The Nations Championship is back! But a lot has happened since the best sides in the world first faced off in July.
While it's been away, New Zealand have toured South Africa, losing the Test series 3-1, while Europe's elite have been battling it out for their club sides.
If you're in need of a refresher or were more focused on the FIFA World Cup in North America during the first half of international rugby's new tournament then don't fret, we've got you covered.
Here's what you need to know about the favourites, the star names and how the new format actually works.
Nations Championship format: A brief guide
If you want a comprehensive breakdown of how this new competition works, check out our full explainer here. But, to quickly recap:
The Northern Hemisphere teams played three Tests against various Southern rivals during the first half of the tournament in the summer. The competition will now continue with all 12 sides playing three more Tests this November against different opponents.
Teams are divided into Northern and Southern hemisphere tables with their final placing in the standings deciding their opposition on Finals Weekend.
Those matches (1st vs. 1st, 2nd vs. 2nd, etc.) are being played in a blockbuster weekend at Twickenham at the end of the month.
Simple!
Can anyone stop the Springboks?
It will take something special, but they are beatable.
Both Australia and New Zealand have victories over South Africa this year and Rassie Erasmus is also dealing with some significant injury concerns. Front-line players Cheslin Kolbe, Eben Etzebeth, Handre Pollard and André Esterhuizen have all been ruled out of the tour.
The Boks face Italy on Nov. 7 before a highly anticipated clash against France, who arguably have the best chance of toppling the back-to-back world champions. Erasmus then takes his side to Dublin to face Andy Farrell's Ireland.
Should they successfully navigate those intriguing-looking games, they will almost certainly be in the final and what is sure to be an even sterner task at the end of a long season.
How are the Northern Hemisphere sides shaping up?
There were mixed results for the Northern outfits in July.
The two best Southern sides -- New Zealand and South Africa -- went unbeaten and made it look fairly easy. The All Blacks beat France, Italy and Ireland while the Boks had comfortable victories over England, Scotland and Wales.
But, all is not lost. It's often a different story in the cold, harsh conditions that November can bring. New Zealand found that out the hard way when they lost to England and scraped past Scotland last year.
Scotland will back themselves against New Zealand once again after that tough-to-swallow result in 2025, while Ireland face Fiji, Argentina and South Africa.
It's shaping up to be a huge series for England, who host Australia, Japan and New Zealand. Steve Borthwick's side are desperate for results after what has been a largely frustrating year.
France are always dangerous and Ireland will be out to make their mark 12 months out from the World Cup too.
... And down south?
The fact is there's a big drop off between South Africa, New Zealand and everyone else in the world. But the other sides are relatively equal.
The Wallabies held their gloves up against Ireland and France in July and have beaten the Boks this year, but it's still a case of you don't really know what you'll get when Australia run out.
If they're on form, as they were when they led Ireland for most of the match in Sydney, then they can certainly cause England problems on the opening weekend.
Argentina, who haven't been at their best this year, have just one win and a draw against Wales and Australia, respectively.
Japan and Fiji round off the bottom of the Southern standings. Don't expect them to cause too many concerns.
On paper, the South would be favourites to dominate the next few weeks, but it rarely plays out as simply as that.
Which coaches are in the hot seat?
With the World Cup around the corner, there's a handful of coaches who will be feeling a bit of pressure this November.
Borthwick and England maintain they are tracking in the right direction, but their worst ever Six Nations finish still stings fans and there's no getting away from the fact they were comfortably beaten by South Africa in the summer.
But the England coach has named a very good squad with, touch wood, no huge injury concerns at this stage compared to some of their rivals.
A win against Australia is a must. That then needs to be backed up by a good performance at the least against New Zealand with what should be a routine win over Japan in between.
The All Blacks will also be wanting to show they're stable after a turbulent 12 months that saw New Zealand Rugby sack Scott Robertson and hire Dave Rennie since they last visited Twickenham.
There will also be keen eyes on Scotland and Gregor Townsend. After another hit-and-miss Six Nations, Scotland need to show they can really mix it with the elite sides in the world ahead of next year's showpiece and the next few weeks are a great opportunity. However, if they fail to impress, pressure will ramp up on Townsend.
Tests against New Zealand, Australia and Japan await, with fans hoping for two wins from three at the least.
Which players should you watch out for?
The England vs. New Zealand and France vs. South Africa games are both must-watch.
There's a fantastic rivalry between England and the All Blacks right now, which was ignited by Henry Pollock last year.
Les Bleus and the Boks are also the dominant forces in their respective hemispheres, so seeing them go toe-to-toe will be fascinating ahead of the World Cup.
Keep an eye out for French winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey, who has been electrifying for France in recent months and is arguably the best in the world right now.
The same goes for Australia's Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i, the centre-cum-winger who is settling into life in the green and gold after beginning his career in rugby league. When he gets going, he's hard to stop.