The 2018 end of year rugby union tests, also referred to as the Autumn internationals in the Northern Hemisphere, were a number of rugby union test matches played during October and November, primarily involving countries from the Northern Hemisphere hosting those from the Southern Hemisphere. Also involved in matches are those from second-tier teams. These international games count towards World Rugby's ranking system, with a team typically playing from two to four matches during this period.
Matches 26/27 October
Team details FB 15Jamie Henry RW 14Lomano LemekiOC 13Will Tupou IC 12Timothy LafaeleLW 11Kenki FukuokaFH 10Yu Tamura SH 9 Yutaka Nagare N8 8 Hendrik TuiOF 7 Shunsuke Nunomaki BF 6 Michael Leitch (c)RL 5 Samuela Anise LL 4 Wimpie van der Walt TP 3 Hiroshi Yamashita HK 2 Yusuke Niwai LP 1 Keita Inagaki Replacements:HK 16Atsushi Sakate PR 17Koki Yamamoto PR 18Asaeli Ai Valu LK 19Uwe Helu FL 20Masakatsu Nishikawa LK 21Isileli Nakajima SH 22Fumiaki Tanaka FH 23Rikiya Matsuda CE 24Ryoto Nakamura CE 25Ryohei Yamanaka Coach: Jamie Joseph FB 15 Nehe Milner-SkudderRW 14 Toni Pulu OC 13 Harold VorsterIC 12 Ma'a NonuLW 11 Tevita LiFH 10 Lionel Cronjé SH 9 Andy Ellis (c) N8 8 Leonardo Senatore OF 7 Dillon Hunt BF 6 Jackson HemopoRL 5 Jason JenkinsLL 4 Sam Carter TP 3 Hencus van Wyk HK 2 Adriaan Strauss LP 1 Craig Millar Replacements:HK 16 Ricky Riccitelli PR 17 Wyatt Crockett PR 18 Ben Alexander LK 19 Ben Gunter FL 20 Willie Britz SH 21 Augustine Pulu FH 22 Santiago González Iglesias CE 23 Keisuke Moriya FL 24 Nili Latu PR 25 Corné Fourie Coach: Robbie Deans Touch judges: Mike Fraser (New Zealand) Damon Murphy (Australia) Television match official: Aaron Paterson (New Zealand)
Team details FB 15Damian McKenzie RW 14Ben SmithOC 13Ryan Crotty IC 12Sonny Bill WilliamsLW 11Rieko IoaneFH 10Beauden BarrettSH 9 TJ Perenara N8 8 Kieran Read (c)OF 7 Ardie SaveaBF 6 Liam Squire RL 5 Scott BarrettLL 4 Sam Whitelock TP 3 Owen Franks HK 2 Codie Taylor LP 1 Joe Moody Replacements:HK 16Nathan Harris PR 17Karl Tu'inukuafe PR 18Nepo Laulala LK 19Brodie Retallick FL 20Matt Todd SH 21Aaron Smith FH 22Richie Mo'unga CE 23Anton Lienert-Brown Coach: Steve Hansen FB 15Dane Haylett-Petty RW 14Sefa Naivalu OC 13Israel FolauIC 12Kurtley BealeLW 11Marika Koroibete FH 10Bernard FoleySH 9 Will Genia N8 8 David PocockOF 7 Michael Hooper (c)BF 6 Ned Hanigan RL 5 Rob Simmons LL 4 Izack RoddaTP 3 Allan Alaalatoa HK 2 Folau Fainga'a LP 1 Scott Sio Replacements:HK 16Tolu Latu PR 17Sekope Kepu PR 18Taniela Tupou LK 19Rory Arnold FL 20Jack Dempsey SH 21Nick Phipps CE 22Samu Kerevi FB 23Tom Banks Coach: Michael Cheika Man of the Match: Rieko Ioane (New Zealand)
Touch judges: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa) Rasta Rasivhenge (South Africa) Television match official: Marius Jonker (South Africa) Notes: Sonny Bill Williams (New Zealand) earned his 50th test cap. Sekope Kepu (Australia) became the ninth Australian to earn his 100th test cap and the first in his position for his country. New Zealand completed a 3-0 whitewashing of Australia for the first time since 2016.
29/31 October
2/3 November
Team details FB 15Ryohei Yamanaka RW 14Jamie Henry OC 13Will TupouIC 12Timothy LafaeleLW 11Kenki FukuokaFH 10Yu TamuraSH 9 Yutaka Nagare N8 8 Hendrik TuiOF 7 Shunsuke NunomakiBF 6 Michael Leitch (c)RL 5 Samuela Anise LL 4 Wimpie van der Walt TP 3 Hiroshi Yamashita HK 2 Atsushi Sakate LP 1 Keita Inagaki Replacements:HK 16Yusuke Niwai PR 17Masataka Mikami PR 18Asaeli Ai Valu LK 19Uwe Helu LK 20Isileli Nakajima SH 21Fumiaki Tanaka FH 22Rikiya Matsuda CE 23Ryoto Nakamura Coach: Jamie Joseph FB 15Jordie BarrettRW 14Nehe Milner-Skudder OC 13Matt ProctorIC 12Ngani LaumapeLW 11Waisake Naholo FH 10Richie Mo'ungaSH 9 Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi N8 8 Luke Whitelock (c)OF 7 Dalton Papalii BF 6 Vaea FifitaRL 5 Jackson HemopoLL 4 Patrick Tuipulotu TP 3 Angus Ta'avao HK 2 Dane Coles LP 1 Ofa Tu'ungafasi Replacements:HK 16Liam Coltman PR 17Tim Perry PR 18Tyrel Lomax FL 19Dillon Hunt FL 20Gareth Evans SH 21Mitchell Drummond FH 22Brett Cameron WG 23George Bridge Coach: Steve Hansen Man of the Match: Ngani Laumape (New Zealand)
Touch judges: Damon Murphy (Australia) Graham Cooper (Australia) Television match official: Damien Mitchelmore (Australia) Notes: Hiroshi Yamashita (Japan) earned his 50th test cap. Jamie Henry, Isileli Nakajima (both Japan), George Bridge, Brett Cameron, Mitchell Drummond, Gareth Evans, Dillon Hunt, Tyrel Lomax, Dalton Papalii and Matt Proctor (all New Zealand) made their international debuts. New Zealand gave debuts to eight players, their highest number since 1986 when 11 players debuted against France. Japan's 31 points was their highest score against New Zealand in a Test match, surpassing the 17 points they scored in 1995. The 43,751 attendance was a record for a Test match in Japan. The previous record was achieved the previous year in Japan's Test match against Australia.
Team details FB 15Leigh HalfpennyRW 14George NorthOC 13Jonathan DaviesIC 12Hadleigh ParkesLW 11Luke Morgan FH 10Gareth Anscombe SH 9 Gareth Davies N8 8 Ross MoriartyOF 7 Justin TipuricBF 6 Dan Lydiate RL 5 Alun Wyn Jones (c)LL 4 Cory Hill TP 3 Dillon Lewis HK 2 Ken Owens LP 1 Nicky Smith Replacements:HK 16Elliot Dee PR 17Rob Evans PR 18Leon Brown LK 19Adam Beard FL 20Aaron WainwrightSH 21Tomos Williams FH 22Jarrod Evans WG 23Steff Evans Coach: Warren Gatland FB 15Blair KinghornRW 14Tommy Seymour OC 13Huw Jones IC 12Alex DunbarLW 11Lee JonesFH 10Adam HastingsSH 9 Ali Price N8 8 Ryan WilsonOF 7 Hamish WatsonBF 6 Jamie Ritchie RL 5 Jonny Gray LL 4 Ben ToolisTP 3 WP Nel HK 2 Stuart McInally (c) LP 1 Allan Dell Replacements:HK 16Fraser Brown PR 17Alex Allan PR 18Simon Berghan LK 19Grant Gilchrist FL 20Matt Fagerson SH 21George Horne CE 22Peter Horne WG 23Darcy Graham Coach: Gregor Townsend Man of the Match: Justin Tipuric (Wales)
Touch judges: Wayne Barnes (England) Frank Murphy (Ireland) Television match official: Rowan Kitt (England) Notes: Jarrod Evans, Luke Morgan (both Wales) and Darcy Graham (Scotland) made their international debuts. Wales won the first ever contest of the Doddie Weir Cup. Wales won their opening 'Autumn Internationals' match for the first time since beating Romania 40–3 in 2002, and they gained their first opening win at the Millennium Stadium since beating Samoa 50–6 in 2000.
Team details FB 15Elliot DalyRW 14Jack Nowell OC 13Henry SladeIC 12Ben Te'o LW 11Jonny MayFH 10Owen Farrell (c)SH 9 Ben Youngs N8 8 Mark WilsonOF 7 Tom Curry BF 6 Brad Shields RL 5 George KruisLL 4 Maro Itoje TP 3 Kyle Sinckler HK 2 Dylan Hartley (c) LP 1 Alec Hepburn Replacements:HK 16Jamie George PR 17Ben Moon PR 18Harry Williams LK 19Charlie Ewels FL 20Zach Mercer SH 21Danny Care FH 22George Ford WG 23Chris Ashton Coach: Eddie Jones FB 15Damian Willemse RW 14S'busiso Nkosi OC 13Jesse KrielIC 12Damian de AllendeLW 11Aphiwe DyantyiFH 10Handré PollardSH 9 Ivan van Zyl N8 8 Warren WhiteleyOF 7 Duane VermeulenBF 6 Siya Kolisi (c) RL 5 Pieter-Steph du ToitLL 4 Eben Etzebeth TP 3 Frans Malherbe HK 2 Malcolm Marx LP 1 Steven Kitshoff Replacements:HK 16Bongi Mbonambi PR 17Thomas du Toit PR 18Wilco Louw LK 19RG Snyman LK 20Lood de Jager SH 21Embrose Papier FH 22Elton Jantjies CE 23André Esterhuizen Coach: Rassie Erasmus Man of the Match: Mark Wilson (England)
Touch judges: Jérôme Garcès (France) Ben Whitehouse (Wales) Television match official: Olly Hodges (Ireland) Notes: Zach Mercer and Ben Moon (both England) made their international debuts. With this win and the 25–10 victory in June 2018, England won back-to-back matches against South Africa for the first time since their November 2004 and 2006 victories.
Team details FB 15Jordan LarmourRW 14Andrew ConwayOC 13Garry RingroseIC 12Bundee AkiLW 11Jacob Stockdale FH 10Joey Carbery SH 9 Luke McGrath N8 8 Jack ConanOF 7 Josh van der Flier BF 6 Rhys Ruddock (c)RL 5 Quinn RouxLL 4 Tadhg Beirne TP 3 Andrew Porter HK 2 Niall Scannell LP 1 Jack McGrath Replacements:HK 16Seán Cronin PR 17Dave Kilcoyne PR 18Finlay Bealham LK 19Devin Toner FL 20Jordi Murphy SH 21John Cooney FH 22Ross Byrne CE 23Will Addison Coach: Joe Schmidt FB 15Luca SperandioRW 14Mattia BelliniOC 13Michele Campagnaro (c)IC 12Luca Morisi LW 11Giulio BisegniFH 10Carlo Canna SH 9 Tito TebaldiN8 8 Renato Giammarioli OF 7 Braam SteynBF 6 Johan MeyerRL 5 George Biagi LL 4 Marco Fuser TP 3 Tiziano Pasquali HK 2 Luca Bigi LP 1 Nicola Quaglio Replacements:HK 16Oliviero Fabiani PR 17Cherif Traorè PR 18Giosuè Zilocchi LK 19Marco Lazzaroni LK 20Federico Ruzza FL 21Jimmy Tuivaiti SH 22Guglielmo Palazzani FH 23Ian McKinley Coach: Conor O'Shea Man of the Match: Jordan Larmour (Ireland)
Touch judges: Romain Poite (France) Alexandre Ruiz (France) Television match official: David Ardrey (United States) Notes: Ross Byrne, Will Addison (both Ireland), Jimmy Tuivaiti and Johan Meyer (both Italy) made their international debuts.
6 November
Team details FB 15 Matthew MorganRW 14 Aled Summerhill OC 13 Harri MillardIC 12 Max Llewellyn LW 11 Cameron Lewis FH 10 Dan Fish (c)SH 9 Lewis Jones N8 8 Alun LawrenceOF 7 Sion BennettBF 6 Shane Lewis-Hughes RL 5 Rory Thornton LL 4 James DownTP 3 Keiron Assiratti HK 2 Liam Belcher LP 1 Rhys Carre Replacements:HK 16 Ethan Lewis PR 17 Rhys Gill PR 18 Will Davies-King LK 19 Miles Normandale FL 20 Ioan Rhys Davies SH 21 Jamie Hill FH 22 Ben Thomas FB 23 Ioan Davies CE 24 Peter Lloyd Coach: John Mulvihill FB 15Gastón MieresRW 14Leandro LeivasOC 13Juan Manuel Cat IC 12Agustín Della Corte LW 11Federico FavaroFH 10Rodrigo Silva SH 9 Santiago Arata N8 8 Manuel DianaOF 7 Leandro Segredo BF 6 Juan Manuel Gaminara (c) RL 5 Manuel Leindekar LL 4 Ignacio Dotti TP 3 Juan Echeverriá HK 2 Germán Kessler LP 1 Matías Benítez Replacements:HK 16Facundo Gattas PR 17Mateo Sanguinetti PR 18Juan Rombys HK 19Manuel Ardao LK 20Diego Magno FL 21Juan Diego Ormaechea SH 22Tomás Inciarte CE 23Andrés Vilaseca FH 24Felipe Berchesi Coach: Esteban Meneses Man of the Match: Dan Fish (Cardiff Blues)
Touch judges: Gwyn Morris (Wales) Richard Brace (Wales) Television match official: Sean Brickell (Wales)
6–10 November
Team details FB 15 Bruce HoustonRW 14 Iwan HughesOC 13 Stewart MooreIC 12 James HumeLW 11 Angus KernohanFH 10 Johnny McPhillipsSH 9 Johnny StewartN8 8 Greg JonesOF 7 Marcus ReaBF 6 Joe DunleavyRL 5 Alex ThompsonLL 4 Matthew ReaTP 3 Tom O'TooleHK 2 Adam McBurney (c) LP 1 Schalk van der MerweReplacements:HK 16 Zack McCallPR 17 Corrie BarrettPR 18 Peter CooperLK 19 JJ McKeeFL 20 David McCannCE 21 Ben McCaugheySH 22 Graham CurtisFH 23 Michael StrongeWG 24 Clayton MilliganCoach: Dan McFarland FB 15Rodrigo SilvaRW 14Leandro LeivasOC 13Juan Manuel CatIC 12Andrés VilasecaLW 11Gastón MieresFH 10Felipe BerchesiSH 9 Santiago ArataN8 8 Alejandro NietoOF 7 Juan Diego OrmaecheaBF 6 Juan Manuel Gaminara (c)RL 5 Diego MagnoLL 4 Ignacio Dotti TP 3 Juan RombysHK 2 Germán KesslerLP 1 Mateo SanguinettiReplacements:HK 16Manuel ArdaoPR 17Matías BenítezPR 18Juan EcheverriáHK 19Manuel LeindekarFL 20Manuel DianaFL 21Leandro SegredoSH 22Tomás InciarteCE 23Agustín Della CorteWG 24Federico FavaroCoach: Esteban Meneses Man of the Match: Tom O'Toole (Ulster)
Touch judges: Jonny Erskine (Ireland) Chris Busby (Ireland)
Notes: Roman Khodin, Dmitry Perov, Daniil Potikhanov (all Russia), Janry du Toit, Prince ǃGaoseb and Adriaan Ludick (all Namibia) made their international debuts. Yuri Kushnarev became the first Russian player to earn 100 caps. Evgeny Matveev (Russia) earned his 50th test cap. This was the first meeting between the two nations hosted by Russia.