If week two of the Autumn Nations Series is anything to go by, this weekend will be filled with tackles, tries and thrills with six games on the week three slate of fixtures.
Who is playing and when?
Week three of the Autumn Nations Series gets underway with two games being played at 1pm on Saturday.
Italy welcome Argentina to the Stadio Comunale di Monigo in Treviso while Scotland host the defending world champions the Springboks at BT Murrayfield.
Following the opening two games, Ireland play New Zealand at 3:15pm in Dublin in the third game of the weekend, while England take on Australia at Twickenham afterwards at 5:30pm.
With Saturday’s action out of the way, Sunday sees France go up against Georgia at 1pm at the Matmut Atlantique in Bordeaux.
And in the final game Wales welcome Fiji to the Principality Stadium for a 3:15pm kick-off.
Previews
On Saturday, Italy and Argentina’s battle is their first in four years, with both coming off losses from a week prior.
New Italy coach Kieran Crowley’s side pushed the world No.1 side New Zealand close but a late second-half blitz saw the All Blacks flex their muscles, eventually running out 47-9 winners.
To find out more, check out our Italy v Argentina preview
Los Pumas travelled to the French capital last weekend to take on France, but were unable to overcome Les Blues, falling 29-20 in a pulsating Parisian affair.
It’s been nearly three years since Scotland played South Africa at BT Murrayfield.
To find out more, check out our Scotland v South Africa preview
Facing off in 2018, the Springboks ran out 26-20 winners with Handré Pollard’s 18-point haul helping them dispatch the Scots.
Scotland will be keen to test themselves against the defending World Cup champions after they defeated Australia 15-13 last weekend.
Ireland are handed the unenviable task of trying to shackle the No.1 Test team in the world this weekend as the All Blacks head to Dublin.
To find out more, check out our Ireland v New Zealand preview
Ian Foster’s men broke the international record for the number of Test tries scored by a side in a calendar year last weekend against Italy and will be looking to continue to flex their try scoring prowess they take on Ireland.
The final Saturday action sees England and Australia face off at Twickenham, igniting one of rugby’s greatest rivalries once again.
Eddie Jones has not lost a single game against his country of birth during his England tenure, winning all seven matches against the Wallabies since he took charge in 2016.
To find out more, check out our England v Australia preview
Australia meanwhile will be looking to bounce back from their frustrating loss to Scotland last weekend, which was their third consecutive defeat to Gregor Townsend’s side.
Sunday sees France welcome Georgia to the Matmut Atlantique in the Autumn Nations Series.
To find out more, check out our France v Georgia preview
Head coach Fabien Galthié has made six changes from the win over Argentina, with Cameron Woki, Romain Taofifenua, Sekou Macalou, Gregory Alldritt, Uni Atonio and Matthis Lebel all handed starts.
And the final game of the weekend sees Wales welcome the flying Fijians to the Principality Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
To find out more, check out our Wales v Fiji preview
Wales led the Springboks at half-time before the world champions came roaring back in the second half last weekend while Fiji saw off Spain 43-13 in convincing fashion.
Key points
South Africa’s clash with Scotland sees both Franco Mostert and Jesse Kriel earn their 50th test cap for the Springboks.
Alongside the double half centurions, should Frans Steyn feature off the bench, he will become the longest serving Springbok in history, surpassing the legendary Victor Matfield.
New Zealand have made 14 changes to the side that beat Italy last weekend, with only Sevu Reece retaining his place.
Reece scored the All Blacks 93rd Test try of the calendar year against Italy, helping them break the world record for most tries scored by a Test side in a single year.
With Owen Farrell returning to the England side to face Australia, Manu Tuilagi switches to the wing.
It’s the first time since 2014 that Tuilagi has started on the wing, with the only previous time occasion coming in a 28-27 loss to the All Blacks.
Having suffered an agonising three-year spate of injuries, Ellis Jenkins’ stellar return against the Springboks last weekend has been rewarded by Wayne Pivac, who names the flanker as his skipper for Wales’ Test against Fiji.
While Georgia head into the contest against France having won six of their last seven matches, they are still searching for their first win over a Tier 1 Test nation.
Where can I watch it?
For fans in the United Kingdom, Amazon Prime Video is the place watch five of the six matches, with the only exception being Ireland’s clash with New Zealand which will be broadcast by Channel 4.
If you are in the Republic of Ireland, then it is a similar situation, with the Ireland game shown on RTÉ, while the remaining matches are all on Amazon Prime Video.
