Ireland face Australia this weekend in the inaugural round of the Nations Championship, and Andy Farrell has named his Irish team.
This is uncharted territory for rugby, with the northern hemisphere teams travelling down under to play the southern hemisphere’s best, before the favour is returned in November.
Off the back of a surprisingly strong Six Nations finish, Farrell will hope Ireland can kickstart their push for Nations Championship glory with victory in Sydney, but he will be without many key players against Australia.
We’ve all the Ireland v Australia team news for you in one place right here.
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Andy Farrell names Ireland team to play Australia
Andy Farrell has named his Ireland team to face Australia.
Dan Sheehan captains the side in the absence of Caelan Doris, with Cian Prendergast named to start in place of Doris in the back row. Tadhg Beirne must make do with a bench spot as he returns from injury.
Sam Prendergast returns at fly-half for Ireland in Jack Crowley’s absence, while Jamie Osborne starts on the wing amid a back-three injury crisis.
Farrell has opted for a 5-3 bench split.
Ireland team to play Australia: 15 Hugo Keenan; 14 Rob Baloucoune, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Jamie Osborne; 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park; 1 Tom O’Toole, 2 Dan Sheehan, 3 Tadhg Furlong; 4 Joe McCarthy, 5 James Ryan; 6 Cian Prendergast, 7 Josh van der Flier, 8 Jack Conan
Ireland replacements: 16 Rónan Kelleher, 17 Jeremy Loughman, 18 Thomas Clarkson, 19 Tadhg Beirne, 20 Nick Timoney, 21 Craig Casey, 22 Ciarán Frawley, 23 Bundee Aki
Who’s ruled out for Ireland?
There’s a lengthy list of absentees for Ireland ahead of their opening Nations Championship game, including captain Caelan Doris, meaning it could be a somewhat unfamiliar starting XV.
In the pack, Doris is joined by Andrew Porter, Ryan Baird, Jack Boyle, Edwin Edogbo and Paddy McCarthy on the sidelines.
The backline is where Ireland are most depleted, with Mack Hansen, Tommy O’Brien and Calvin Nash ruled out on the wings and Jack Crowley unavailable at fly-half. Shayne Bolton is also ruled out in the centre.
15 March 2025; Mack Hansen of Ireland during the Guinness Six Nations Rugby Championship match between Italy and Ireland at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
This will also be the first camp without James Lowe, with the 33-year-old abruptly departing Leinster after their URC final triumph a few weeks ago.
Assistant coach Paul O’Connell has confirmed there are no other injury concerns among the squad.
The multitude of injuries means this series presents a big opportunity to the fringe players in Andy Farrell’s squad.
Australia team news
Joe Schmidt has stirred the pot with his Australia team selection, raising eyebrows by picking a brand new starting half-back pairing in Ryan Lonergan and Carter Gordon. This will be Lonergan’s first start for the Wallabies.
The headline news sees Jock Campbell return at full back for his first test appearance in over three years. Tom Wright returns from injury to be named on the bench, while Lachlan Shaw could make his Australia debut off the bench.
This is Schmidt’s last camp in charge of the Aussies, and he has had limited time with his players since the end of the Super Rugby season.
Australia team to face Ireland: 15 Jock Campbell; 14 Max Jorgensen, 13 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, 12 Len Ikitau, 11 Dylan Pietsch; 10 Carter Gordon, 9 Ryan Lonergan; 1 Angus Bell, 2 Josh Nasser, 3 Allan Alaalatoa; 4 Jeremy Williams, 5 Josh Canham; 6 Rob Valetini, 7 Fraser McReight, 8 Harry Wilson (captain)
Australia replacements: 16 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 17 James Slipper, 18 Taniela Tupou, 19 Lachlan Shaw, 20 Tom Hooper, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Ben Donaldson, 23 Tom Wright
When is Australia v Ireland?
Australia face Ireland in Sydney on Saturday, July 4th. Kick-off is at 11:10am Irish time.
How to watch Australia v Ireland
The game will be broadcast live on Virgin Media 1, with coverage underway at 10:20am on Saturday.
ITV will also show the game live, with their coverage beginning at 10:30am.
Nations Championship Round One fixtures
All kick-offs listed in Irish time.
*=Game live on Virgin Media 1
Saturday 4th July
08:10 – New Zealand v France (Christchurch)*
09:40 – Japan v Italy (Tokyo)
11:10 – Australia v Ireland (Sydney)*
14:10 – Fiji v Wales (Cardiff)*
16:40 – South Africa v England (Johannesburg)*
20:10 – Argentina v Scotland (Cordoba)*