Nations Championship Trophy Unveiled

The Nations Championship Trophy, the prize that the twelve strongest teams in international rugby will compete to win, has been revealed for the first time.

Standing 67cm tall and weighing 15kg, the Trophy will become the ultimate prize in the Nations Championship, awarded to the team that emerges as the dominant force in international rugby. More than silverware, it is the symbol of a new era for the sport; a tournament built by the game, for the game, its players and its fans, bringing together the world's leading rugby nations in pursuit of global supremacy.

The global nature of the Nations Championship led the design inspiration for the Trophy, with key elements including the gold plated globe at the centre of the creation, the lines of latitude and longitude referenced in the handles that wrap around the body of the Trophy, intended to evoke the rivalry and collision of two hemispheres that is a defining feature of the uniquely competitive tournament.

The Nations Championship introduces a bold new tournament format that puts the two Hemispheres against each other. The Six Nations teams will represent the Northern Hemisphere and face the powerhouse SANZAAR nations who are joined by Fiji and Japan and compete on behalf of the Southern Hemisphere. Each team will play six fixtures against their rivals from the opposing Hemisphere group, over two chapters of the tournament, in July and November.

In the Nations Championship, every match matters to every team, with points on the line to dictate group rankings, on the way to the Nations Championship Finals Weekend.

Where a nation ranks in their group determines the rival they will face in the Finals Weekend; the three-day festival of international rugby. The teams that top their respective groups will face each other in the climactic fixture on the Sunday of the Finals Weekend, where they will compete to become the inaugural champions, lift the newly revealed Trophy and secure their place at the summit of international rugby. In doing so, they will write the first chapter in a competition designed to redefine the future of the global game.

With the Nations Championship Trophy revealed, ahead of the tournament kicking off on July 4^th, Tom Harrison, CEO of Six Nations Rugby, commented:

“The Nations Championship will decide the dominant force in global rugby, and the unveiling of the Trophy the teams will compete to win marks the final countdown to the start of a tournament that has been years in the making. Created by the game, for the game, its players and the fans, the Nations Championship is more than just a tournament, it is a catalyst of growth for a sport that is ready to go truly global.

The Nations Championship will stand alongside the best tournaments and events in world sport, by sharing the same key ingredients that set them apart: jeopardy, unpredictability, and elite athletes competing at the highest levels delivering incredible sporting drama. Every fixture in July and November is unmissable, and the comprehensive access fans have through global broadcast partnership means that fans need never miss a moment of the action.”

At the unveiling of the Nations Championship Trophy, SANZAAR CEO Brendan Morris stated:

“The waiting is almost over and the anticipation for the inaugural Nations Championship continues to build, and the unveiling of the new Trophy signals that kick-off is not far away. SANZAAR, the players, the fans and the broadcasters are all excited by the new tournament which starts in the southern hemisphere on July 4 and heralds a new era for northern versus southern rivalry.

SANZAAR believes innovation is vital to the ongoing growth and health of the sport and the Nations Championship is an important part of the future. The twelve best teams in world rugby will battle it out for the overall title of Nations Championship champion, while uniquely all teams will determine, through match results in July and November and the Finals weekend, which hemisphere is dominant in the world of rugby”.

Notes To Editors

Rights Free Nations Championship Trophy imagery: Available to download here

Rights Free broadcast quality B-Roll footage of the Trophy: Available to download here

Nations Championship Trophy

Trophy specifications

Height: 67cm, including plinth

Weight: 15kg

Finish: Silver and gold-plated

Key Design Details

A truly global tournament

At the centre of the Trophy design is the globe, representing the international scope of the Nations Championship and the coming together of leading rugby nations from across the world.

Rugby ball inspired Trophy body

The Trophy’s cup element is inspired by the form of a rugby ball, and unmistakable connection to the sport.

Longitude and latitude hand-chasing

The outside of the cup element of the Trophy features hand-chased detailing inspired by lines of longitude and latitude. This reinforces the global theme of the trophy.

North meets South

Two twisting handles wrap around the body of the trophy, designed to evoke the collision, energy and rivalry between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

Nations Championship identity

The primary Nations Championship logo sits prominently within the trophy design, giving the competition’s identity a clear and authoritative presence at the heart of its new symbol.

Building to create a Legacy

The trophy sits on a plinth with a silver band, providing space for the names of future winners to be engraved for years to come and creating a permanent record of the tournament’s history.

About the Nations Championship

The Nations Championship is the biennial international rugby tournament created through a landmark joint venture between Six Nations Rugby and SAZAAR, and the associated ten core member Unions and Federations: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, Wales and Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, and South Africa.

The tournament takes place every two years, outside Rugby World Cup and British & Irish Lions Tours, and occupies the existing July and November international rugby windows in the calendar, transforming them into a single cohesive, competitive tournament format that will culminate in the Nations Championship Finals weekend, where a winning team and winning Hemisphere group will be decided.

In the Nations Championship, the Six Nations Rugby Unions and Federations will represent the Northern Hemisphere, and the SANZAAR Unions will form a group representing the Southern Hemisphere, and joined by invitational teams Japan and Fiji, who complete the lineup of teams.

In the Nations Championship, teams are competing to win the tournament, but adding a uniquely competitive element to the Finals Weekend will be an additional prize, the Nations Championship Hemisphere Crown, awarded to the group of teams that win their Hemisphere group the most points in the Finals Weekend.

For more information, visit the Nations Championship website

About Thomas Lyte, the creators of the Nations Championship Trophy

Thomas Lyte is a British luxury goldsmiths and silversmiths, holding a Royal Warrant to His Majesty King Charles III, and internationally renowned for designing, crafting and restoring some of the world’s most prestigious trophies and awards.

From its fine silver workshops in London, Thomas Lyte combines traditional handcrafting skills with contemporary design and engineering expertise to create world-class bespoke silverware for leading international sporting institutions, brands, private clients and cultural organisations.

Its work in elite sport includes a particularly strong pedigree in rugby, from the Guinness Six Nations Championship Trophy, the Women’s Six Nations Trophy and the Women’s Rugby World Cup trophy to the British & Irish Lions trophies and the Rugby World Cup’s Webb Ellis Cup, which Thomas Lyte is entrusted to restore and care for.

Beyond rugby, Thomas Lyte’s work spans the highest levels of global sport, from the Emirates FA Cup, many of the ICC’s world cup trophies across various formats of cricket, to the ATP Finals trophies, Laver Cup, United Cup, SailGP Championship Trophy and major international esports silverware.

Thomas Lyte design, create and care for silverware that become lasting symbols of achievement, identity and legacy.