Details of Scotland matches at new Autumn Nations Cup revealed

Amazon primed to secure TV rights

Scotland will face Italy, France and Fiji in the Autumn Nations Cup.

Details of the new international rugby tournament to replace the November Tests gave finally been revealed.

The eight-team competition has been named the Autumn Nations Cup.

The sides are split into two groups of four and, as expected, Scotland are in with France, Italy and Fiji in Group B.

England are in Group A alongside Ireland, Wales and Georgia.

Opening the tournament devised by Six Nations Rugby in response to the autumn tours being abandoned because of the coronavirus pandemic is Ireland's clash with Wales on Friday, November 13.

Scotland are scheduled to face Italy away a day later but no venue has been given for the match.

Gregor Townsend’s side will then host France at BT Murrayfield on Sunday 22 November (kick-off 3pm).

Scotland’s third match is at home to Fiji on Saturday 28 November (1.45pm).

After each side have played their group matches, there will be a fourth round of fixtures, known as finals weekend, on the weekend of 5 and 6 December.

The finals will be based on the pool rankings with each team facing off against the team placed in their same position in the opposite pool.

One of the finals matches is to be hosted at Murrayfield, with Georgia listed as the home side. The match is on 5 December at noon.

Georgia have replaced Japan in the competition that follows completion of the rearranged Six Nations fixtures after the 2019 World Cup hosts were forced to withdraw because of logistical complications arising from COVID-19.

A broadcast deal has yet to be agreed but it is understood that Amazon are front runners to secure the rights.

The presence of fans also remains uncertain.

Six Nations chief executive Ben Morel said: "We are absolutely delighted to formally announce details of the Autumn Nations Cup.

"A significant amount of time and effort has gone into delivering this new tournament format in testing circumstances and the spirit of collaboration amongst key stakeholders has been outstanding.

"While the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic made the traditional Autumn Test window unfeasible, we remained determined to deliver a unique and compelling tournament proposition which would ensure world class rugby for our fans globally, and competitive matches for players, unions and federations."

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Joy Yates

Editorial Director