World Rugby unveils new Ryder Cup-style trophy for Nations Championship Finals weekend

12:51, 29 Sep 2026Updated 11:18, 30 Sep 2026

Brace yourself, international rugby is going all 'Ryder Cup' in November with a newly commissioned Europe vs Rest of the World trophy up for grabs.

It's a big Asterix & Obelix shield-type thing and the winning and losing of it rests upon how the results of the finals weekend of the complicated Nations League work out on 27-29 November.

The press releases surrounding this new trophy keeps referring to as the prize that will be awarded to the best performing 'Hemisphere' on Finals Weekend.

Which doesn't allow for the inconvenient fact Japan, grouped with the nations below the equator is, in fact, located entirely in the northern hemisphere.

Rugby’s newest cabinet treasure was unveiled by French TV personality and rugby fan Fred Sirieix and with the Six Nations and SANZAR jointly proclaiming of it's importance:

"The Hemisphere Shield stands alongside the Nations Championship Trophy as one of the two defining symbols of success in the new global competition."

Before adding uselessly: "The Nations Championship Hemisphere Shield has been unveiled above the London skyline on the London Eye, overlooking one of the world’s greatest sporting capital cities, and the stage for the inaugural Finals Weekend where teams will battle to decide the dominant force in global rugby, and balance of power between Hemispheres."

The mechanics will rely on the games from the Finals Weekend when the two conferences converge with 1st vs 1st, 2nd vs 2nd games all the way down to 6th vs 6th,

"Hemisphere’s really will collide on Finals weekend, when for the first time, the traditional rivalry between North and South has been given a structure, a scoreline and a worthy prize.

"The Hemisphere Shield will be claimed by the Hemisphere group that earns the most number of points during the Finals Weekend, settling one of the fiercest debates in the sport: which hemisphere s truly the most dominant.

"The competition heads into the remaining three rounds – the Northern Series that will ultimately determine the matchups for the Finals Weekend in November - with everything on the line.

"The Hemisphere Shield stands alongside the Nations Championship Trophy as one of the competition's two defining prizes, reflecting the two battles taking place every time teams take the field.

"Each nation is fighting to become the outright Nations Championship winner, while every Finals Weekend result at Allianz Stadium, London, simultaneously contributes to the larger contest determining whether North or South reign supreme.

The Finals Weekend matches will see the 1st vs 1st game as the only one given a weighting.

"Seven points will be available across the weekend, with one point awarded for the winners of matches 2 v 2 through to 6 v 6 and two points on offer for the 1 v 1 showdown.

"The first hemisphere to reach four points will secure the Hemisphere Shield."

Fred Sirieix (First Dates, Million Pound Menu, I'm a Celeb) said: “As a huge rugby fan, I love the rivalries and sense of occasion that come with the sport.

"The Nations Championship Finals Weekend is going to be an incredible event and I can’t wait to see fans from all corners of the globe descending on London.

“The battle for the Hemisphere Shield is going to be really close, it’s going to be exciting to see the best of the best in international rugby going head-to-head.”

Given the Finals are spread across the weekend ticket sales for specific Allianz Stadium, London, games have been sluggish.

Six Nations/SANZAR are encouraging fans to get their tickets in advance to have the chance to "see either the North or South lift the Hemisphere Shield".