Australia vs Ireland Prediction: Ireland to catch Wallabies cold

Ireland's Nations Championship summer campaign comprises matches against Australia, Japan and New Zealand and starts with a showdown with the Wallabies in Sydney.

Ireland have won their last five encounters with Australia and the most recent, in November last year, came by a record 46-19 margin, but this looks like a tight betting heat. Below are my Australia vs Ireland predictions, alongside team news and match odds, ahead of Saturday's game at Allianz Stadium (8:10pm local, 11:10am BST, ITV 1).

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Australia vs Ireland Odds

When these teams met in Dublin last November, Ireland were overwhelming 10-point favourites and passed that line with ease. This time there’s nothing in the betting as Ireland are the narrowest of favourites at 5/6 while it's Evens for a home win.

Team News

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has had to deal with a host of injuries, both before and since arriving in Australia.

Prop Andrew Porter, winger Mack Hansen and fly-half Jack Crowley were ruled out of the initial squad, while since then captain Caelan Doris and winger Tommy O’Brien have also been sidelined.

Sam Prendergast, who started Ireland's first two Six Nations matches before giving way to Crowley, takes back the number ten shirt.

It's all change in the half-back positions for Australia too as Ryan Lonergan earns his first Test start at scrum-half for the injured Jake Gordon, who started all of the Wallabies' autumn Tests at number nine.

Head coach Joe Schmidt fielded three different players at fly-half in those five matches and has gone back to Carter Gordon for this one.

Ireland to win @ 5/6

Ireland sit third in the World Rugby rankings behind South Africa and New Zealand, while Australia are languishing in eighth after a poor 2025.

On the face of it that might make the short odds about the Wallabies for this match raise an eyebrow, but as always there are factors to consider.

Ireland are at the end of their season and their heavy Leinster contingent have come through two finals in the last month before jetting to the other side of the world, and injuries have taken a toll.

That means Ireland's squad depth will be tested, but it looks a test they can pass. The starting line-up features only four changes from the team for the final Six Nations match against Scotland.

After losing their Six Nations opener against France, Ireland won their next four including against England at Twickenham, while their only autumn defeat came against New Zealand.

Australia, by contrast, have won just two of their last eight matches - against Argentina and Japan - and their autumn campaign included a defeat to Italy.

The Wallabies can raise their levels when the pressure is on, as they showed last summer with wins over the British & Irish Lions and South Africa, but this is their first match of the year and they could be caught cold.