Here is a breakdown of some key statistics, courtesy of Sage, our Insights Partner. With their analysis, we can examine the tactical battles from the two matches that proved pivotal to the outcomes.
All graphics are provided by Opta Analyst and Stats Perform.
Ireland defeated Argentina in Dublin on Friday night, while France edged past New Zealand 24 hours later in a thrilling contest at the Stade de France. However, the Springboks and Wallabies maintained their unbeaten records, overcoming England and Wales respectively.
Elsewhere, Italy and Scotland faced Rugby Europe Championship teams, with Italy staging a comeback against Georgia and Scotland dominating Portugal at Murrayfield.
Ireland 22 Argentina 19
Ireland's Friday night clash with Argentina at the Aviva Stadium was a tale of two halves. The hosts were dominant early, racing to a commanding lead and looking determined to put their defeat to New Zealand behind them.
However, Argentina surged back in the second half, reducing the deficit to just three points. Notably, Ireland failed to score in the second period—the first time they have been held scoreless in a half of rugby in Dublin since 2015.
The Irish attack was clinical in the first half, scoring 22 points from seven entries into Argentina’s 22. In contrast, they couldn’t convert any of their four second-half entries into points.
Ireland’s expected points (xP) tally highlights the difference between their efficiency in the two halves. In the opening 40 minutes, Ireland outscored their 16.7 xP by over five points (22), while in their scoreless second half their xP was only slightly lower at 15.6.
Defensively, both teams put in huge shifts, with Ireland and Argentina each making over 200 tackles—the first time in Tier One history (since Opta began recording this data in 2010) that two teams have reached that mark in a single game.
Argentina’s second-half resurgence, during which they have outscored their opponents 43-8 across their two Autumn Nations games, continues to demonstrate their resilience and ability to fight back under Felipe Contepomi.
Scotland 59 Portugal 21
Scotland’s Saturday fixture against Portugal was a one-sided affair, with the hosts overwhelming last year’s Rugby World Cup surprise team. Os Lobos struggled to contain the Scots.
Although Portugal made only six fewer carries than Scotland (124 to 130), they gained less than half the metres (269 to 680) and managed just three line breaks compared to Scotland’s ten.
Darcy Graham starred for the Scots, scoring his 29th international try to become joint all-time top scorer for Scotland alongside Duhan van der Merwe.
There were some impressive Portuguese performances, with Nicolas Martins delivering a standout defensive effort, making 20 tackles at a 100% success rate. Raffaele Storti also beat seven defenders against Scotland—a joint round-high, shared with Italy’s Tommaso Menoncello.
England 20 South Africa 29
Déjà vu struck at the Allianz Stadium as England suffered their fifth consecutive defeat, once again surrendering a lead within the final 25 minutes.
England enjoyed more possession and territory but struggled to capitalise, averaging just 1.7 points per 22 entries (10) compared to South Africa’s 3.3.
Joe El-Abd will be disappointed with England’s defensive performance. Fifteen of their 25 missed tackles directly led to line breaks or tries—the worst defensive display of any team in the Autumn Nations Series this weekend.
The Springboks’ scramble defence was superb, cutting out threats despite missing 24 tackles of their own. Notably, 75% of these missed tackles saw the English player tackled before making a line break or scoring a try.
South Africa now head to Cardiff seeking a clean sweep of the British nations, while England host Japan in search of redemption.
France 30 New Zealand 29
In a blockbuster match at the Stade de France, which reignited a fierce rivalry, France overturned a seven-point half-time deficit to defeat the All Blacks.
This marked France’s third consecutive victory over New Zealand. During the game, the win predictor rose to a match-high 84% in favour of the All Blacks when they extended their lead to 14-3.
Half-time saw Les Bleus trailing for the first time since the opening game of the 2018 Six Nations.
The game hinged on precision goal-kicking, with Thomas Ramos’ 15 points from the tee proving decisive. His efforts included long-range and difficult touchline kicks, exceeding his expected 12 points (xGK) by three. He achieved an average expected kick success rate of 78%, compared to Damian McKenzie’s 91%.
France’s win also marked their largest half-time comeback at home (Saint-Denis) since 1998, securing a memorable victory and ending New Zealand’s hopes of an Autumn Nations Series Grand Slam.
Italy 20 Georgia 17
Italy staged a historic second-half comeback in Genoa, overturning an 11-point half-time deficit to beat Georgia. This marked the Azzurri’s largest second-half turnaround in Test rugby history.
In the second half, Italy starved Georgia of possession. While Georgia made 36 carries in the whole game, only 13 came in the second half, with just one defender beaten.
In contrast, the Azzurri made 112 carries, beating 21 defenders and making two line breaks in the second half alone.
Georgia’s Tornike Jalagonia was heroic in defence, recording 30 tackles—the highest of the weekend and the most by any player in an Autumn Nations Series fixture since Dalton Papali’i made 30 against Ireland in 2021. However, his effort wasn’t enough to withstand Italy’s relentless attacks.
Wales 20 Australia 52
Australia recorded their biggest win against Wales since 1996 (42-3) and their largest victory in Cardiff since the 1991 Rugby World Cup.
Australia’s Matt Faessler and Tom Wright each scored hat-tricks—a rare feat for the Wallabies. Since 2018, only one other Wallaby has scored a hat-trick: Andrew Kellaway against Argentina in 2021.
Wright was lethal in attack, gaining 243 metres from 12 carries, making three line breaks and beating five defenders. This was the most by any player against a Tier One nation since 2018.
Despite playing with a man advantage for a quarter of the game, Wales struggled to capitalise, conceding 28 points during those periods. They have now lost 11 consecutive Tests, the longest losing streak in their history.
Australia, thriving under Joe Schmidt, will aim to complete a Grand Slam of Northern Hemisphere sides in their next match.
All graphics are provided by Opta Analyst and Stats Perform.
