The 2022 Rugby Championship was the tenth edition of the annual southern hemisphere

competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indivi ...

, involving

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. The tournament returned to being staged across all competing nations after the disruption from COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021. The competition is operated by

SANZAAR SANZAAR (South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina Rugby; previously known as SANZAR) is the body which oversees Super Rugby and The Rugby Championship competitions in rugby union. SANZAAR meets annually and is composed of the CEOs from ...

, a joint venture of the four countries' national unions, and known for sponsorship reasons as ''The

Castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

Rugby Championship'' in South Africa, ''The Fortinet Rugby Championship'' in New Zealand, ''The eToro Rugby Championship'' in Australia, and ''The Zurich Rugby Championship'' in Argentina. The tournament was restructured for the first time since Argentina joined the competition, with each team playing their games both home and away. Each country hosted three games, but not evenly across the competing nations. Argentina hosted Australia twice and South Africa once; Australia hosted South Africa twice and New Zealand once; New Zealand hosted Argentina twice and Australia once; and South Africa hosted New Zealand twice and Argentina once.

Table

Fixtures

Round 1

Notes: * Malcolm Marx (South Africa) earned his 50th test cap. * South Africa win back-to-back matches over New Zealand for the first time since 2009. * This was South Africa's first home victory over New Zealand since 4 October 2014. * With this loss, New Zealand lose more than two consecutive games for the first time since 1998. * As a result of this loss, New Zealand drop to fifth in the

World Rugby Rankings The World Rugby Rankings (formerly the IRB Rankings) is a ranking system for national teams in rugby union, managed by World Rugby, the sport's governing body. There are separate men's and women's rankings. The teams of World Rugby's member nation ...

, their lowest ranking ever. * New Zealand lose their opening match of the Rugby Championship/Tri Nations for the first time since

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

. * It was South Africa's biggest win over New Zealand since 30 June 1928, when South Africa won 17–0 in

Kingsmead Kingsmead may refer to: Places in England * Kingsmead, Bath, an electoral ward in Somerset ** Kingsmead Square, Bath * Kingsmead, Cheshire * Kingsmead, a district of Shenley Brook End in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire Other uses * Kingsmead ...

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

. ---- Notes: * Michael Hooper (Australia) had been named to start and captain, but withdrew from the team the day before the game and returned to Australia due to personal reasons. Fraser McReight replaced him in the starting XV with James Slipper becoming captain. * Tomás Albornoz (Argentina) and

Matt Gibbon Matt Gibbon (born 3 June 1995) is an Australian people, Australian rugby union player who plays for the in the Super Rugby competition. His position of choice is Rugby union positions, prop. Super Rugby statistics References External lin ...

and Jed Holloway (both Australia) made their international debuts. * Australia retain the

Puma Trophy The Puma Trophy () is an international rugby union competition between Argentina and Australia. The trophy is a bronzed statue of a puma. Argentina and Australia first played against each other in 1979 and the trophy itself was established in 20 ...

Round 2

Notes: * Bongi Mbonambi (South Africa) had been named to start but withdrew days before the game and was replaced by

Joseph Dweba Joseph Dweba (born 25 October 1995) is a South African professional rugby union player for in the United Rugby Championship competition. He previously played for in the Pro14 and the in the Currie Cup. His regular position is hooker. Club c ...

. *

Frans Malherbe Jozua Francois Malherbe (born 14 March 1991) is a South African rugby union professional player. He plays as a tighthead prop for the South Africa national team and the in the United Rugby Championship. Early life Malherbe attended Paarl Bo ...

(South Africa) earned his 50th test cap. *

Fletcher Newell Fletcher Newell (born 1 March 2000 in New Zealand) is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays Prop for the in Super Rugby and for the All Blacks in international matches. Biography Newell was educated at Rangiora High School. In 2019, N ...

(New Zealand) made his international debut. * New Zealand retain the

Freedom Cup The Freedom Cup () is a minor international rugby union trophy contested between South Africa and New Zealand, during The Rugby Championship and previously during The Rugby Championship's predecessor, the Tri Nations. It was first contested in 2004 ...

. ---- Notes: *

Folau Fainga'a Folau Fainga'a (born 5 May 1995) is an Australian professional rugby union player who currently plays at hooker for the Western Force. He previously played for the ACT Brumbies and the . Folau is currently signed on with Rugby Australia and has ...

(Australia) had been named to start but withdraw a day before the test due to injury. Lachlan Lonergan replaced him in the starting XV, with Billy Pollard joining on the bench. *

Pone Fa'amausili Pone Fa'amausili (born 26 February 1997) is an Australian rugby union footballer who plays for the Melbourne Rebels in Super Rugby. His position of choice is prop A prop, formally known as (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage ...

and Billy Pollard (both Australia) made their international debuts. * This was Argentina's biggest win over Australia, surpassing their 18–3 win in 1983.

Round 3

Notes: * This was the first rugby test match hosted at

Adelaide Oval Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the city centre and North Adelaide. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby ...

since 2004. * With this win Australia retain the

Mandela Challenge Plate The Nelson Mandela Challenge Plate is a rugby union trophy contested between Australia and South Africa. It is named after South Africa's first democratically elected president, Nelson Mandela. History Initially designed to be held every two ye ...

---- Notes: *

Marcos Kremer Marcos Kremer (born 30 July 1997) is an Argentine rugby union player who plays for Top 14 team Stade Français. His playing positions are Lock and flanker. Having played rugby from a young age, representing Los Espinillos at the age of 15 and C ...

(Argentina) earned his 50th cap. * This was Argentina's first away win against New Zealand, as well as the first time Argentina has won two games in a row in the Rugby Championship. *

Michael Cheika Michael Cheika (born 4 March 1967) is an Australian rugby union and rugby league coach, and former rugby union player. He is currently head coach of Argentina in rugby union and Lebanon in rugby league. Cheika was the coach of the Australia r ...

became the second coach to beat New Zealand with two teams (Australia and Argentina). Eddie Jones did so with Australia and England. * This was the first time that New Zealand lost 3 consecutive home games, and 3 home games in a calendar year.

Round 4

Notes: * This was New Zealand's biggest win over Argentina since 28 June 1997, also in Hamilton, where they won 62–10. ---- Notes: * Taniela Tupou (Australia) was not used as a sub after suffering an injury in a warm-up during the game. * This was the first test match at the newly opened

Sydney Football Stadium The Sydney Football Stadium, commercially known as Allianz Stadium and previously Aussie Stadium, was a football stadium in Moore Park, Sydney, Australia. Built in 1988 next to the Sydney Cricket Ground, the stadium was Sydney's premier rect ...

. * This was the first test match that South Africa had won in Australia since 2013. *

Canan Moodie Canan Moodie (born 5 November 2002) is a South African professional rugby union player who currently plays for the Bulls in the URC and South Africa national team. His regular position is wing. Canan Moodie was born and raised in Paarl, Wes ...

(South Africa) made his international debut and scored a try.

Round 5

Notes: *

Marika Koroibete Marika Koroibete (born 26 July 1992) is a dual-code international rugby league and rugby union footballer. He has been capped for Australia's national rugby union team, and plays as a winger for the Melbourne Rebels in Super Rugby. Koroibete ...

(Australia) earned his 50th test cap. * New Zealand retain the

Bledisloe Cup The Bledisloe Cup is an annual rugby union competition originally staged between the national teams of Australia's Wallabies and New Zealand's All Blacks that has been contested since the 1930s. The frequency that the competition is held has va ...

. ---- Notes: * It was the first international rugby match at the

Estadio Libertadores de América The Estadio Libertadores de América - Ricardo Enrique Bochini
on Télam, 5 Dec 2021

. The game was originally scheduled for the Estadio José Amalfitani, Argentina's usual Buenos Aires ground, but a failed pitch inspection forced a move to ''la Doble Visera'', the home of soccer giants

Club Atlético Independiente Club Atlético Independiente () is an Argentina, Argentine professional sports club, which has its headquarters and stadium in the city of Avellaneda in Greater Buenos Aires. The club is best known for its Association football, football team, wh ...

. *

Siya Kolisi Siyamthanda Kolisi (born 16 June 1991) is a South African professional rugby union player who currently captains the South Africa national team and also the Cell C Sharks. He plays club rugby for the in the Currie Cup. He generally plays as a ...

(South Africa) earnt his 70th cap. *

Agustín Creevy Agustín Creevy (born 15 March 1985 in La Plata) is an Argentine rugby union player. He currently plays for the national Argentina team '' The Pumas'' and for London Irish in the Gallagher Premiership. Creevy is the most-capped Argentine rugby ...

(Argentina) earnt his 95th cap, becoming the most capped Argentina player.

Round 6

Notes: *

(New Zealand) had been named on the bench but withdrew ahead of the game and was replaced by

Nepo Laulala Nepo Eti Laulala (born 6 November 1991) is a New Zealand rugby union footballer who plays as a Tighthead Prop for Counties Manukau Steelers in the Mitre 10 Cup, the Blues in Super Rugby and for the national All Blacks, having made his interna ...

. * With this loss for Australia, the Wallabies drop to 9th in the

, their lowest ever ranking. ----

Statistics

Points scorers

Try scorers

Squads

Summary

Note: Ages, caps and clubs/franchises are of 6 August 2022 – the starting date of the tournament

Argentina

On 21 July, Argentina announced a 34-man squad for the Rugby Championship. On 14 August, Eduardo Bello, Bautista Delguy, Guido Petti and Santiago Socino joined the squad ahead of their tour to New Zealand in rounds 3 & 4. On 20 August, Mateo Carreras was a late addition to the travelling squad to New Zealand. On 7 September, Michael Cheika named a revised squad for the final 2 matches against South Africa.

Australia

On 21 July, Dave Rennie confirmed a 36-player squad for the opening 2 rounds of the Rugby Championship.

Scott Sio Scott Sio (born 16 October 1991) is an Australian rugby union player who plays for the Exeter Chiefs in the Premiership Rugby. His playing position is prop. He made his Brumbies debut during the 2012 Super Rugby season against the Sharks in Canb ...

has been ruled out due to a shoulder injury, Tom Robertson was called into the squad as his replacement.

Dave Porecki David Porecki (born 23 October 1992 in Australia) is an Australian rugby union player who plays for the in Super Rugby and the Australian national team, the wallabies. His playing position is hooker. Rugby career Domestic Porecki made on ...

was ruled out of the Argentine tour due to injury and Billy Pollard was called up to replace him on tour. On 18 August,

Bernard Foley Bernard Foley (born 8 September 1989) is an Australian rugby player of Irish descent. He plays professionally for the Australia national rugby team and the New South Wales Waratahs in Super Rugby. He can cover both fullback and fly-half a ...

and

Langi Gleeson Langi Gleeson is an Australian rugby union player who plays for the in Super Rugby and Australia national team. His playing position is flanker or number 8. He was named in the Waratahs squad for the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific season as a wi ...

was added to the squad for Australia's round three and

four 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

matches against South Africa. On 8 September,

Kurtley Beale Kurtley James Beale (born 6 January 1989) is an Australian professional rugby union representative player who has made over 90 national representative appearances in a ten-year playing career at the world-class level. He is of Aboriginal desce ...

and

Cadeyrn Neville Cadeyrn Neville (born 9 November 1988) is an Australian rugby union player. His regular playing position is lock. He represents the ACT Brumbies in Super Rugby. Early career Neville began attending Manly Selective Campus in 2001. Neville ...

were called up for the Bledisloe Cup series in rounds

five 5 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 5, five or number 5 may also refer to: * AD 5, the fifth year of the AD era * 5 BC, the fifth year before the AD era Literature * ''5'' (visual novel), a 2008 visual novel by Ram * ''5'' (comics), an awa ...

and

six 6 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 6 or six may also refer to: * AD 6, the sixth year of the AD era * 6 BC, the sixth year before the AD era * The month of June Science * Carbon, the element with atomic number 6 * 6 Hebe, an asteroid People ...

New Zealand

On 26 July, Fletcher Newell was called into the squad as a replacement for Ofa Tu'ungafasi who suffered a neck injury after the Steinlager Series. On 5 September, Braydon Ennor and Luke Jacobson were added to the squad for New Zealand's round 5 clash against Australia.

South Africa

On 23 July, head coach Jacques Nienaber named a 41-man squad for the 2022 Rugby Championship.Vermeulen, Steyn back in the mix for Rugby Champs
/ref> On 8 August, Canan Moodie was called up to the squad following injury to Kurt-Lee Arendse in the opening round of the Championship. Head coach:

Jacques Nienaber Jacques Nienaber (born 16 October 1972) is a South African rugby union coach who is currently the head coach of the South Africa national team, the Springboks. Early life Nienaber was born in Kimberley, but grew up in Bloemfontein, where he a ...

Notes

References

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...