This summer the home nations – England, Wales, Scotland and the island of Ireland – will tour far-flung rugby nations.
Traditionally the home nations head to the southern hemisphere but this season the tours have been expanded ahead of a new men’s global competition, set to start in 2026.
So who is playing who, and where?
England on tour
England open their summer tour by making history in playing their first ever series Test against Japan in Japan.
It’ll be a rematch between Japan coach Eddie Jones and England boss Steve Borthwick – former colleagues at Japan – and it is the first time Jones has faced England since being sacked by the RFU.
But that’s not England’s tour in its entirety. Borthwick’s men will go on to face New Zealand in two Tests down in the Land of the Long White Cloud.
The touring side’s record down in New Zealand is dire, winning just one game this millennia.
But that is the challenge England face and these two Tests will really show where Borthwick’s men are as they look to string together a run of good results.
Last time out
Summer lovin’ for Wales
Though they’re set to head to the southern hemisphere next month, Wales actually start their tour in London.
In a daunting Test they take on the world champions South Africa in London as part of a double header – alongside a match between the invitational Barbarians and Fiji.
But then their summer series really gets going, with two Tests down in Australia against the Wallabies.
With a new coach – former Ireland boss Joe Schmidt – at the helm Australia will pose a different threat to the side who rolled over for Wales at the Rugby World Cup.
Games in Sydney and Melbourne sets up Australia for next summer’s Lion tour, which they’ll be hosting across the summer of 2025.
They will also play the club side Queensland Reds on the tour.
Record loss
The flowers of Scotland
Scotland’s tour sees them continent hop a little bit but they’ll be expecting a clean sweep of wins across the summer.
They start in Ottawa, playing Canada, before matches against the USA in Washington DC and Chile in Santiago.
They finish in Montevideo against Uruguay at the end of next month.
Scotland always seems to be building and building but the results, in the form of dominating series or winning the Six Nations never comes. They’ll be hoping that changes this summer.
Patagonia travels
Ireland
Arguably the series of the summer, Ireland head down to fellow United Rugby Championship host country South Africa this summer.
Though it is disappointing to only see them play two Tests against each other, it should be an exciting prospect.
South Africa are double world champions but Ireland won the last time these two sides played each other – at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
So there’s unfinished business for the touring side while South Africa’s recently departed coaching guru Jacques Nienaber now coaches in Leinster.
The World Cup
Elsewhere in rugby
Elsewhere this summer Italy will face Samoa in Apia, Tonga in Nuku’alofa and Japan in Sapporo.
Fiji take on the Barbarians and New Zealand.
France face Argentina twice, and Uruguay.