Nations Championship to open with six-Test Saturday

The new Nations Championship - a biennial series pitting northern hemisphere superpowers against their southern counterparts - will begin with a six-Test Super Saturday round of fixtures on 4 July.Fans will be able to watch nearly nine hours of Test rugby, with kick-offs staggered throughout the day.New Zealand host France at Christchurch's newly opened One New Zealand Stadium at 08:10 BST in the competition's first fixture, with Australia v Ireland (11:10) and South Africa v England (16:40) among the opening round's other highlights.Fiji, who are staging their home fixtures in the northern hemisphere to ease logistics and maximise revenue, take on Wales at Cardiff City Stadium at 14:10, with Argentina facing Scotland in Cordoba at 20:10 in the day's final match.The concept of a fixture-packed single day of action is repeated in the following two rounds of action, on 11 and 18 July.The new format is an attempt to bring an overarching narrative to the Test calendar, outside of years involving a men's Rugby World Cup or British and Irish Lions tour.The Nations Championship involves every Six Nations team playing South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Japan and Fiji once each, with fixtures spread over July and November.The teams' results contribute to their position in a pool from their own hemisphere.A finals weekend at Twickenham's Allianz Stadium follows, with teams facing off against their equivalent in the other hemisphere - for example, the sixth-placed southern hemisphere side takes on the sixth-placed northern hemisphere side, and so on.Those play-offs will decide both the inaugural champions - the winner of a grand final between the sides top of their respective hemisphere pools - and, via a Ryder Cup-style points tally across the weekend, the first hemisphere trophy winners.ITV Sport have secured the UK broadcast rights to the tournament.Saturday 4 JulyNew Zealand v France; 08:10 BSTJapan v Italy; 09:40 BSTAustralia v Ireland; 11:10 BSTFiji v Wales; 14:10 BSTSouth Africa v England; 16:40 BSTArgentina v Scotland; 20:10 BSTSaturday 11 JulyNew Zealand v Italy; 06:10 BSTAustralia v France; 08:40 BSTJapan v Ireland; 11:10 BSTFiji v England; 14:10 BSTSouth Africa v Scotland; 16:40 BSTArgentina v Wales; 20:10 BSTSaturday 18 JulyNew Zealand v Ireland; 08:10 BSTJapan v France; 09:40 BSTAustralia v Italy; 11:10 BSTFiji v Scotland; 14:10 BSTSouth Africa v Wales; 16:40 BSTArgentina v England; 20:10 BSTFriday 6 NovemberIreland v Argentina; 20:10 GMTSaturday 7 NovemberItaly v South Africa 11:40 GMTScotland v New Zealand; 14:10 GMTWales v Japan; 16:40 GMTFrance v Fiji; 20:10 GMTSunday 8 NovemberEngland v Australia; 15:10 GMTFriday 13 NovemberFrance v South Africa; 20:10 GMTSaturday 14 NovemberItaly v Argentina; 11:40 GMTWales v New Zealand; 14:10 GMTEngland v Japan; 16:40 GMTIreland v Fiji; 20:10 GMTSunday 15 NovemberScotland v Australia; 15:10 GMTSaturday 21 NovemberEngland v New Zealand; 14:10 GMTScotland v Japan; 14:10 GMTIreland v South Africa; 16:40 GMTItaly v Fiji; 16:40 GMTFrance v Argentina; 20:10 GMTWales v Australia; 20:10 GMTFinalsFriday 27 NovemberSixth-placed northern hemisphere side v Sixth-placed southern hemisphere side; 16:40 GMTThird-placed northern hemisphere side v Sixth-placed southern hemisphere side; 20:10 GMTSaturday 28 NovemberFifth-placed northern hemisphere side v Fifth-placed southern hemisphere side; 13:10 GMTSecond-placed northern hemisphere side v Second-placed southern hemisphere side 16:40 GMTSunday 29 NovemberFourth-placed northern hemisphere side v Fourth-placed southern hemisphere side; 13:10 GMTFirst-placed northern hemisphere side v First-placed southern hemisphere side; 16:40 GMT