Sam Bruce, Deputy Editor, espn.com.auOct 30, 2024, 09:52 PM ET
CloseSam was brought up on long drives and the dusty fields of north-west New South Wales, where he developed his love of rugby from an early age. He joined ESPN after a five-year stint heading up Fox Sports Australia’s digital rugby coverage.
Welcome to the autumn internationals, when the northern and southern hemispheres come together for a plethora of rugby action throughout November.
While the official World Rugby Test window doesn’t start until Saturday Nov. 9, the action kicks of this weekend as England and Scotland host New Zealand and Fiji respectively.
The next few weeks really are about as good as it gets for a rugby fan, outside the World Cup of course.
But what Tests simply demand your attention, those games it is imperative you must watch – no matter what else you have going on?
We’ve ranked the autumn internationals for their must-watch factor below!
1. Ireland vs. New Zealand, Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Nov. 8
Andy Farrell’s side begin their November campaign with a visit from the All Blacks, pitting the world’s No. 1 and No. 3 ranked sides against each other for the first time since last year’s epic quarterfinal. You remember that one, right? When, after 37 phases of gripping rugby, Sam Whitelock produced a match-sealing turnover to earn a penalty from Wayne Barnes and send his side into the World Cup semifinal, extending Ireland’s quarterfinal hoodoo in the process? If that rematch isn’t enough to whet your appetite, then surely the release of Jonny Sexton’s book “Obsessed”, which referenced that famous quarterfinal and his exchange with Rieko Ioane after the final whistle, tips it over the edge? Sexton might have retired, but the rivalry between these two nations remains – and each will be desperate to be on the right side of the result in Dublin.
Ireland and the All Blacks resume hostilities in the standout Test of the November series Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images
2. England vs. South Africa, Allianz Stadium Twickenham, London, No. 16
A repeat of last year’s gripping semifinal, England will be out for revenge after they came within two minutes of a fifth World Cup decider. Never at their best in France, England were sunk by a late Handre Pollard penalty goal, three points that brought down the curtain on Owen Farrell’s illustrious Test career. This new version of England should be hitting its straps by the time the Boks come to Twickenham, having faced New Zealand and Australia in the preceding weeks. South Africa, meanwhile, are battle hardened after an arduous Rugby Championship and two-Test series with Ireland, while they will have blown out the cobwebs of a month off with a game against Scotland a week earlier.
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3. Ireland vs. Australia, Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Nov. 30
This feels like a fitting game to end the year’s Test action, as the coaching combatants of next year’s British & Irish Lions series lock horns in Dublin. Andy Farrell and Joe Schmidt, former colleagues, face off with their teams at opposite ends of World Rugby’s top 10, but with perhaps not as much of a gap between them as that spread might suggest. Certainly, we’ll know a whole lot more about the Wallabies – and whether they might actually trouble the Lions next year – before they arrive in Dublin for this clash. The fact it falls outside the official Test window means neither Will Skelton nor Samu Kerevi will be available for Australia, but there is no doubt Schmidt will have circled this game on his calendar; you just know the Kiwi has kept a couple of plays up his sleeve for it.
4. France vs. New Zealand, Stade de France, Paris, Nov. 16
Just a few hours after we get England-South Africa, Les Bleus will host the All Blacks in Paris – that’s a damn fine few hours on the couch with your snacks and drink of choice. This will be the first meeting since these two nations opened last year’s World Cup, which set them on contrasting paths to the quarterfinal and final respectively. What makes this one extra special is that it also represents the first time we will see Antoine Dupont up against one of the game’s elite nations since the World Cup. Le petit general missed the Six Nations to prepare for the Olympics and has, over the past 11 months, created a social media debate that shows no signs of slowing. The All Blacks will have also already come through two huge Tests against England and Ireland, so who knows just where the pressure gauge may be on coach Scott Robertson. Year one hasn’t exactly gone to plan.
Antoine Dupont is back in France’s squad and ready to resume his place as the team’s attacking maestro Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
5. England vs. Australia, Allianz Stadium Twickenham, Nov. 9
It seems like forever ago that these two countries last met, yet it is only a touch over two years since Eddie Jones and Dave Rennie had the reins of England and Australia respectively. Since then, well, you know the drill. This is a vital game for England, both as a team and as individuals, the latter when you consider it is basically a straight-up Lions audition against next year’s opposition. The Wallabies meanwhile will be looking to make an unlikely winning start to what is a Grand Slam tour, though Australia last defeated the Auld Enemy on their home patch at the 2015 World Cup. This may also be the first time we see NRL convert Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, though his Test debut is more likely to come a week later in Cardiff.
6. England vs. New Zealand, Allianz Stadium Twickenham, Nov. 2
The All Blacks visit to Twickenham gets us going this weekend and while it promises to be another keenly fought contest, the fact we have already seen it twice this year just takes the gloss of it a touch and sees it drop a few places lower than it would perhaps rate in other years. That doesn’t mean we’re not intrigued by this game, which offers up several key storylines. Will the All Blacks No. 10 picture be any clearer? Just how good is Chandler Cunningham-South? Is Wallace Sititi the next Ardie Savea? Should opposition teams be allowed to advance on the haka [thanks, Joe!]? England will not want to be swept 3-0 by New Zealand in the same season but face a tough challenge with no recent rugby up their sleeve. Strap in.
7. Scotland vs. South Africa, Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Edinburgh, Nov. 10
Sixth-ranked Scotland head the “best of the rest” beneath rugby’s elite group, but they have designs on leaving the also-rans behind and establishing themselves as a team that consistently mixes it with the game’s best. This is the perfect opportunity to do prove they can do so, as they welcome the Springboks to what is already a sold-out Murrayfield. They also have one of the game’s great entertainers in fly-half Finn Russell, who seems to have found a happy place with coach Gregor Townsend. The Scots were only able to open up the world champions’ rush defence a couple of times in Marseille during the World Cup last year, and otherwise struggled in the face of the Boks’ brute physicality. Fourteen months on, perhaps the Scots will have worked out a way to break it down? That will go a long way to determining whether they are any chance in this one.
8. Wales vs. Fiji, Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Nov. 10
Things could not be much worse in Wales. They sit 11th on World Rugby’s rankings, are winless in 2024 and have waved off a number of team mainstays into retirement over the past 12 months, as others sit sidelined by injury. Still, Warren Gatland remains laser focused on ushering in the new generation in the run to the 2027 World Cup. After blowing out the cobwebs against Scotland in Edinburgh this weekend, Fiji will arrive in Cardiff confident they can avenge last year’s narrow pool defeat in Toulouse and heap more pain on Gatland’s downtrodden group. Fiji are no longer just a team who can play off-the cuff, attacking rugby; the Drua has provided them the platform to build combinations, particularly up front, and play a more structured game than ever before. But don’t be surprised if they look to attack Wales from deep inside their own half.
Semi Radradra came within metres of snatching a late victory for Fiji over Wales at last year’s Rugby World Cup Alex Livesey/Getty Images
9. England vs. Japan, Allianz Stadium Twickenham, London, Nov. 24
It wouldn’t be a November without Eddie Jones, right? Love him or loathe him, Jones never fails to hit the headlines; who knows what he might have in store for his first return to Twickenham [Barbarians aside] since his sacking at the end of 2022? A lot has happened since then too [sorry to hit a sore point, Wallabies fans], but that does not include any uptick in Japan’s performance in the Australian’s second stint as Brave Blossoms coach. They were hammered by the All Blacks last weekend and lost the Pacific Nations Cup final to Fiji before that – you’d think another heavy defeat is inbound in this one. But can you imagine the post-match presser should Japan get up? That will be something.
Eddie Jones [L] returns to Twickenham as coach of Japan, who have struggled so far in the Australian’s second stint in charge MB Media/Getty Images
10. Ireland vs. Argentina, Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Nov. 15
It’s been a helluva season already for Argentina, who have beaten each of France, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia under new coach Felipe Contepomi. But they would dearly love to ice their season with a victory over the world’s No. 1 team on their home deck. Adding to this clash is the fact that Contepomi is back in a city he knows oh so well, given the playmaker amassed 116 appearances in a six-year stint for Leinster, a team he then returned to as backs coach between 2018 and 2022. Could those Leinster insights help him plot an upset win in Dublin? The Pumas will feel they can do it, though they are winless in 10 Tests against their hosts on Irish soil.
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