Rugby Autumn Internationals 2025: Complete Schedule and Guide

The 2025 Autumn Internationals, officially known as the Quilter Nations Series, delivered five weekends of high-stakes rugby union across November. The tournament featured the four home unions competing against the heavyweights of southern hemisphere rugby, with 22 matches played across venues in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, Italy, and North America.

England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales welcomed New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Argentina, Fiji, Japan, Samoa, USA, Tonga, and Chile for a month-long festival of Test match rugby. The series culminated in South Africa claiming the top spot in the world rankings, while Australia endured their first winless European tour in 67 years.

What is the Schedule for Rugby Autumn Internationals 2025?

The 2025 Autumn Internationals spanned five weekends beginning November 1, with fixtures running through November 29. Below is a comprehensive breakdown of the match schedule across all five rounds.

Week 1 Results (November 1–2)

Week 2 Results (November 8–9)

Week 3 Results (November 15–16)

Week 4 Fixtures (November 22–23)

Final Weekend (November 29)

Which Teams Are Playing in the Autumn Nations Series 2025?

The tournament brought together the leading Six Nations unions and the elite sides of the Rugby Championship. From the northern hemisphere, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, and Italy provided the home nations. Travelling north were New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Argentina, Fiji, Japan, Samoa, USA, Tonga, and Chile.

England’s Opponents

England faced four opponents across their campaign, beginning with Australia on the opening weekend. Matches against Fiji, New Zealand, and Argentina followed in successive weeks. England secured victories in all four encounters, extending their winning run to 11 consecutive Test matches — a sequence that placed them firmly among the northern hemisphere’s most consistent performers of the series.

Ireland’s Schedule

Ireland opened their campaign against New Zealand at Soldier Field in Chicago, one of the series’ more unusual geographical settings, before returning to Aviva Stadium in Dublin for fixtures against Japan, Australia, and South Africa. The Irish faced a demanding run of Rugby Championship opponents across the five weeks, with results varying considerably throughout.

Scotland and Wales Campaigns

Scotland hosted USA, New Zealand, and Argentina at Murrayfield, with a closing fixture against Tonga scheduled for late November. Wales welcomed Argentina, Japan, New Zealand, and South Africa at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, where the Springboks encounter on November 29 brought the curtain down on their home programme.

Key Results and Highlights

Several outcomes stood out across the five weekends. South Africa completed a clean sweep of five wins, finishing the calendar year at the top of the world rankings. The Springboks also inflicted Wales’ heaviest-ever home defeat, winning 73–0 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff — a scoreline that underscored the gulf between the two nations at this point in the cycle.

England were the standout performers among the home unions, completing a perfect four-from-four campaign. Their 33–19 victory over New Zealand at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham on November 15 was the highlight, a result that reinforced their credentials as the strongest northern hemisphere side of the series.

Australia’s tour told a starkly different story. The Wallabies failed to win a single Test on their European trip for the first time in 67 years, falling to England, Italy, Ireland, and France across consecutive weekends. The loss to Italy in Udine — 26–19 — proved particularly pointed, coming against a side that has steadily closed the gap on southern hemisphere opposition in recent years.

What is the Format and History of the Autumn Nations Series?

The Autumn Nations Series occupies one of rugby union’s most significant international windows. Each November, the northern hemisphere club calendar pauses to allow southern hemisphere touring sides to compete in Test matches against the home unions, providing a regular opportunity for the two hemispheres to measure themselves against each other outside of World Cup cycles.

Historical Context

November Tests have long functioned as preparation grounds ahead of Rugby World Cups and British and Irish Lions tours. The format has remained broadly consistent over decades, with home unions hosting visiting sides across back-to-back weekends, and results carrying meaningful weight in the world rankings.

Future Format Changes

Governing bodies have announced that 2026 will introduce the Nations Championship, a restructured competition spanning both the Summer International and Autumn International Test windows. The new format is expected to alter the traditional shape of November rugby that fans have followed for generations.

What Was Confirmed and What Remained Pending

Venues Across the Northern Hemisphere

Matches were spread across stadiums in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, and Italy. Allianz Stadium in Twickenham hosted all four of England’s home fixtures, while the Principality Stadium in Cardiff served as Wales’ base throughout the series. Dublin’s Aviva Stadium, Murrayfield in Edinburgh, and the Stade de France in Paris rounded out the principal venues for the larger home unions.

The series extended beyond Europe for one fixture, with Ireland’s opening Test against New Zealand taking place at Soldier Field in Chicago — a venue that has hosted international rugby before and reflects the sport’s ongoing efforts to grow its global footprint. South Africa’s opening fixture was staged at Wembley Stadium in London. Italian matches were distributed across Bluenergy Stadium in Udine, Allianz Stadium in Turin, and Stadio Luigi Ferraris in Genoa.

Official Announcements and Governing Bodies

“The series featured the four home unions competing against the heavyweights of southern hemisphere rugby in a month-long festival of rugby.”

Match reports and fixture announcements were published through the respective union websites and governing body channels. The Rugby Football Union, Irish Rugby Football Union, Scottish Rugby Union, and Welsh Rugby Union each communicated updates through their official platforms across the five weekends. World Rugby, as the sport’s international governing body, oversaw the overall framework of the series.

Summary

The 2025 Autumn Internationals delivered five weekends of compelling Test rugby across the northern hemisphere. South Africa were the dominant force throughout, completing a five-match clean sweep and ending the year as the world’s top-ranked side. England matched that consistency at the union level, winning all four of their matches and finishing the series with 11 consecutive Test victories. Australia, by contrast, endured their worst European tour in 67 years, failing to win any of their four matches against England, Italy, Ireland, and France.

The tournament also carried significance beyond its immediate results. With the Nations Championship set to reshape the international calendar from 2026, the 2025 edition may mark the final iteration of the traditional November format that has defined the rugby calendar for decades. For a broader look at international sporting contests across different codes, see our Punjab Kings vs Lucknow Super Giants Match Scorecard.

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