andy Farrellthe Greens coach, is on his guard: “We need to move forward. And find solutions quickly, because Argentina are a hungry team who have played some very good rugby this year.”

A special mention must also go to the Fijians. They may not be taking part in the Rugby Championship, but they are integrated into Super Rugby with the “Fijian Drua” franchise, which makes up a large part of the troops (7 players come from the Top 14). The players from the Pacific made history on Sunday, winning for the first time in their history. in Wales for the first time in their history.. A tour de force at a numerical disadvantage (20-minute red card to Radradra). The next match against Spain should be a formality (but you never know…), before facing Ireland at home on November 23. The opportunity to see if the “rugby magicians” have gained in consistency.