Rugby Championship 2023 schedule, dates, and times
8th July
- 4.05 pm – South Africa vs Australia
- 8.10 pm – Argentina vs New Zealand
15th July
- 8.05 am – New Zealand vs South Africa
- 10.45 am – Australia vs Argentina
29th July
- 10.45 am – Australia vs New Zealand
- 4.05 pm – South Africa vs Argentina
5th August
- 3.35 am – New Zealand vs Australia
- 11.10 pm – Argentina vs South Africa
(All times BST)
The Rugby Championship is an annual rugby union competition, contested by the 4 sides consistently ranked highest in the Southern Hemisphere: Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. The tournament is often likened to a Southern Hemisphere Six Nations, due to the stature of the event, and the myriad rivalries which characterize the fixtures, however, the formats of the 2 competitions are slightly different.
The first Rugby Championship took place in 1996, with New Zealand coming out on top thanks to an impressive 100% record across their 4 matches. Then known as the Tri-Nations Series, the tournament later changed its name following the inclusion of Argentina in 2012. The tournament is still known by slightly different names in each participatory nation, due to sponsorship reasons. Since their first win in 1996, New Zealand has gone on to win the Rugby Championship (or Tri Nations) trophy on more occasions than any other team, but there is rarely a runaway winner: every single match is hard-fought, with grudges and rivalries intensifying year-on-year. Argentina’s recent inclusion has also added to the Rugby Championship’s spectacle, broadening the competition’s audience and testing even more of the Southern Hemisphere’s top players at the highest level.
Due to the inclusion of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in the global rugby calendar, the next Rugby Championship will use an adapted version of the usual format; the 2023 competition will feature 6 matches instead of the usual 12 and will take place between 8-29 July.
New Zealand is the reigning Rugby Championship champion, having pipped South Africa to the 2022 title.
Rugby Championship 2022 Fixtures and Results
ROUND 1 | ||||||||
Saturday, August 6, 2022 | Argentina | 26 | South Africa | 26 | ||||
Australia | 41 | New Zealand | 10 | |||||
ROUND 2 | ||||||||
Saturday, August 13, 2022 | Argentina | 48 | South Africa | 23 | ||||
Australia | 17 | New Zealand | 35 | |||||
ROUND 3 | ||||||||
Saturday, August 27, 2022 | New Zealand | 18 | Australia | 25 | ||||
Argentina | 25 | South Africa | 17 | |||||
ROUND 4 | ||||||||
Saturday, September 3, 2022 | Australia | 8 | New Zealand | 53 | ||||
South Africa | 24 | Argentina | 3 | |||||
ROUND 5 | ||||||||
Thursday, September 15, 2022 | Argentina | 20 | Australia | 37 | ||||
South Africa | 36 | New Zealand | 39 | |||||
ROUND 6 | ||||||||
Saturday, September 24, 2022 | South Africa | 38 | New Zealand | 40 | ||||
Argentina | 21 | Australia | 14 |
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