In for the long haul: punishing Nations Championship travel plan revealed as Scotland take on world champions

The new tournament will kick off next month amid a flurry of long-haul flights as Europe’s top national sides fly south for the summer.

Unlike previous years, these are not simple tours based around one geographical centre. The point of the Nations Championship is to have an equitable distribution of fixtures, meaning all the leading international sides from the northern hemisphere will get a crack at their counterparts from the southern hemisphere.

The theory was that the Six Nations sides would play three away matches against different southern opponents in July, then host three another teams from the south in the autumn. However, Fiji’s decision to play their summer games in Europe means Scotland, England and Wales will have an extra home game.

Gregor Townsend’s side kick off against Argentina in Cordoba on July 4, then travel to Pretoria to take on world champions South Africa a week later before returning to Edinburgh to face Fiji on July 18. In November, Scotland will play New Zealand, Australia and Japan, all at Murrayfield.

‘A big positive’

After six rounds of fixtures, the sides that top the respective north and south league tables will contest the inaugural Nations Championship final and presumably lift a trophy that has yet to be revealed. There will also be play-off matches for the minor places, with second in the north taking on second in the south, third v third, fourth v fourth etc. All the classification matches will be played at Twickenham across ‘Finals Weekend’ from November 27-29.

Gregor Townsend likes the concept because it gives his squad more regular exposure to the world’s best sides.

“Speaking just for Scotland, I think it's a big positive,” said the coach. “We haven't taken on the top teams in the world in the July window for a while.

“This tournament gives us the opportunity to play those teams regularly. I think for rugby supporters, there's the context of North versus South you get in those games where you play away from home and then get the games at home. .

“The Six Nations is obviously the main tournament for us every year. Now we've got the Nations Championship, Six Nations and the World Cup as our next three big events. That's great for our players.”

The travel could take a toll, however. Scotland’s itinerary includes a pre-tournament training camp in Madrid, from where they will depart for Argentina. After the game with the Pumas, the Scots will board an overnight flight to South Africa.

For some members of the squad, there will be extra air miles before the tournament even begins. Duhan van der Merwe, Liam McConnell and D’arcy Rae have all been selected to play for the Barbarians later this month, with the invitational side taking on South Africa in Port Elizabeth on June 20 and Wales at Twickenham a week later.

It is likely that van der Merwe will face the Springboks while his Edinburgh team-mates McConnell and Rae will be involved in the Welsh game before linking up with the Scotland squad at their camp in Spain. Given the distances involved in the United Rugby Championship, Townsend reckons the players are now well accustomed to long-haul travel.

Flying business class

“They come back straight to Madrid so I suppose they're getting used to what's ahead of them,” he said of the Barbarians trio.

“I remember Glasgow going from Munster to Pretoria and winning a [URC] final [in 2024]. The guys are used to that trip to South Africa now. They'll be well looked after. They'll be flying back in business class and we'll make sure that when they come to Madrid they're going to be recovered.

“We hope they can train fully that week because that will give them the best chance of playing against Argentina.

“It's just what's ahead of us now. We've got Spain to Argentina to South Africa to Edinburgh all in the space of three weeks. They're just getting ahead of the game.”

Scotland’s match with the Pumas is taking place in Cordoba; the match against the Springboks is at Loftus Versfeld, which famously sits 1,350 metres above sea level. The altitude is another consideration for Townsend who revealed that his squad would have the exclusive use of a plane when they fly to Pretoria.

“We're trying to arrive as early as possible because we're flying overnight from Argentina,” he said. “The one bonus of this tournament is that teams can request a plane. So we'll be flying just with us overnight. I think England are then taking that plane. There has to be a recognition of the travel. If you are waiting for different flights that would put a lot of pressure on recovery.

“I think we get into South Africa late Sunday afternoon, so as early as we can. The focus will be on recovery and obviously just getting used to altitude. But our players have played there. Glasgow players in particular had a week to turn things around from that semi-final and played a superb game that required a huge effort to win in that final [when they beat the Bulls at Loftus two years ago, a week after playing the semi against Munster in Ireland].”

The match with the Springboks is the jewel in the crown of the summer leg of the Nations Championship as far as Scotland are concerned. The sides have never played each other before at Loftus Versfeld, although Scotland did play there twice during the 1995 Rugby World Cup and again in a summer tour match against Italy in 2013.