What is the Rugby Championship 2024?
The Rugby Championship is an annual tournament similar to the Six Nations which sees South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Argentina face off to be crowned the best national rugby union side in the Southern Hemisphere.
How does the Rugby Championship 2024 work?
Each side plays six games evenly split into three home and three away ties, although these will not be evenly distributed across each opponent.
In the 2024 competition, South Africa will host New Zealand twice and Argentina once, Australia will host South Africa twice and New Zealand once, New Zealand will host Argentina twice and Australia once and Argentina will host Australia twice and South Africa once.
A victory is worth four points, a draw will see two points apiece while defeat will register zero points on the board.
Bonus points are on offer for sides that lose by seven points or fewer as well as for nations who score at least three more tries than their opponents
Rugby Championship history
The Rugby Championship replaced the Tri-Nations tournament in 2012 in order to include Argentina, who had impressed on the international stage prior to their inclusion, most notably finishing third in the 2007 World Cup.
The Tri-Nations began in 1996, with New Zealand lifting the first ever edition of the tournament after going undefeated.
Alongside the main trophy, and similar to the Six Nations, there are four other trophies up for grabs in the form of the Nelson Mandela Challenge Plate (Australia and South Africa), Bledisloe Cup (New Zealand and Australia), Freedom Cup (South Africa and New Zealand) and the Puma Trophy (Argentina and Australia).
Rugby Championship 2024 venues
New Zealand will host two of their home ties at Sky Stadium in Wellington, with Auckland’s Eden Park hosting the other.
South Africa have three home venues for this year’s edition, with action coming from Cape Town, Johannesburg and Mbombela.
Brisbane, Sydney and Perth will each play host to one of Australia’s three fixtures, while Argentina are expected to play at the Jose Amalfitani Stadium – although their home grounds have still to be confirmed for this year’s tournament.
When is the Rugby Championship 2024?
This year’s edition of the tournament will span from the 10th August until the 28th September.
New Zealand start with a home double-header against Argentina, while the same can be said for Australia who host South Africa in back-to-back home fixtures.
The Springboks and the Pumas then get their first taste of home rugby action as they face the All Blacks and the Wallabies respectively, before each side ends the campaign with reverse home and away meetings with their last remaining opponent.
Who is the most successful side in Rugby Championship history?
Reigning champions New Zealand have been dominant in this tournament and its Tri-Nations predecessor, winning 20 the 28 competitions since 1996.
The other eight titles are evenly split between Australia and New Zealand while Argentina have yet to lift a title, picking up nine wooden spoons from their 12 appearances.
By James Mason
Please note that the information provided in this article is for entertainment purposes only.
We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information provided. Any action you take upon the information on this article is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any losses and damages in connection with the use of our article. We do not encourage gambling and remind you to gamble responsibly.
18+ | BeGambleAware.org
Supercharge your bets with kwiff.
