The 2026 thread to discuss all things rugby related such as matches, players, debates and news anything to with the world of rugby and of both codes, union and league.

Junior Kpoku, a key part of England Under-20s' World Cup win in 2024, is keen to move to Sale and push for a spot in the senior squad before next year's World Cup.

The 20-year-old, who can play in the back row and at lock, is at French side Racing 92, making him ineligible for selection by head coach Steve Borthwick.

However, Sale want to bring Kpoku back to England and add back-five physicality to their pack next season after failing in attempts to sign Leicester's George Martin, who opted for Saracens, and Chandler Cunningham-South, who extended his contract with Harlequins.

Line-Ups for the Wales v England Six Nations Match

Wales: Rees-Zammit; Mee, James, B Thomas, Adams; Edwards, T Williams; Smith, Lake (capt), Griffin, D Jenkins, Beard, Mann, Macleod, Wainwright.

Replacements: Belcher, Carre, T Francis, Carter, Plumtree, Deaves, Hardy, Grady.

England: Steward; Feyi-Waboso, Freeman, Dingwall, Arundell; Ford, Mitchell; Genge, George, Heyes; Coles, Chessum; Pepper, Underhill, Earl

Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, Rodd, Davison, Itoje, T Curry, Pollock, Spencer, M Smith

Line-Ups for the Scotland v Italy Six Nations Match:

Scotland

Jordan (Bristol); Steyn, Jones, Tuipulotu (c), Dobie (all Glasgow); Russell (Bath), White (Toulon); Schoeman (Edinburgh), Ashman (Edinburgh), Z Fagerson (Glasgow), Cummings (Glasgow), Gilchrist (Edinburgh); M Fagerson, Darge, Dempsey (all Glasgow).

Replacements: Turner (Harlequins), McBeth (Glasgow), Millar-Mills (Northampton), Williamson, Brown, Horne, Hastings (all Glasgow), Graham (Edinburgh).

Italy:

Marin (Benetton); Lynagh (Benetton), Brex (Toulon), Menoncello (Benetton), Ioane (Lyon); P Garbisi (Toulon), Fusco (Zebre); Fischetti (Northampton), Nicotera (Stade Francais), Ferrari (Benetton); A Cannone (Benetton), Zambonin (Exeter); Lamaro, Zuliani, L Canonne (all Benetton).

Replacements: Di Bartolomeo (Zebre), Spagnolo (Benetton), Hasa (Zebre), Ruzza (Benetton), Favretto (Benetton), A Garbisi (Benetton), Da Re (Zebre), Pani (Zebre).

Line-Ups for tonight's Six Nations match between France and Ireland:

France: Ramos; Attissogbe, Depoortere, Moefana, Bielle-Biarrey; Jalibert, Dupont (capt); Gros, Marchand, Aldegheri, Ollivon, Guillard, Cros, Jegou, Jelonch.

Replacements: Mauvaka, Neti, Montagne, Auradou, Meafou, Nouchi, Serin, Gourgues.

Ireland: Osborne; O'Brien, Ringrose, McCloskey, Stockdale; S Prendergast, Gibson-Park; Loughman, Sheehan, Clarkson, McCarthy, Beirne, C Prendergast, Van der Flier, Doris (capt).

Replacements: Kelleher, Milne, Bealham, Ryan, Conan, Timoney, Casey, Crowley.

Already 12-0 to France.

Penalty - France 15-0 Ireland

28 mins- Thomas Ramos (France)

An bonus point to France with an Bielle-Biarrey try and an Ramos conversion. 29-0 to France.

Oh dear for Ireland.

Timoney gets an much needed first try for Ireland which is then converted, 29-7 to France.

Michael Milne gets Ireland's second try which is then converted, 29-14 to France.

Attissogbe gets France's fifth try of the match and it is converted an 36-14 win to France.

Darcy Graham and Jack Dempsey will start for Scotland in Saturday's Six Nations meeting with France at Murrayfield, while Zander Fagerson drops to the bench.

Wing Graham, 28, has come off the bench in the Scots' past three Tests. Kyle Steyn moves from right to left wing to accommodate Graham with Duhan van der Merwe missing out. Graham, like Van der Merwe, has scored 35 international tries.

Scotland: Blair Kinghorn; Darcy Graham, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu (capt), Kyle Steyn; Finn Russell, Ben White; Pierre Schoeman, George Turner, D'Arcy Rae, Gregor Brown, Scott Cummings, Matt Fagerson, Rory Darge, Jack Dempsey.

Replacements: Ewan Ashman, Rory Sutherland, Zander Fagerson, Grant Gilchrist, Freddy Douglas, Josh Bayliss, George Horne, Tom Jordan.

Hull FC have agreed a deal with Warrington Wolves to appoint Steve McNamara as their head coach from next season with John Cartwright stepping down immediately.

Cartwright had been set to exit at the end of this campaign, but the Super League club said he had "stepped away from his day-to-day duties as head coach with immediate effect".

They have also agreed to pay a "substantial transfer fee" to allow Wire assistant coach McNamara to leave his role.

Former Georgia captain Merab Sharikadze has been banned from sport for 11 years for his part in a secret scheme which helped national team players cheat anti-doping tests.

Hooker Giorgi Chkoidze has been banned for six years, with Lasha Khmaladze, Otar Lashkhi and Miriani Modebadze receiving three-year suspensions, and Lasha Lomidze being banned for nine months.

The inaugural Nations Championship in rugby union starts next Saturday and ITV have secured the rights

The competition involves the Six Nations from the Northern Hemisphere and the Big Four from the Southern Hemisphere with Japan and Fiji to make up to six teams

It's not straightforward but basically each team will play the six teams in the opposite Hemisphere in two windows of 3 games held July in the Southern Hemisphere and November in the Northern Hemisphere

So England for example will play

Round 1: 4 July 2026 - South Africa v England.
Round 2: 11 July 2026 - Fiji v England.
Round 3: 18 July 2026 - Argentina v England.
Round 4: 6 - 8 November 2026 - England v Australia.
Round 5: 13 - 15 November 2026 - England v Japan.
Round 6: 21 November 2026 - England v New Zealand

The teams do not play any games against the other teams in their Hemisphere

At the end of these matches the table toppers from the two hemispheres play each other to decide the Champions and the placed teams play their opposite placed team to decide the final ranking ..... so, eg, the second placed team in the Northern Hemisphere will play the second placed team in the South to determine 3rd and 4th place etc. These Finals will all be held over one weekend at Twickenham

So there are lots of International rugby matches coming up - 42 matches over 7 weekends

The tournament will take place every two years in non-Lions and non-World Cup years, so 2026, 2028, 2030 etc. A second tier competition with another 12 teams will run concurrently and it's proposed to have promotion and relegation in place by the 2030 event

ITV will show all 6 matches next Saturday between ITV and ITVX. Schedule for the first round of games - Sat 4th July. I imagine some of these games will be on ITV4.

New Zealand v France (8:10am - One New Zealand Stadium, Christchurch) ITV / ITVX
Japan v Italy (9:40am - Tokyo Chichibunomiya, Tokyo) ITV / ITVX
Australia v Ireland (11:10am - Allianz Stadium, Sydney) ITV / ITVX
Fiji v Wales (2:10pm - Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff) ITV / ITVX
South Africa v England (4:40pm - Ellis Park, Johannesburg) ITV / ITVX
Argentina v Scotland (8:10pm - Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, Cordoba) ITV / ITVX

ITV has also agreed to scrap the split screen in-play adverts which annoyed some viewers during the Six Nations this year.