Autumn Nations Cup 2020/21

The Autumn Nations Cup was a unique international rugby union tournament that existed only for one season. It was created as a temporary replacement for the traditional Autumn International Test window after the 2020 calendar was disrupted by the pandemic. Southern Hemisphere touring teams were unable to travel to Europe due to travel restrictions, prompting an alternative format. Six Nations Rugby organized the event in collaboration with the federations of Georgia and Fiji. The structure featured eight national teams divided into two pools of four. England, Ireland, Wales, and Georgia competed in Pool A, while France, Scotland, Italy, and Fiji were in Pool B. Teams played a round-robin schedule within their respective groups before advancing to a finals weekend. The top-ranked teams from each pool faced each other in the championship match. England defeated France to secure the only title awarded in the competition's history. The matches were recognized as official capped Test matches by World Rugby. This format differed significantly from the standard series of bilateral matches played during the autumn window. It also stood apart from the Rugby Europe Championship, which serves as an annual league for European nations outside the Six Nations. The tournament included a definitive winner, which contrasts with the later rebranded Autumn Nations Series introduced in 2021. That subsequent edition reverted to a series of bilateral matches without a single overall winner or cup format. There was no Autumn Nations Cup or Series held in 2022. The event was discontinued immediately after the 2020 edition.