But before we go on to check some of the results, it should be noted that the following clashes were not considered: Club vs Nation; the British and Irish Lions<\/a> Series; and A or XV sides.<\/p>\n However, even if the British and Irish Lions Wallabies Series and the standalone match against Argentina<\/a> were included, it would not make any difference, as the tourists won as many games as they lost.<\/p>\n Despite Japan<\/a> being geographically in the Northern Hemisphere, the Brave Blossoms are included among the Southern Hemisphere teams.<\/p>\n Biggest point margin win: Wales<\/a> 0 vs South Africa<\/a> 73<\/p>\n The last Test Match of the year delivered the biggest point difference between Southern and Northern sides, as the Springboks annihilated Wales at the Millennium Stadium.<\/p>\n Seventy-three points to nil from the World champions meant not only the biggest point difference of the year but also the biggest defeat ever recorded by Wales at home.<\/p>\n The visitors scored almost ten points per minute, reaching the Welsh try area eleven times.<\/p>\n Italy<\/a> was the Northern nation that came closest to snatching this feat from the Springboks, but Gonzalo Quesada\u2019s men conceded six points in their 73-06 win over Namibia<\/a> last July.<\/p>\n Uruguay<\/a> came in third place, having torn apart Romania<\/a> in July to gift Los Teros fans a 70-08 result in what was an excellent year for them.<\/p>\n The Hemisphere top dogs: England and South Africa<\/p>\n South Africa and England were the only two sides to come out unbeaten from the July and November fixtures and are already looking forward to their meet-up in 2026.<\/p>\n The Springboks only conceded two losses during the year, while England slipped once (Ireland). In the July and November windows, both beat every opponent they faced. England convincingly defeated Argentina (three times), New Zealand, Australia<\/a> and Fiji, while the Springboks collected wins against Italy (three times), Georgia, France, Wales and Ireland.<\/p>\n If a Northern vs Southern final had been staged in 2025, England would have been meeting the voracious Springboks for the right to be named the best of the two hemispheres.<\/p>\n Alas, with no final, the Springboks take the cake as they scored more points, conceded far fewer and posted a much better point difference than England: 271-64 to England\u2019s 180-96. Even removing their biggest win (vs Wales), South Africa would still have come out on top.<\/p>\n Sidenote: Uruguay could also be added to the group, as Los Teros beat every July and November opponent, including Romania (twice) and Portugal.<\/p>\n The memorable result: Fiji<\/a> beat Scotland<\/a> in Suva<\/p>\n It was not the first time Fiji had beaten Scotland, and the last one was not that long ago (2017). But this one came in Suva in front of 10,000 fans.<\/p>\n Gregor Townsend and his squad toured the Pacific islands and accepted Fiji\u2019s challenge at Suva\u2019s HFC Bank Stadium.<\/p>\n Although the tourists were without Ben White<\/a>, Blair Kinghorn<\/a>, Duhan van der Merwe<\/a>, Huw Jones<\/a>, Zander Fagerson<\/a> and Finn Russell<\/a>, that does not make Fiji\u2019s feat any less impressive.<\/p>\n The hosts bounced back after Kyle Rowe<\/a> scored an early try, quickly retaking the lead and bagging a 29-14 win, their biggest point difference against Scotland.<\/p>\n When the World Rugby Nations Cup kicks off next year, results like this can be crucial in settling the arm wrestle between the two hemispheres.<\/p>\n The unexpected rivalry: Colombia<\/a> vs Mexico<\/p>\n Mexico and Colombia met this past November for the seventh time, with Los Tucanes earning a 34-25 win to give their fans a reason to celebrate.<\/p>\n In a ten-try affair, Colombia were in control from the kick off, dictating terms despite Mexico\u2019s best efforts.<\/p>\n While some might overlook this fixture, matches like it help fuel continental and global rivalries, making the Test Match scene even more compelling.<\/p>\n The Kings<\/a> of the Hemispheres: Will Jordan<\/a> and Lee Seung-Sin<\/p>\n Before you give out, Lee Seung-Sin\u2019s numbers account not only for July and November but also the Pacific Nations Cup.<\/p>\n The Japanese fly-half was outstanding from the tee, converting 83 points and helping Japan put up a positive year despite their 1-point loss in Cardiff.<\/p>\n However, if only July and November Tests were counted, Lee Seung-Sin would share the golden boot with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu<\/a>, as the Springbok youngster banked 54 points.<\/p>\n The Stormers<\/a> utility back also scored the most points in a single game, thanks to his 28-point haul against Wales.<\/p>\n George Ford with 52, Santiago Carreras<\/a> with 39 and Beauden Barrett<\/a> with 37 round out the top five.<\/p>\n As for the finishers, Will Jordan once again proved inevitable. The 26-year-old scored six tries across seven games, touching down against France (a four-try haul), Ireland<\/a> and Scotland to edge closer to Doug Howlett\u2019s record. Several players finished with four tries, including Bautista Basso<\/a>, Edwil van der Merwe, Tom Rogers<\/a>, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu<\/a> and others.<\/p>\n The final say: 49 blockbuster games The Pacific Nations Cup was the only competition to feature teams from both hemispheres. The Southern representatives, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga<\/a> and Japan, were joined by the Northern pair, the United States and Canada, in a competition that ran from August to September.<\/p>\n While the South heavily beat the North, the United States had the last laugh, defeating Samoa<\/a> 29-13 to clinch a World Cup spot.<\/p>\n Samoa then faced Belgium, Brazil<\/a> and Namibia in the Final Qualification Tournament, with Belgium<\/a> earning two wins for the North. Unfortunately for the Diables Noirs, the 13-point draw against Samoa ended their World Cup qualification hopes.<\/p>\n Curiously, it was the only Northern vs Southern draw of the year, and it proved a bruising and dramatic affair.<\/p>\n With the dawn of the World Rugby Nations Cup, rivalries will rise again, and the two blocs will enter a fresh race for global supremacy.<\/p>\n For now, the South can bask in the sun, but will it last when everything restarts in six months?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With the Nations Championship, the dawn of a new age for the Test Match arena is upon us.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":211127,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[111,139,69,213],"class_list":{"0":"post-211126","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-new-zealand","9":"tag-newzealand","10":"tag-nz","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211126","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=211126"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211126\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/211127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=211126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=211126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=211126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Malcolm](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Adobe-Express-file-2025-11-23T115732.319.jpg.webp.webp\")
Malcolm Marx<\/a> of South Africa looks on during the Autumn Nations Series<\/a> 2025 match between France<\/a> and South Africa at Stade de France on November 08, 2025 in Paris, France. (Photo by David Rogers\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"England](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2247562218.jpg.webp.jpg\")
Players clash on the final whistle of the Autumn Nations Series international rugby union match between England and Argentina at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, in south-west London, on November 23, 2025. England won the game 27-23. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS \/ AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"Tevita](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Adobe-Express-file-2025-11-10T101201.854.jpg.webp.jpg\")
Tevita Ikanivere<\/a> of Fiji walks through a guard of honour formed by players of England after the Quilter Nations Series 2025 match between England and Fiji at Allianz Stadium on November 08, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Mullan \u2013 RFU\/The RFU Collection via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
2025 delivered a heavy load of high-quality encounters across the globe. The July and November Tests featured 41 games, with an additional eight coming from two tournaments: the Pacific Nations Cup<\/a> and the Final Qualification Tournament.<\/p>\n