The Road to London Continues: The Nations Championship 2026 round four round-up

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - NOVEMBER 07: Scotland's Ewan Ashman in action during a Nations Championship match between Scotland and New Zealand at Scottish Gas Murrayfield, on November 07, 2026, in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Paul Devlin / SNS Group)

The Nations Championship returned over the weekend, and for Scotland, action resumed at home at Scottish Gas Murrayfield. Whilst left reflecting on a hard-fought contest against New Zealand, the results across the tournament have reshuffled the standings.

To remind fans as we rapidly head towards the first-of-its-kind Finals Weekend in London: after all six rounds of group action conclude, teams will be ranked 1st through 6th within their respective hemisphere tables. Finals Weekend (27–29 November at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham) will pair sides off directly by position (1st vs 1st for the Grand Final, 2nd vs 2nd, down to 6th vs 6th) to decide overall placements and crown the winning hemisphere in the Hemisphere Challenge.

Ashman hat-trick undone by clinical All Blacks

Scottish Gas Murrayfield played host to a high-energy clash on Saturday, but it was New Zealand who ultimately pulled away to record a 43-21 victory in Edinburgh.

Ewan Ashman produced a historic performance, becoming the first Scottish forward to score multiple Test hat-tricks as he joined select company in becoming only the fifth player to ever cross the whitewash three times in one match against the All Blacks.

However, it was New Zealand’s clinical edge that showed in the second half. Exploiting yellow card disruptions and dominating possession, late scores sealed the win for the All Blacks wearing white, while Scotland were left needing to regroup ahead of Round 5.

Next up: A vital clash with Australia

Scotland return to Scottish Gas Murrayfield this Sunday to face Australia in what promises to be a fiercely competitive fixture. World Rugby has the sides listed as the two of the closest in the top ten rankings, separated by just 1.28 ranking points, with  Scotland in 6th and Australia 7th.

The Wallabies travel to Edinburgh eager to bounce back following a 45-22 defeat to England at Twickenham. Despite the score line in London, Australia showed dangerous flashes of brilliance, highlighted by a thrilling intercept try from Max Jorgensen and late second-half scores from Filipo Daugunu and Jeremy Williams. With both sides eager to collect vital tournament points before heading to London, expect a high-intensity battle this Sunday.

As things stand

Following Round 4, results across the six matches have shifted the tables considerably. Scotland occupy 4th place in the Northern Hemisphere ranking, which would line up a Finals Weekend clash against Argentina, who suffered a 42-12 defeat to Ireland, powered by a Hugo Keenan hat-trick in Round 4.

The opening round of the Nations Championship saw Scotland walk away from Cordoba with a 38-47 victory against the Argentines. However, with two full rounds remaining and only a handful of points separating the teams, the standings can fluctuate significantly before the final match-ups at Allianz Stadium are locked in.

Supporters looking to back the team before the trip to London can secure tickets for the visits of Australia and Japan via the official Scottish Rugby Ticketing Page below.

Buy tickets here