There is less than a year between the Nations Championship final and the World Cup final in Australia.
The same teams may be involved in both with South Africa and New Zealand unable to meet in the former and on course to clash in the quarter-final Down Under, leaving the way open for Europe.

Three international weekends devoted to November have been spread to four with the end of the month seeing six matches played at Twickenham over three days, starting with the two teams in sixth, which may well be a repeat of the match between Italy and Fiji the week before, and finishing with the two le...