The Autumn Nations Cup was a

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

competition held in November and December 2020 in place of the usual

Autumn internationals The autumn internationals, November internationals, end-of-year tests, and spring internationals/tour for Australia and New Zealand, are men's rugby union Test matches that are contested around November each year. It is organised by World Rugby. Te ...

series typically held in the same period each year, as many teams were avoiding extended travel due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. Eight teams participated – the teams involved in the

Six Nations Championship The Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons) is an annual international men's rugby union competition between the teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. The current champions ar ...

(

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, and

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

) plus

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

and

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

– divided into two groups of four.

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

were originally going to take part but withdrew due to travel restrictions, resulting in them being replaced by Georgia and moving Fiji to Group B. Each team played the others in its group once to determine the final group standings; the teams in first place in each group then played each other, as did the teams in second, third, and fourth, to determine the overall standings. The tournament opened with a match between Ireland and Wales at the

Aviva Stadium Aviva Stadium (also known as Lansdowne Road) is a sports stadium located in Dublin, Ireland, with a capacity for 51,700 spectators (all seated). It is built on the site of the former Lansdowne Road Stadium, which was demolished in 2007, and r ...

on 13 November 2020, and the final matches were hosted by the teams from Group A on the weekend of 5/6 December 2020 (Georgia's "home" match was played at

Murrayfield Stadium Murrayfield Stadium (known as BT Murrayfield Stadium for sponsorship reasons, or popularly as Murrayfield) is a Rugby stadium located in the Murrayfield area of Edinburgh, Scotland. It has a seating capacity of 67,144 making it the largest sta ...

in Edinburgh, Scotland). Wales' home matches were played at

Parc y Scarlets ''Parc y Scarlets'' (, en, Scarlets Park) is a rugby union stadium in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, that opened in November 2008 as the new home of the Scarlets and Llanelli RFC. The ground replaced Stradey Park, the home of Llanelli's rugby teams ...

due to the

Millennium Stadium The Millennium Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm y Mileniwm), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Principality) for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it is the home of the Wales national rug ...

being decommissioned as a COVID-19 hospital. Fiji were forced to concede all of their group games due to a COVID-19 outbreak in their team camp, but they were able to face Georgia in the 7th/8th-place playoff.

won the tournament after wins over

, and

Overview

Participants

''World Rugby rankings denoted in (parentheses) as per start of the tournament''

Venues

Fixtures

Group A

Round 1

Notes: * Jacob Stockdale and Iain Henderson were named to start but were ruled out on matchday and replaced by

Quinn Roux Quinn Roux (born 30 October 1990) is a rugby union player who plays for Bath in the Premiership Rugby and formerly the Ireland national team. Born in South Africa, he qualified for Ireland through residency, made his international debut in 20 ...

and

Andrew Conway Andrew Joseph Conway (born 11 July 1991) is an Irish rugby union player for Munster in the United Rugby Championship and European Rugby Champions Cup. He plays primarily as a wing, but can also play as a fullback. Blackrock College While atte ...

;

Tadhg Beirne Tadhg Gerard Beirne (; born 8 January 1992) is an Irish rugby union player, currently playing for Munster in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. His primary playing position is lock, but can also play in the b ...

was added to the bench. * Billy Burns and James Lowe (both Ireland) and

Callum Sheedy Callum Michael Sheedy (born 28 October 1995) is a professional rugby union player for Bristol Bears in Premiership Rugby and for the Wales national rugby union team. His usual position is fly-half. Club career Sheedy has previously played on lo ...

(Wales) made their international debuts. *

Tomas Francis Tomas Francis (born 27 April 1992) is a Wales-international rugby union player who plays at tight head Prop (rugby union), prop for Ospreys (rugby union), Ospreys. Club career Francis signed his first professional contract with Doncaster Knig ...

(Wales) earned his 50th test cap. *

George North George Philip North (born 13 April 1992) is a Welsh professional rugby union player who plays for the Ospreys in the United Rugby Championship and the Wales national team. He has also represented the British & Irish Lions and currently has th ...

became the seventh Wales player to earn 100 test caps (97 for Wales, 3 for the

British and Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...

). He also became the youngest player to earn his 100th cap at 28 years and 225 days, surpassing

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 ...

's Michael Hooper's record of 28 years and 348 days. *

Johnny Sexton Jonathan Jeremiah Sexton (born 11 July 1985) is an Irish rugby union player who plays as a fly-half for Leinster Rugby and Ireland, and he also captains both teams. He represented the British & Irish Lions in both 2013 and 2017 and has scored o ...

became the seventh Ireland player to earn 100 test caps (94 for Ireland, 6 for the British and Irish Lions). *

Alun Wyn Jones Alun Wyn Jones (born 19 September 1985) is a Welsh professional rugby union player who plays as a lock for the Ospreys and the Wales national team. He is the world's most-capped rugby union player. Jones also holds the records for the most ...

became the first player to earn 150 test caps (141 for Wales, 9 for the British and Irish Lions). ---- Notes: * Demur Tapladze had been named on the bench for Georgia, but was withdrawn ahead of kick off and replaced by

Giorgi Javakhia Giorgi Javakhia (born September 24, 1996) is a Georgian rugby union player. His position is flanker, and he currently plays for Lyon in the Pro D2 Rugby Pro D2, also known as Pro D2 is the second tier of rugby union club competition division ...

. *

Max Malins Maxim Hugo Malins (born 7 January 1997) is an English professional rugby union player who primarily plays wing for Saracens in the Gallagher Premiership. He has also represented England at international level, having made his test debut agains ...

Jack Willis Jack Willis (June 20, 1934 – February 9, 2022) was an American journalist, writer and filmmaker. Life and career Jack Lawrence Willis was born in Milwaukee to Louis Willis and Libbie (Feingold) Willis on June 20, 1934. He graduated with a ...

(both England) and Sandro Svanidze (Georgia) made their international debuts. *

Jamie George Jamie Edward George (born 20 October 1990) is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a hooker for Premiership Rugby club Saracens and the England national team. Early life George played for local team Hertford Rugby Foo ...

became the first England men's hooker to score a hat-trick. *The two nations faced each other outside of a

Rugby World Cup The Rugby World Cup is a men's rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams. The tournament is administered by World Rugby, the sport's international governing body. The winners are awarded the Webb E ...

for the first time.

Round 2

---- Notes: * James Botham, Kieran Hardy, Ioan Lloyd and Johnny Williams (all Wales) made their international debuts. *

Joy Neville Joy Neville (born on 24 July 1983) is a former Ireland women's rugby union international and a current rugby union referee. As a player, Neville represented Ireland at both the 2006 and 2010 Women's Rugby World Cups. In 2009 Neville captaine ...

became the first woman to perform television match official duties in a major men's international competition.

Round 3

---- Notes: *

Shane Daly Shane Daly (born 19 December 1996) is an Irish rugby union player for United Rugby Championship and European Rugby Champions Cup side Munster and, internationally, for Ireland. He plays primarily as a wing or fullback, but has also played as ...

(Ireland) and

Mikheil Alania Mikheil Alania is a Georgian rugby union player. He plays as Scrum-half for Jiki Gori in the Didi 10. He was called into the Georgia U20 squad for 2018 World Rugby Under 20 Championship The 2018 World Rugby Under 20 Championship was the elev ...

and Davit Niniashvili (both Georgia) made their international debuts.

Group B

Round 1

Notes: * Jacopo Trulla and Stephen Varney (both Italy) made their international debuts. ----

Round 2

---- Notes: *Scotland lost at home to France for the first time since

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

Round 3

---- Notes: *

Jean-Pascal Barraque Jean-Pascal Barraque (born 24 April 1991) is a French rugby union player. He plays for Clermont. He is a utility back. His usual position is fly-half, although he can play as a centre or fullback. He competed for France at the 2022 Rugby Wor ...

Teddy Baubigny Teddy Baubigny (born 2 September 1998) is a French rugby union player. His position is hooker, and he currently plays for Toulon in the Top 14. He was named in the French squad for the 2020 Six Nations Championship The 2020 Six Nations Champi ...

Louis Carbonel Louis Carbonel (born 4 February 1999) is a French rugby union player. His position is Fly-half (rugby union), fly-half and he currently plays for Montpellier Hérault Rugby, Montpellier in the Top 14. International honours France (U20) *Six Nat ...

, Cyril Cazeaux,

Kilian Geraci Kilian Geraci (born 25 March 1999 in Grenoble) is a French professional rugby union player. He currently plays at lock for Lyon in the Top 14. Honours International France (U20) *World Rugby Under 20 Championship winners (2): 2018, 2019 F ...

, Hassane Kolingar, Yoram Moefana, Rodrigue Neti,

Baptiste Pesenti Baptiste Pesenti (born 3 July 1997) is a French rugby union player. His position is lock or flanker and he currently plays for Stade Français in the French Top 14. In 2020, Pesenti was selected on several occasions by Fabien Galthié for the F ...

, Swan Rebbadj,

Gabin Villière Gabin Villière (born 13 December 1995) is a French rugby union player who plays for Toulon in the Top14 and the France national team. His position is wing. International career International tries Honours International France *Six Natio ...

(all France),

Michele Lamaro Michele Lamaro (born 3 June 1998) is an Italian professional rugby union player who primarily plays flanker for Benetton of the United Rugby Championship. He has also represented Italy at international level, having made his test debut agains ...

and Cristian Stoian (both Italy) made their international debuts. *

Nigel Owens Nigel Owens, (born 18 June 1971) is a Welsh former international rugby union referee, who retired in December 2020 after a 17-year career. He currently holds the world record for the most test matches refereed and is one of five international re ...

became the first referee to officiate 100 test matches.

Finals

7th/8th place play-off

Notes: *

Haereiti Hetet Haereiti Hetet (born 10 July 1997) is a Fijian rugby union player who plays for Bay of Plenty in the National Provincial Championship. His playing position is prop. He made his Fiji debut in 2020 against Georgia Georgia most commonly refers t ...

, Tevita Ikanivere,

Mesulame Kunavula Mesu Kunavula (born 31 October 1995) is a Fijian international rugby union player. He plays for Brive in the Top 14. Kunavula made his debut for the Fiji Rugby 7s team at the 2016 Dubai Rugby Sevens Tournament and is a silver medalist at t ...

, Simione Kuruvoli, Temo Mayanavanua, Chris Minimbi, Manueli Ratuniyarawa and

Samu Tawake Samuela Ononono Fatafehi Tawake (born 11 September 1996) is a Fijian rugby union player, currently playing for Rugby United New York (RUNY) of Major League Rugby (MLR) in the United States. He also represents Fiji's national team. His preferre ...

(all Fiji) made their international debuts.

5th/6th place play-off

Notes: * Monty Ioane (Italy) made his international debut. * Johnny Williams (Wales) was named to start at inside centre, but picked up an injury ahead of kick-off and Jonathan Davies replaced him in the starting XV.

3rd/4th place play-off

Notes: * Eric O'Sullivan (Ireland) and

Jaco van der Walt Jaco van der Walt (born ) is a South African-born Scottish rugby union player who last played for Edinburgh Rugby in the United Rugby Championship. Rugby Union career Amateur career He first represented the as early as primary school level, w ...

(Scotland) made their international debuts. *

Sean Maitland Sean Daniel Maitland (born 14 September 1988) is a New Zealand-born Scottish rugby union player. He plays for Saracens in the RFU Premiership. He previously played for London Irish and before that for Glasgow Warriors in the PRO12, Crusaders i ...

(Scotland) earned his 50th test cap. * Stuart McInally (Scotland) was named among the replacements, but was replaced before kick-off by George Turner.

1st/2nd place play-off

Notes: * Guillaume Ducat and Selevasio Tolofua (both France) made their international debuts.

Final standings

Player statistics

Most points

Most tries

Notes

References

External links

Autumn Nations Cup Website
*{{twitter, autumnnations 2020 in rugby union 2020 rugby union tournaments for national teams 2020–21 in European rugby union 2020–21 in English rugby union 2020–21 in French rugby union 2020–21 in Irish rugby union 2020–21 in Italian rugby union 2020–21 in Scottish rugby union 2020–21 in Welsh rugby union November 2020 sports events in Europe December 2020 sports events in Europe November 2020 sports events in the United Kingdom December 2020 sports events in the United Kingdom 2020 in Fijian rugby union 2020 in Georgian sport

Overview

Participants

Venues

Fixtures

Group A

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Group B

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Finals

7th/8th place play-off

5th/6th place play-off

3rd/4th place play-off

1st/2nd place play-off

Final standings

Player statistics

Most points

Most tries

See also

Notes

References

External links