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As is the norm for modern-day rugby, the Allianz Stadium in Sydney has been plunged into darkness before the players run out onto the field.

I'm guessing a light show is imminent.

Rory Best
Former Ireland captain on ITV Sports

Sam Prendergast is the man they want to have the 10 jersey. He has had a mixed bag this season, teams have gone after the defensive side of his game.

His passing game is better than anything else we have at Ireland.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

It's a massive weekend of sport in Australia. Like proper huge.

Yesterday, Australia's World Cup dreams came to an end with a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat by Egypt in the last-32.

This one in Sydney will be the focus for the next while before three more big sporting events take place in England.

Alex de Minaur is in action in Wimbledon as he looks to get the better of Zachary Svajda in the third round.

Then, on Sunday, there's the small matter of the Women's Twenty20 Cricket World Cup final as Australia will look to beat England on home soil.

There's also Oscar Piastri in the British Grand Prix as he competes at McLaren's home race.

So, as I said, it's massive, and you can follow it all with BBC Sport.

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Australia boss Joe Schmidt on ITV Sport:

"It is an opposition I know really well and have a lot of respect for.

"That respect, I think it is mutual. I would like to think we can turn up today and put on our best performance so far.

"We need to open the game up and play. Ireland may do the same, so we have to work really, really hard.

"The ball could be in play for long moments, and we have to stay as aggressive and strong as we can be."

BBC Sounds

You can listen to this one on BBC Sounds, BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Radio 5Live Sports Xtra from 11:00 BST.

Former Ireland scrum-half Conor Murray is part of the BBC team for the three matches in July and he joins James Hume and presenter Gavin Andrew for this one.

Jim Neilly is on commentary alongside Darren Cave.

Afterwards, there will be an Ireland Rugby Social where Conor and Gavin will bring hot-off-the-press reaction to the game.

You'll be able to check that out on BBC Sounds.

Ireland boss Andy Farrell speaking on ITV Sport:

On the Nations Championship: "Everyone has an eye on what is coming up next year, the World Cup.

"Saying that, it is exciting to start a new competition and see what happens. It is all to play for and it is nice."

On what he wants to see from Prendergast and Gibson-Park: "Just to be themselves.

"Australia will have something to say about that as half-backs are always targets to be pressured. How we manage that and play on the back of that is always key."

Image source, Getty Images

Ireland's last game in Australia was way back in 2018, and Joe Schmidt's side picked up a first series win on Wallaby turf since 1979.

Australia won the first match 18-9 in Brisbane, but Ireland hit back with a 26-21 win in Melbourne before the deciding 20-16 win in Sydney to lift the Lansdowne Cup.

In this photo, Bundee Aki and Tadhg Furlong are both in the matchday squad, while Robbie Henshaw is in the southern hemisphere but wasn't named in the 23 for the game.

How time flies.

Image source, Getty Images

When Australia prop Angus Bell comes up against Ireland, he will be facing some "friends for life".

The 25-year-old spent eight months in Northern Ireland playing for Ulster in the United Rugby Championship as he joined on a short-term deal from the Waratahs.

Bell said "similar cultures" in Belfast and Australia helped him to settle in to his new surroundings, the "identity" was also familiar.

"They're very similar to Australians, very similar people, very similar cultures; they love a beer, they love going to the pub, they love hanging out, it's very similar to what the Australian identity is, even around the change room, very similar as well.

"I've made friends for life from Northern Ireland and Belfast, so it'll be interesting playing those boys."

While it is unclear how many of Ulster's contingent will line out in Sydney, Bell admits it will be a strange experience to face them in the Nations Championship opener.

"We've been talking over the past three or four weeks, I only came back a week ago, so it's going to be interesting going up against them," he said.

"They're top fellas, I couldn't speak any higher of them, just like I couldn't speak any higher of the boys here at the Wallabies squad too."

Image source, Getty Images

Outgoing Australia boss Joe Schmidt insists he has no plans to prolong his international coaching career - and a return to Leinster is not an option for him "at the moment".

The 60-year-old will hand over the Wallabies reins to Les Kiss after this month's Nations Championship fixtures against Ireland, France and Italy.

Schmidt won three Six Nations titles, including the 2018 Grand Slam, during his six-year spell as Ireland head coach.

Before taking over as Ireland coach in 2013, Schmidt won back-to-back European Cups during a three-year spell with Leinster.

"I don't really have any ambition to keep coaching as a head coach or anything else," said the New Zealander.

"I don't feel like I need to be a head coach, and I certainly don't need to be a national head coach."

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Mack Hansen scored a superb first-half hat-trick to help lift Ireland to a record win over Australia in an entertaining Test at Aviva Stadium.

Starting an Ireland game at full-back for the first time, Canberra-born Hansen starred in a slick Irish attack on his return from a foot injury with three tries inside the opening 30 minutes.

The Wallabies - coached by former Ireland boss Joe Schmidt - stayed in touch at half-time thanks to Len Ikitau and Fraser McReight tries.

But after Sam Prendergast stretched Ireland's lead with a drop-goal and Tommy O'Brien had a try ruled out for a knock-on, Caelan Doris' 70th-minute try put Ireland back on course for a win in the Dublin rain.

Despite losing Nick Frost to a yellow card for his hit on Thomas Clarkson during the Doris score, Billy Pollard went over for Australia's third try.

However, the hosts surged to the finish line as late Ryan Baird and Robbie Henshaw scores completed Ireland's fifth successive win over the two-time world champions.

I have a feeling it won't be as comfortable this morning.

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Matt Gault
BBC Sport NI senior journalist

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If Andy Farrell had gotten his wish, James Lowe would have been lining out for Ireland today.

Instead, Lowe is preparing for his next chapter in Japan, meaning Farrell must nail down his first-choice left winger before the World Cup.

And with Tommy O'Brien injured, Farrell has turned to Jamie Osborne.

The 24-year-old excelled at full-back in the Six Nations, scoring four tries while deputising for Hugo Keenan.

The majority of Osborne's Test caps have been in the 15 shirt, while he has spent the majority of his Leinster career there or in the centre.

While Osborne is not noted for his speed, he has a big, Lowe-esque left boot and is a solid defender. Farrell is a shrewd selector, so he has liked what he has seen in training.

Even still, it is a big blow to someone like Jacob Stockdale, who cut his teeth on the left wing but has paid the price for a poor performance against France in the Six Nations.

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Head coach Andy Farrell says former Leinster wing James Lowe is unlikely to feature for Ireland while he is playing in Japan, but did not definitively rule out the possibility of him being selected for the 2027 World Cup.

Lowe, 33, left Leinster at the end of the 2025-26 season after a new deal could not be agreed with the Irish province and United Rugby Championship winners.

The New Zealand-born winger has been a key player for Farrell throughout his tenure, which has yielded two Six Nations titles and a Grand Slam in 2023, and the head coach admits he is "disappointed" Lowe will be moving away from the set-up.

Lowe has been heavily-linked with a move to Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath to replace the outgoing South Africa wing Cheslin Kolbe.

Aside from Johnny Sexton in his two-year stint with Racing 92, the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) policy is to only select players who feature for one of the four provinces.

"You know that we've held the line with that for many, many years and whatever, but we'll see how that plays out in the next 12 months," Farrell said when asked about the IRFU's policy on selecting players based overseas.

"I mean, if we don't develop someone and bring someone through... I mean, push come to shove, we probably could have brought him out here. But is it the right thing to do to not develop someone and give people a chance?

"I think it's the right thing to do, to have a look and give people a bit of space to be able to do that. We'll see how that goes."

Ireland Rugby

Sam Prendergast's strong end to the season with Leinster has earned him a recall to the Ireland starting line-up for today's game.

The 23-year-old lost the fly-half spot to Jack Crowley during the Six Nations, but with the Munster playmaker ruled out through injury, Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has rewarded Prendergast for steering Leinster to the United Rugby Championship (URC) title.

With Tommy O'Brien sidelined and James Lowe leaving Irish rugby, Farrell has opted to pick Jamie Osborne on the left wing for the match at Allianz Stadium.

Tom O'Toole starts at loose-head prop, a problem position for Farrell with Andrew Porter, Jack Boyle and Paddy McCarthy all missing.

Stuart McCloskey, outstanding in Ireland's Triple Crown-winning Six Nations campaign, has recovered from a hamstring injury to start in midfield alongside Garry Ringrose.

But a late injury has ruled Robert Baloucoune out of the starting team with a tight hamstring, and Jimmy O'Brien comes into his place.

However, Tadhg Beirne is fit enough only for a place on the bench as Cian Prendergast gets another chance to impress in the back row.

Ireland: Hugo Keenan; Jimmy O'Brien, Garry Ringrose, Stuart McCloskey, Jamie Osborne; Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Tom O'Toole, Dan Sheehan (capt), Tadhg Furlong, Joe McCarthy, James Ryan, Cian Prendergast, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan.

Replacements: Ronan Kelleher, Jeremy Loughman, Thomas Clarkson, Tadhg Beirne, Nick Timoney, Craig Casey, Ciaran Frawley, Bundee Aki.

Australia boss Joe Schmidt - who will hand over the reins to Les Kiss later this summer - has picked Jock Campbell at full-back in his first Test appearance since 2022.

Wallabies record cap holder James Slipper is named as a replacement loose-head prop after reversing his retirement, while fly-half Carter Gordon and scrum-half Ryan Lonergan form a new half-back pairing.

Saturday will be the first time the sides have met in Australia since Schmidt led Ireland to a 2-1 Test series win in 2018.

Australia: Jock Campbell; Max Jorgensen, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Len Ikitau, Dylan Pietsch, Carter Gordon, Ryan Lonergan; Angus Bell, Josh Nasser, Allan Alaalatoa, Jeremy Williams, Josh Canham, Rob Valetini, Fraser McReight, Harry Wilson (capt).

Replacements: Brandon Paenga-Amosa, James Slipper, Taniela Tupou, Lachlan Shaw, Tom Hooper, Tate McDermott, Ben Donaldson, Tom Wright.

Image source, Getty Images

Ireland coach Simon Easterby says he expects Australia to try and "impose themselves" in this one.

Joe Schmidt's Wallabies host Ireland in the first of three summer matches in the new competition, before Andy Farrell's side take on Japan and New Zealand.

Farrell led the British and Irish Lions' successful tour of Australia last year and Ireland ran out 46-19 winners when the sides met in Dublin in November.

Easterby, who said all 36 players were in training in Sydney, said it was "exciting" to face Australia, who will host the Rugby World Cup next year.

"We're expecting a side who have probably got a chance to go and lay down a bit of a marker leading into a World Cup year, playing at home for the first time in a while," Easterby said.

"They are a physical team who will look to try and impose themselves on the opposition.

"It's something that we're well aware of, their threats and attack and their ability to attack in a way that can create opportunities."