Andy Farrell and many of the Ireland coaching staff, along with the core of the 18 Irish players who were part of this summer’s Lions tour will return to Australia next summer to play the Wallabies.
As part of inaugural Nations Championship, Ireland are set to play the Wallabies and the All Blacks in New Zealand next summer, with a third game expected to be against Japan, which will likely be played in either Australia or New Zealand.
The new biennial competition, to be held in even-numbered years, will incorporate the summer tours and November internationals, and will consist of 12 teams; namely the sides from the Six Nations, the Rugby Championship and, pending confirmation, Japan and Fiji.
Who is Ireland’s greatest ever Lion?
The final round of games will be play-offs based on the final standings, with the inaugural final between the top two countries pencilled in for Twickenham. Qatar is the anticipated destination for the final in 2028, with the USA to host the 2030 decider.
RM Block
Ireland will also host the Wallabies in the third of their four autumnal internationals later this year, which begin with the game against New Zealand in Chicago on November 1st. Ireland then host Japan (November 8th), Australia (November 15th) and South Africa (November 22nd), all of which will be played at the Aviva Stadium.
The Nations Championship participants are also the 12 countries who have automatically qualified for the 2027 World Cup in Australia, by which Farrell, his coaching ticket, and a sizeable chunk of the playing squad should be well acquainted with the country.
