April brought us the Grand National, July Wimbledon, September an epic Ryder Cup while December equals festive football – and, of course, the darts.

November, meanwhile, is ruled by the Autumn Nations Series, a four-week feast of rugby where the best of the north face the best of the south in the driving rain, howling winds and beer-soaked stadiums from Edinburgh to Rome, via Dublin, Cardiff, London and Paris.

Ahead of this year's mouthwatering fixtures, the Mirror have produced the Ultimate Guide to the Autumn Internationals previewing what is set to be a month of dramatic action.

After winning the Rugby Championship title last month, the Springboks head into the month full of confidence after inflicting a record 43-10 defeat on New Zealand away from home. Their renowned and – judging by the size of the humans involved – aptly named ‘bomb squad’ of replacement forwards are still very much at the forefront of everything they do, but head coach Rassie Erasmus is also experimenting with a more free-flowing brand of rugby these days. After racking up 208 points in six matches, it is fair to say it is working.

The Springboks’ seismic clashes against France and Ireland might just be the standout ties of the month, especially their return to the Stade de France to face the Six Nations champions for the first time since beating them by just a point en route to winning the World Cup two years ago. It is not to be missed. And what of the home nations? As ever, a mixed bag.

Much of the focus will inevitably fall on England and their bid to take the fabled ‘next step’. Always seemingly on the precipice of disaster or an ascension to the top, they have quietly had a strong year – with four wins in the Six Nations and a 2-0 series victory in Argentina. England start against Australia on the opening weekend of this month’s soirée and after a 42-37 defeat last year to what was labelled the worst Wallabies team for a generation, it is safe to say that there is hunger for revenge, but it is the match against the All Blacks that is the most exciting. A win on November 15 would be seismic, Fiji and Argentina – while posing challenges of their own – will be underdogs.

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Ireland are boosted by the return of head coach Andy Farrell after his successful stint in leading the Lions to a series win in Australia, but the Men in Green have lost the experience of the retired Peter O’Mahony, Cian Healy and Conor Murray. While not starters, their voices were integral.

Farrell will pick up the fly-half battle between Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley, which is every bit as intriguing as the one England have, and mouth-watering matches with New Zealand in Chicago – nine years on from their most famous win – and South Africa in Dublin are unmissable.

Scotland start their campaign with a settled squad and a world-class fly-half in Finn Russell, but head coach Gregor Townsend is already under pressure after accepting a consultancy role with Newcastle Red Bulls. They have a pair of less glamorous games against USA and Tonga, but a crucial match against Argentina in the battle for ranking points ahead of the World Cup draw and then New Zealand – who they have never beaten.

New Wales coach Steve Tandy must wish he could face USA and Tonga too. Instead, his first campaign in charge will take in New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina and Japan – with their match against the latter surely a must-win to get the crowds on side. Staying competitive in the other three would be a success. But as ever, this time of year throws up more curveballs than a second-row can catch and that’s what helps to make it unpredictable, fun and unmissable.

Your ultimate action-packed guide to a scintillating festival of rugby ahead. This is a newsprint magazine and is available to buy at selected independent retailers and supermarkets in the UK from Wednesday, October 22, 2025 OR you can purchase it online HERE. For online purchases postage and packaging applies.