The final weekend of the Nations Championship’s first leg begins on Saturday, 18 July, 2026, and the standout fixture sees New Zealand host Ireland at Eden Park in Auckland. It is the clearest marker yet of how the tournament is taking shape, with the south including Japan and the north level on wins before the round begins.
New Zealand and Ireland arrive at the match with six wins apiece, but the northern side has scored more points and tries than the south. That adds another layer to a game that already carries plenty of importance as Round Three moves into its decisive stage.
New Zealand vs Ireland: match details
The All Blacks and Ireland will kick off at 19:10 local time in Auckland. For viewers around the world, that is 08:10 in the UK, 09:10 in France and South Africa, 17:10 AEST, 19:10 New Zealand time, 04:10 in Argentina, 16:10 JST and 03:10 EDT.
Nic Berry has been appointed to referee the match at Eden Park, giving the contest a confirmed officiating assignment for one of the weekend’s most closely watched internationals.
Broadcast coverage will be available on Sky Sport in New Zealand, Virgin Media Television in the Republic of Ireland, ITV in the United Kingdom, TF1 in France, Sky Italia in Italy, Wowow in Japan, Nine Network and Stan Sport in Australia, and SuperSport in South Africa.
What else is on in Round Three
Saturday’s schedule also includes Japan against France in Tokyo, Australia hosting Italy, Fiji hosting Scotland at Murrayfield Stadium, South Africa hosting Wales in Durban, and Argentina playing England in Santiago del Estero. Together, those matches close out the internationals for this July and complete the final weekend of the first leg.
For New Zealand and Ireland, though, the focus is squarely on Eden Park. It is the most complete fixture in the round, with venue, time, broadcaster list and referee all now confirmed for a match that will help define the tone of the competition heading into the next stage.
