Southern Hemisphere Rugby Tournament: Broadcast information, schedule, and squad updates for the southern rugby event
The 2025 Rugby Championship is underway, and it's shaping up to be an exciting tournament. As the Southern Hemisphere's premier rugby competition, this year's event promises thrilling matches and strategic battles.
Current Standings
As of August 2025, New Zealand and Australia are currently leading the standings, each having won their first match. While South Africa and Argentina have both lost their opening games. New Zealand tops the table, followed closely by Australia; South Africa, the defending champions, are in third place, and Argentina is fourth.
Key Contenders
- South Africa: Entering the tournament as defending champions, South Africa lost their opening match to Australia, falling to third in Rugby Championship standings and dropping to 3rd in World Rugby Rankings behind Ireland. Their style in 2024 focused on high possession efficiency with shorter ball-in-play times. Rassie Erasmus, the squad's coach, has shown strategic changes, with easy wins over Italy (twice) and Georgia.
- Australia: Australia won their first match convincingly against South Africa, currently second in the Rugby Championship table. They are trying to increase pace and possession efficiency but are slightly behind South Africa and New Zealand in effectiveness.
- Argentina: Argentina started the Championship campaign with a loss to New Zealand in Córdoba but had earlier wins against the British & Irish Lions and Uruguay while suffering two recent defeats against England. Head coach Felipe Contepomi has made significant changes to the team after those defeats, with only four players retained in the starting XV for the Championship opener.
- New Zealand: Leading the Rugby Championship table, New Zealand is the most historically successful team with 20 titles in this competition's history. They won their opening match against Argentina 41-24 and are aiming to reclaim the title after losing it to South Africa last year.
Fixtures and Venues
The full list of fixtures includes games on August 23rd, September 6th, September 13th, September 27th, October 4th, and October 11th. Notable fixtures include a rare match hosted in London between Argentina and South Africa and a series of rematches among these top Southern Hemisphere rugby nations.
Rebuilding and Improvement
Argentina is rebuilding their team under new team selections, with Juan Cruz Mallía, Santiago Chocobares, Marcos Kremer, Bautista Delguy, Mateo Carreras, and Ignacio Ruiz returning to the squad after their July series loss to England. New Zealand's coach, Scott Robertson, is still working to improve the team after taking over from Ian Foster following the last World Cup.
Watch the Action
All the games can be watched on Sky Sports Action, offering rugby fans a chance to witness the strategic battles and thrilling matches firsthand. The competition takes place from mid-August to early October 2025, providing a preview of the plans for the 2027 World Cup.
A Threat on Their Day
Argentina is a team that can be a threat on their day but also prone to inconsistency. As the tournament progresses, it will be interesting to see how they perform against the top Southern Hemisphere rugby nations.
The 2025 Rugby Championship is off to an exciting start, with New Zealand and Australia in strong initial form. South Africa and Argentina, however, will need to improve after their initial losses. The competition promises to be a showcase of strategic play, teamwork, and individual skill. Don't miss out on the action!
During the 2025 Rugby Championship, sports enthusiasts can tune in to watch the tournament on Sky Sports Action, as the competition is shaping up to be an exciting display of strategic play, teamwork, and individual skill. Notably, football matches have not been announced as part of the tournament, but the Southern Hemisphere nations participating in the Rugby Championship, including New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and Argentina, are showcasing their football-like speed and precision on the rugby field.
