In Wellington, Sydney, Cape Town and Santiago del Estero on Saturday, eight of the world’s best teams play deciding matches in north-south series to conclude the first proper mid-year test window since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The world rankings already reflect a regional shift, with France and Ireland keeping the southern nations out of the top two for the first time since the listing was introduced. Wales secured their maiden win over the Springboks in South Africa last weekend and have history in their grasp against the world champions at Newlands on Saturday.
That England-Australia is going down to the final match is less surprising given Eddie Jones’s team won 3-0 on their last tour Down Under before going on an eight-match winning streak against the Wallabies.