Steve Borthwick’s first tour as England head coach will be to New Zealand, according to reports, while Ireland are set to return to South Africa.
England are poised to face the All Blacks in a Test series in July 2024 after the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.
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2024 July internationals
Due to the Rugby World Cup, there will be no traditional July tours next year, but the Times reports that Borthwick will face the challenging task of battling the All Blacks in New Zealand in 2024.
Borthwick takes charge of his first Six Nations campaign next year before four warm-up matches ahead of the Rugby World Cup. After the 2024 Six Nations, a trip to the land of the long white cloud follows.
England’s last tour to New Zealand was back in 2014 when Stuart Lancaster coached the side to a 3-0 series defeat.
Prior to that, England lost both their Tests against the All Blacks in 2008 but claimed a 15-13 win over New Zealand ahead of the 2003 Rugby World Cup.
The July internationals in 2024 could consist of just two Tests, according to the newspaper, in order to lessen the load on the players after the Rugby World Cup.
While England head to New Zealand, Australia are set to host Wales in a two-Test series with an option of a third match against the Wallabies or an emerging nation from the area.
South Africa is set to host Ireland for the first time since 2016, when a then-Joe Schmidt-coached side defeated the Springboks at home for the first time.
The report adds that France will head to Argentina that July while Italy will head to North America to face the United States and Canada. Finally, Scotland are set to play in the Pacific Islands, where they will likely front up against any of Fiji, Samoa and Tonga.
Nations Championship
After the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour, it is reported that the Nations Championship will come into play which will see the traditional tours come to an end.
If instigated, Test teams will face multiple nations across July and November in a league format rather than a touring one.