Rugby LIVE: France and South Africa hit by huge injury blows as Welsh side take 'step forward'

There's less than one week to go until this year's autumn internationals get underway in full, with the giants of the southern hemisphere gearing up for their tour of Europe and a series of mouthwatering clashes.

This autumn will see the likes of New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Argentina, Fiji and Japan take on the Six Nations sides and there's everything to play for with the seedings for the 2027 Rugby World Cup draw in December set to be based on the world rankings at the end of the Test window.

However, while there is a full list of fixtures to get stuck into next weekend, we have already got our first taste of Tier One rugby with the Wallabies surviving a spirited fightback from Japan to record their first win of the autumn in Tokyo on Saturday.

Of course, there has also been plenty of action in the Premiership and United Rugby Championship, while, away from the pitch, there has been a lot of reaction to the Welsh Rugby Union's plans to cut the number of professional teams from four to three by 2027.

We'll have all the latest news and updates right here on our live blog, which you can follow below.

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