International rugby tossed up many blockbusters in the packed 2024 calendar.
In 2025 there are plenty of big Tests with the Springboks touring New Zealand and the British & Irish Lions tour of Australia.
With the year beginning, here are the top matches to look out for this year.
1. All Blacks v Springboks, September 6th, Eden Park – Auckland
This one needs no introduction. Grab your popcorn and drink, because the All Blacks record is on the line, against the current best team in the world who have won back-to-back World Cups.
The Springboks have beaten the All Blacks all four times in their last four meetings, but haven’t played at Eden Park since 2013 when the All Blacks won 29-15.
It will be a huge test for Scott Robertson and the All Blacks, who will look to bounce back from the two defeats in South Africa in 2024, both Tests that they feel they could have won.
Out of the 46 Tests between the teams in New Zealand since 1921, South Africa has only won 10. History is on New Zealand’s side at home, but if the record was going to be broken in the near future, you wouldn’t put it past it to be on September 6th.
2. Wallabies v British & Irish Lions 1st Test, 19th July, Suncorp Stadium – Brisbane
British and Irish Lions tours to Australia don’t come around often, every 12 years in fact and this one feels like it has a bit of bite to it.
Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt coached Ireland between 2013 and 2019 and has just started to turn around the Wallabies fortunes in 2024. The addition of superstar Joseph Suaalii to Australia’s backline has brought a breath of fresh air to a Wallabies side in desperate need of some punch and power.
The first Test will tell us a lot about how the 2025 tour of Australia is going to go, you’d expect the British and Irish Lions team to be too strong for the Wallabies, but anything can happen in International Rugby.
We’ve seen stranger things happen. Strap yourselves in.
3. Women’s Rugby World Cup Final, 27th September, Allianz Twickenham – London
If the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup final is anything like the 2022 edition, we are in for another rugby treat in 2025. The tournament will be hosted in England, with England playing the USA in the first game being held at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland.
The host nation and number one team in the World, England will be looking to book their place at Allianz Stadium (Twickenham), after being one of the most dominant teams in the sport. The Black Ferns will also go into the tournament as strong contenders, even after the departure of World Cup-winning coach Wayne Smith.
England’s incredible winning streak of 30 games was broken in the 2022 World Cup final by New Zealand, but the ‘Red Roses‘ haven’t lost a game since, which makes the John Mitchell-coached team the nation to beat.
The last Women’s World Cup had drama, high-scoring games and storylines to get behind, so here’s hoping the 2025 World Cup will be just as, if not better than the last.
4. France v Ireland, Six Nations, March 8th, Aviva Stadium – Dublin
When these two teams play each other in round four of the 2025 Six Nations, the competition might well be on the line for the winner. Both teams will be searching for the win in the penultimate round, which promises to be a blockbuster in the Irish capital.
There doesn’t need to be any additional motivation for these two heavyweight European teams, but in Dublin, two of the best teams in the world will go to battle to add to an already gripping rivalry.
These two nations together have won the last three Six Nations titles, with France taking out the 2024 edition after back-to-back triumphs for Ireland.
France and Ireland managed to avoid each other in the past three World Cups, meaning their battles have been limited to Six Nations contests that have often decided the competition. This year’s contest on the 8th of March will likely be no different.
5. All Blacks v Ireland, November, Soldier Field – Chicago
The last time these two teams played in Chicago, Ireland beat the All Blacks for the very first time in front of 62 thousand fans at Soldier Field. This time around, Ireland will be looking for revenge as the All Blacks try to continue their strong run of form in a new, but heated rivalry.
The Rieko Ioane, Johnny Sexton storyline has added extra tension after the 2023 World Cup semi-final game, which will go down as one of the best international games of the decade.
Both teams battled it out in Dublin last year, which Scott Robertson’s All Blacks won pretty comfortably on an action-packed end-of-year tour.
