Autumn Internationals

What Are the Autumn Internationals?

Every November, the international rugby calendar delivers one of the sport’s most anticipated windows. The Autumn Internationals — also known as the November Tests or the Autumn Nations Series — see the major northern hemisphere nations host a programme of Test matches against touring sides from the south. It is the only regular opportunity for fans in the British Isles and France to watch the All Blacks, Springboks, Wallabies and Pumas live on home soil, and the matches carry enormous significance for World Rugby Rankings and squad development.

Format

Each home nation typically plays three or four Test matches across consecutive weekends in November. The fixtures are arranged bilaterally rather than as a formal tournament, though World Rugby has introduced a structured Autumn Nations Series framework in recent years, complete with standings and a title. The window usually spans three weekends, with matches concentrated on Saturdays to maximise television audiences.

For the touring teams, the November window is the mirror image of the June tours, when northern hemisphere sides travel south. The reciprocal arrangement ensures that the world’s best teams meet regularly outside of World Cup years, maintaining competitive edge and giving coaches the chance to test their squads against unfamiliar opposition.

The Venues

The Autumn Internationals are staged at some of rugby’s most atmospheric grounds:

• Twickenham Stadium, London — England’s 82,000-capacity home, the largest dedicated rugby ground in the world
• Principality Stadium, Cardiff — Wales’s city-centre home with its iconic retractable roof
• BT Murrayfield, Edinburgh — Scotland’s spiritual home, steeped in history
• Aviva Stadium, Dublin — Ireland’s 51,700-seat venue, shared with football

France host their November matches at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, while Italy play at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. The combination of large crowds, crisp autumn conditions and high-stakes rugby creates an atmosphere that is difficult to replicate anywhere else in the sport.

Significance

The November window serves several purposes. For coaches, it is a chance to experiment with selection, blooding new players in a Test environment whilst retaining the competitive stakes that friendlies lack. For fans, it provides access to the southern hemisphere’s best without the expense and logistics of international travel. And for World Rugby, the window generates vital broadcast revenue and maintains the global rhythm of the international calendar.

Results during the Autumn Internationals can significantly alter the World Rugby Rankings, making them far more than ceremonial fixtures. A strong November performance can shift a team’s seeding for the next World Cup draw, whilst a poor series can expose weaknesses that take months to address.

The Autumn Nations Series

Since 2021, World Rugby has framed the November window under the Autumn Nations Series brand, introducing a points-based competition across all participating teams. Whilst the bilateral nature of the fixtures remains — each union negotiates its own opponents — the series structure gives the window a collective identity and a notional champion. It remains to be seen whether this format evolves further, but it has added a useful narrative thread to what can otherwise feel like a disconnected set of standalone matches.

Where to Watch

In the United Kingdom, the Autumn Internationals are broadcast exclusively by TNT Sports. All of England’s, Scotland’s and Wales’s home Tests are shown live, with streaming available on discovery+. You will need a TNT Sports subscription via Sky, BT, Virgin Media or EE to access coverage. Some highlights and post-match analysis may appear on free-to-air channels, but live coverage requires a subscription.

Ireland’s home matches are broadcast by RTE and Virgin Media in the Republic of Ireland, with TNT Sports carrying coverage in the UK.

For the latest scheduling details, see our UK TV Schedule.

Read about the southern hemisphere’s equivalent in our Rugby Championship guide, or explore the Six Nations for the other major international window.