New Zealand and Ireland have named experienced lineups for Saturday's blockbuster Round 3 matchup in the Nations Championship as the world's No. 2- and No. 3-ranked teams collide at Eden Park. Both nations enter the weekend with perfect 2-0 records after impressive starts, making this one of the defining matches of the tournament's opening half.
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The All Blacks opened the competition with a thrilling 34-32 victory over France before defeating Italy 47-17 in Round 2. Ireland also has navigated a difficult opening schedule, edging Australia 33-31 before earning a convincing 36-20 victory over Japan to move to the top of the Northern Hemisphere standings.
Watch the match below or watch the match on RugbyPass TV.
New Zealand has won each of the past three meetings between the nations, including victories during the 2023 Rugby World Cup and again last November. Ireland, however, famously won two of three Tests during its 2022 tour of New Zealand, adding another chapter to one of rugby's most compelling rivalries.
Saturday's winner will take a major step toward a place in the inaugural Nations Championship Final.
New Zealand Rugby Lineup vs. Ireland Rugby
Starting XV
- Ethan de Groot
- Codie Taylor
- Tyrel Lomax
- Josh Lord
- Patrick Tuipulotu
- Tupou Vaa'i
- Luke Jacobson
- Ardie Savea
- Cam Roigard
- Ruben Love
- Josh Moorby
- Jordie Barrett
- Quinn Tupaea
- Will Jordan
- Damian McKenzie
Replacements
- Asafo Aumua
- Xavier Numia
- Fletcher Newell
- Anton Segner
- Peter Lakai
- Cortez Ratima
- Anton Lienert-Brown
- Caleb Clarke
Ireland Rugby Lineup Vs. New Zealand
Starting XV
- Tom O'Toole
- Dan Sheehan
- Tadhg Furlong
- Joe McCarthy
- James Ryan
- Tadhg Beirne
- Josh van der Flier
- Jack Conan
- Jamison Gibson-Park
- Sam Prendergast
- Jimmy O'Brien
- Stuart McCloskey
- Garry Ringrose
- Robert Baloucoune
- Hugo Keenan
Replacements
- Ronan Kelleher
- Jeremy Loughman
- Thomas Clarkson
- Nick Timoney
- Sean Jansen
- Craig Casey
- Ciaran Frawley
- Bundee Aki
Watch All Blacks Vs. Ireland Rugby Live
Fans in the United States can watch New Zealand vs. Ireland live for free on RugbyPass TV and the World Rugby YouTube page.
The match kicks off at 3:10 a.m. ET on Saturday, July 18.
Nations Championship Round 3 Fixtures & Schedule
Saturday, July 18 (ET)
- 3:10 a.m. ET — New Zealand vs. Ireland
- 4:40 a.m. ET — Japan vs. France
- 6:10 a.m. ET — Australia vs. Italy
- 9:10 a.m. ET — Fiji vs. Scotland
- 11:40 a.m. ET — South Africa vs. Wales
- 3:10 p.m. ET — Argentina vs. England
Nations Championship Standings
Northern Hemisphere
- Ireland — 10 points
- France — 7 points
- Scotland — 6 points
- England — 5 points
- Wales — 5 points
- Italy — 0 points
Southern Hemisphere
- South Africa — 10 points
- New Zealand — 10 points
- Argentina — 6 points
- Japan — 4 points
- Australia — 3 points
- Fiji — 0 points
Remaining Nations Championship Schedule
Here's what happens in November.
Nations Championship Round 4
Friday, Nov. 6
- 3:10 p.m. ET — Ireland vs. Argentina
Saturday, Nov. 7
- 6:40 a.m. ET — Italy vs. South Africa
- 9:10 a.m. ET — Scotland vs. New Zealand
- 11:40 a.m. ET — Wales vs. Japan
- 3:10 p.m. ET — France vs. Fiji
Sunday, Nov. 8
- 10:10 a.m. ET — England vs. Australia
Nations Championship Round 5
Friday, Nov. 13
- 3:10 p.m. ET — France vs. South Africa
Saturday, Nov. 14
- 6:40 a.m. ET — Italy vs. Argentina
- 9:10 a.m. ET — Wales vs. New Zealand
- 11:40 a.m. ET — England vs. Japan
- 3:10 p.m. ET — Ireland vs. Fiji
Sunday, Nov. 15
- 10:10 a.m. ET — Scotland vs. Australia
Nations Championship Round 6
Saturday, Nov. 21
- 9:10 a.m. ET — England vs. New Zealand
- 9:10 a.m. ET — Scotland vs. Japan
- 11:40 a.m. ET — Ireland vs. South Africa
- 11:40 a.m. ET — Italy vs. Fiji
- 3:10 p.m. ET — France vs. Argentina
- 3:10 p.m. ET — Wales vs. Australia
Nations Championship Final
The inaugural Nations Championship Final will be played during the weekend of Nov. 27, with the top Northern Hemisphere team meeting the top Southern Hemisphere team to determine the tournament champion.
Here's How Fans Can Watch The Nations Championship
Fans in the United States can stream every Nations Championship match for free on RugbyPass TV and the World Rugby YouTube page.
World Rugby Nations Cup Round 3 Fixtures & Schedule
Saturday, July 18 (ET)
- 10:30 a.m. ET — Samoa vs. Romania
- 1:00 p.m. ET — Uruguay vs. Hong Kong China
- 3:00 p.m. ET — Chile vs. Georgia
- 4:45 p.m. ET — Tonga vs. Portugal
- 7:30 p.m. ET — USA vs. Spain
- 8:00 p.m. ET — Canada vs. Zimbabwe
World Rugby Nations Cup Standings
Pool A
- Chile — 10 points
- USA — 9 points
- Samoa — 5 points
- Tonga — 5 points
- Uruguay — 5 points
- Canada — 3 points
Pool B
- Georgia — 9 points
- Spain — 8 points
- Portugal — 7 points
- Romania — 4 points
- Zimbabwe — 1 point
- Hong Kong China — 0 points
Here's How Fans Can Watch The World Rugby Nations Cup
Fans in the United States can stream every World Rugby Nations Cup match, including all USA Rugby Eagles fixtures, live on Paramount+.
Current World Rugby Men's Rankings
- South Africa — 93.96
- New Zealand — 91.04
- Ireland — 89.32
- France — 87.43
- England — 84.75
- Scotland — 84.09
- Argentina — 84.06
- Australia — 80.60
- Fiji — 78.69
- Italy — 77.31
- Japan — 76.42
- Wales — 76.38
- Georgia — 73.30
- USA — 69.40
- Portugal — 68.67
- Spain — 67.66
- Uruguay — 67.62
- Chile — 67.59
- Samoa — 66.27
- Tonga — 65.85
- Belgium — 61.03
- Romania — 60.92
- Canada — 59.46
- Hong Kong China — 58.86
- Zimbabwe — 58.59
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