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Rugby Championship 2022: Fixtures, results and team news, plus how to watch on TV

Malcolm Marx of South Africa during The Rugby Championship match between South Africa and New Zealand at Mbombela Stadium on August 06, 2022 in Nelspruit, South Africa - Dirk Kotze/Gallo Images/Getty Images
Malcolm Marx of South Africa during The Rugby Championship match between South Africa and New Zealand at Mbombela Stadium on August 06, 2022 in Nelspruit, South Africa - Dirk Kotze/Gallo Images/Getty Images

Argentina have moved top of the Rugby Championship table after two rounds with a crushing win over Australia in San Juan.

Wallabies coach Dave Rennie did not mince his words when he described the loss as simply "not good enough". The home side ran in seven tries for their biggest ever victory over Australia, who have been depleted by injury and player absences for personal reasons.

"Massive disappointment. Not good enough," Rennie said. "You could see there were four tries that were kicks in behind us. We certainly got dominated in the collision area.

"We created plenty of opportunities but we have to be patient. Rucks not a disaster, we just weren’t clinical enough.

"We lacked cohesion with a few changes. We’ll look at the footage but we’re better than that. It’s a massive disappointment. We want to earn the respect of the country and you don’t do it with performances like that."

How to watch the matches on TV

(All times BST)

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

  • Australia v South Africa (Adelaide Oval, Adelaide) 6.30am on Saturday, August 27  - Sky Sports

  • New Zealand v Argentina (Orangetheory Stadium, Christchurch) 8.45am on Saturday, August 27 - Sky Sports

Round 4

  • New Zealand v Argentina (FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton) 8.05am on Saturday, September 3 - Sky Sports

  • Australia vs South Africa (Allianz Stadium, Sydney) 10.35am on Saturday, September 3 - Sky Sports

Round 5

  • Australia vs New Zealand (Marvel Stadium, Melbourne) 10.45am on Thursday, September 15 - Sky Sports

  • Argentina vs South Africa (Estadio Jose Amalfitani, Buenos Aires) 8.10pm on Saturday, September 17 - Sky Sports

Round 6

  • New Zealand vs Australia (Eden Park, Auckland) 8.05am on Saturday, September 24 - Sky Sports

  • South Africa vs Argentina (Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban) 4.05pm on Saturday, September 24 - Sky Sports

What is the latest news?

New Zealand eased the pressure on coach Ian Foster with a superb 35-23 victory over South Africa in their Rugby Championship clash at Ellis Park.

Captain Sam Cane and hooker Samisoni Taukei’aho also scored tries as the All Blacks silenced the 61,519 crowd to claim what will be viewed as a famous win having lost five of their previous six tests.

The Springboks were not as clinical as they had been in the 26-10 victory over the visitors the previous week as they scored tries through sublime centre Lukhanyo Am and winger Makazole Mapimpi, but faced opponents who were vastly improved.

Whether the victory is enough to save Foster’s job will become clear in the coming days, as New Zealand prepare to host Argentina in their next Rugby Championship clash on Aug. 27, while the Boks travel to play Australia on the same day.

The All Blacks were better in the scrum, breakdown and under the high ball, all areas they had struggled in seven days ago in Nelspruit.

"Proud is an understatement," Cane said at the post-match presentation. "Adversity really challenges your character and this group has that. We had to get a few parts of our game right as this is one of the toughest places in the world to come and play.

"We were a lot better at the breakdown and dealt with the contestables better. We defended the maul well. That is what test footy is all about, getting the small things right to build pressure."

When is the final round?

The final round is on Saturday 24 September. New Zealand host Australia in Auckland, while Argentina travel to Durban to face South Africa.

Last year New Zealand had already wrapped up the Rugby Championship before the final round, after beating South Africa 19-17 in the penultimate round. However, the Springboks would beat the All Blacks 31-29 a week later to end their campaign on a high.