For this Nations Championship, World Rugby have taken the six Six Nations teams, the four teams from the Rugby Championship, that’s South Africa, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand, and have invited in Fiji and Japan.
That is 12 teams, six games every round.
You combine the results from the summer tour and next November and it all accumulates on a points basis in a grand final or a series of finals depending on your ranking in Twickenham at the end of November. It’s a big money-making exercise even though World Rugby have not an overall sponsor for the tournament. It will be played every two years between World Cups and Lions Tours.
As for Ireland’s opener, it’s amazing when you look at those absentees, the likes of Caelan Doris, Tommy O’Brien, Andrew Porter, Ryan Baird, Mack Hansen and Jack Crowley, they’d be guaranteed starters. You add in James Lowe, whom we know is not available for Ireland any more, and Tadhg Beirne (below), even though he is injured, is on the bench for Ireland.
So from that point of view we are missing a lot of first-teamers but yet it is a very strong side. Also the fact that Andy Farrell has to dig deep into his squad is actually good from an Irish perspective some 16 months out from a World Cup.
I think the game is going to be very competitive. Australia have a very strong side but they have a weakness at half-back and in the second row. They won only four of their 15 Tests last year and Ireland beat them 46-19 last November.
I think it will be very tight, a one-score game, but I expect Ireland to win. A massive Irish support will be present for what is a sell-out game.
Donal Lenihan was speaking on Morning Ireland