The second round of the inaugural Nations Championship picked up where round one left off with nearly 400 points scored across the six matches. The wins were shared equally between the two hemispheres again in the second round.

England now sit at the top of the ‘most tries’ table on 14, ahead of South Africa, who have scored 13, with the least amount of tries across the opening two rounds going to Japan (5).

Match 1: New Zealand vs Italy

New Zealand crossed over seven times, with Will Jordan recording a hat-trick, as they claimed their second win of the tournament. Italy scored in the opening few minutes of the match as they chased their first win over the All Blacks, but New Zealand responded well to remain in front for the remainder of the match.

Full-time: New Zealand 47-17 Italy

Match 2: Australia vs France

France recorded their first win of the tournament in a 10-try matchup with Australia, as both teams took home attacking bonus points. The two teams traded the lead in the first half, but France cemented the win after scoring four second-half tries compared to Australia’s one.

Full-time: Australia 26-42 France

Match 3: Japan vs Ireland

Ireland retained their unbeaten run in the Nations Championship as they defeated Japan despite switching the lead numerous times in the opening half-an-hour of the match. Ireland’s largely unanswered 17 points in the second half helped them to overcome a spirited Japanese side to end their losing streak against the southern team.

Full-time: Japan 20-36 Ireland

Match 4: Fiji vs England

England ran in eleven tries, including a Henry Pollock hat-trick, to end their five-match losing streak. England held the lead for the whole of the match thanks to a try in the opening five minutes; they also held Fiji to just one try and one penalty goal to end their losing streak against the southern side.

Full-time: Fiji 8-73 England

Match 5: South Africa vs Scotland

South Africa defeated Scotland in what was a showstopping game of rugby which saw both teams level on 14-14 at halftime. South Africa ran in six tries to Scotland’s four, with the largely even match showcasing the recent successes of both teams.

Full-time: South Africa 42-28 Scotland

Match 6: Argentina vs Wales

Argentina’s four first-half tries proved to be enough against Wales as they secured their first win of the tournament. The sides crossed over for a combined eight tries, with Argentina able to take the spoils in one of the tightest matches of the round, which saw the possession split nearly 50/50.

Full-time: Argentina 35-21 Wales

Southern Hemisphere table (after round 2)

Rank	Team	Played	Won	Lost	Points
1	South Africa	2	2	0	10
2	New Zealand	2	2	0	10
3	Argentina	2	1	1	5
4	Japan	2	1	1	4
5	Australia	2	0	2	3
6	Fiji	2	0	2	0

Northern Hemisphere table (after round 2)

Rank	Team	Played	Won	Lost	Points
1	Ireland	2	2	0	10
2	France	2	1	1	7
3	Scotland	2	1	1	6
4	England	2	1	1	5
5	Wales	2	1	1	5
6	Italy	2	0	2	0