All kick off times for Nations Championship Tests this weekend

The fourth round of the Nations Championship kicks off this Friday, starting with an intriguing clash between Ireland and Argentina.

There are then four back-to-back clashes on Friday as the Springboks get proceedings underway against Italy, while the clash between the All Blacks and Scotland should offer up plenty of fireworks.

A blockbuster battle on Sunday will also see England and Australia go into battle at Twickenham.

Nations Championship round four fixtures (SA KICK OFF times)

Friday, 6 November

• 22:10 – Ireland vs Argentina, Aviva Stadium, Dublin

Saturday, 7 November

• 13:40 – Italy vs South Africa, Estadio Camilo Cano, La Nucia
• 16:10 – Scotland vs New Zealand, Murrayfield, Edinburgh
• 18:40 – Wales vs Japan, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
• 22:10 – France vs Fiji, Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Lyon

Sunday, 8 November

• 17:10 – England vs Australia, Twickenham, London

The Springboks currently top the Southern Hemisphere standings, tied on 15 points with New Zealand, but in the number one spot because of a better points’ difference.

The team will travel to Paris next to face France (Friday, 13 November) and then Dublin where they will meet Ireland (Saturday, 21 November) in their final pool match before the Finals Weekend, which concludes on Sunday, 29 November.

“We have three challenging matches ahead if we want to advance to the last game of the Finals Weekend, so our next three matches are going to be vital to lay a strong foundation for the tour,” said Erasmus.

“All our energy is focused on the match against Italy for now Fortunately, some of the Japan-based players were able to travel to Italy earlier than the rest of the squad, so they have been working with some of the coaching staff for a few days already and are fully in the swing of things, while we had our first training session on Monday afternoon, so everyone is now on the same page.”

HOW THE CURRENT LOGS LOOK

Southern Hemisphere Table

Pos

Team

P

W

D

L

+/-

Pts

1

South Africa

3

3

0

0

+81

15

2New Zealand3300+51153Australia3102+2984Argentina3102-275Japan3102-2646Fiji3003-960

Northern Hemisphere Table

Pos

Team

P

W

D

L

+/-

Pts

1France3201+41122Scotland3201+11113England3201+48104Ireland3201-1105Wales3102-4256Italy3003-940