The summer is here in full swing, and in a World Cup year, every summer test match can make or break a team, or a player.

And this year for Japan 2019, rugby's most prestigious tournament sees more genuine contenders than it has done in years. 

While the World Cup has historically been dominated by teams in the southern hemisphere, 2019 suggests there could be a turning of the tide. While the All Blacks still enter as the favorites, Wales, England, and Ireland are all nipping at their heels. 

All three have proven to be a step ahead of the other southern hemisphere teams outside New Zealand over the past year. 

Wales

Wales is on a 14-match win streak, having beaten every tier 1 team in the world except for the All Blacks during that stretch. 

England

England has, in large part, been excellent under coach Eddie Jones, and have arguably the greatest pool of talent to choose from to go through a world cup.

Ireland 

Ireland was the team of 2018, and their victory over the All Blacks in the Autumn serves to show they can be the very best team in the world when clicking. 

Scotland

Scotland, too, is a dark horse pick, and after their controversial defeat to Australia in the 2015 RWC quarterfinals, they will feel as though they can surely make a run. For them, it will come down to depth and health. 

France

France is just France, and it's never clear which Les Bleus side will show up. However, they have proven to be All Black killers, and it's not beyond them to find a spark of form that sees them go deep in the tournament. 

Each of these teams is hard at work in preparation for Rugby World Cup 2019. They will all continue through their respective training camps over the next five weeks, before the World Cup rosters are finalized and players know if they've earned a plane ticket to Japan or if they'll be watching from home. 

A summer of test matches awaits each team, and these will go a long way in determining which players make the world cup squad and which ones don't. Watch live on FloRugby to see how each team fares ahead of the RWC, and which players earn the right to represent their countries come late September.

Summer Test Series Schedule

Saturday, August 10

Ireland vs Italy (Dublin, 9:00 AM ET)

Sunday, August 11

England vs Wales (London, 9:00 AM ET)

Saturday, August 17

Wales vs England (Cardiff, 9:15 AM ET)

France vs Scotland (Nice, 3:00 PM ET)

Saturday, August 24

Scotland vs France (Edinburgh, 8:10 AM ET)

England vs Ireland ( London, 10:00 AM ET)

Friday, August 30

France vs Italy (Paris, 3:10 PM ET)

Saturday, August 31

Wales vs Ireland (Cardiff, 9:30 AM ET)

Saturday, September 6

Scotland vs Georgia (Edinburgh, 2:30 PM ET)

England vs Italy (Newcastle, 2:45 PM ET)

Sunday, September 7

Ireland vs Wales (Dublin, 9:00 AM ET)

Canada vs USA (Vancouver, 10:00 PM ET)