Australia will play host to seven Tests in 2026, including three northern hemisphere sides, matching this year's number despite the All Blacks tour of South Africa, ESPN understands.
With days until the Rugby Championship kicks off for its final full iteration until 2027, questions continue to be asked of just what Rugby Australia will look to do to replace the tournament in 2026, with the All Blacks' historic three-Test tour of South Africa leaving the Wallabies in the cold.
With World Rugby's Nations Championship finally set to get underway next year -- more than six years after the initiative was first raised by the global sporting body -- the July and November Test windows will now feature Six Nations teams England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy and France, facing SANZAAR nations Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina as well as Japan and Fiji in two three-week tours with the southern hemisphere sides, as well as Japan, playing host in July before they travel north in November. The competition will then culminate with a grand final, which is set to be played in London.
According to reports, the Wallabies will host France, Italy and Ireland in the first iteration of the tournament next July.
But with the competition to take place biennially between Rugby World Cups and British & Irish Lions tour years, and South Africa and New Zealand coming to an agreement to return to traditional eight-match tours in 2026 and 2030, it means punters will have to wait until 2027 for a full six-round TRC tournament with a later start to the Rugby World Cup opening the door for the southern hemisphere showpiece to revert to its "mini-tours" format.
As well as the three Nations Championship matches, the Wallabies will also host four more Tests, with at least one slated for a Bledisloe Cup clash with the All Blacks.
Given South Africa Rugby Union's desire to retain a truncated TRC in 2026 or play at least a one-off Test match against the Wallabies, it's likely Australia will host the Springboks at least once, leaving the door open to a possible third Bledisloe Cup Test.
A two-match series against Fiji, who the Wallabies played in Newcastle ahead of the British and Irish Lions series, isn't out of the realm of possibility, so to clashes with Japan, who RA has signed a memorandum of understanding until 2030.
Speaking to the Roar last year RA boss Phil Waugh said 2027 would revert to a full TRC tournament with every alternate years to feature tour concepts
"The Nelson Mandela plate, given the strength of South Africa, is becoming more and more relevant," Waugh said. "And Argentina are RWC semi-finalists and more and more competitive every year. So, in terms of the actual competition or championship, I can understand there may be some elements of question but the meaningful Test matches are still being played.
"But you go, every second year with a TRC, and then in 2028, if you've got a tour-like concept, whereby you might go away for three Tests, play midweek games, and then host for three Tests and play midweek games there's a real attraction to the community game and the fan base around some of those elements because of the touring nature of it and the engagement with the provincial teams."
Where this leaves SANZAAR as an organisation is unclear. The southern hemisphere alliance continues to administer the both the Rugby Championship and Super Rugby Pacific from a game-management perspective, and also forms part of the negotiations for the Nations Championship, but it no longer appears to be as unified as during the Tri Nations days or when Argentina first joined.
SARU and NZRU's decision to split from the group and return to a traditional tour ruffled feathers in Argentina with reporter Alejo Miranda writing last year: "New Zealand broke the pact with its SANZAAR partners in 2020, using the pandemic as an excuse, and only cut off Super Rugby.
"Just four years later, it is teaming up with South Africa, this time to the detriment of the Rugby Championship, further deteriorating Argentina's status."