Can the Wallabies flip the script on Ireland?

Nicholas Quinlan • July 4th, 2026 3:51 am

With Australia set to play their first Test of 2026, Wallabies legend Matt Burke has given insight into how the side could potentially beat Ireland.

Following a disappointing European tour last year, which saw the nation go winless across four matches against England, Italy, Ireland and France for the first time since 1958, they will be keen to start the year on a positive note.

In their first three matches of World Rugby’s inaugural Nations Championship, they will get their shot at revenge against all those sides bar England on home soil in the southern leg of the 12-nation competition.

The Wallabies will also be looking to send current coach Joe Schmidt out on a high before he hands the coaching reins to former Queensland Reds coach Les Kiss 15 months out from a home Rugby World Cup.

First up on the side’s schedule is the Irish, currently ranked 3rd in the world.

With a side that made up the bulk of last year’s starting XV for the British and Irish Lions, the 81-capped Wallaby is expecting their quality to shine through particularly within their forwards.

“Dan Sheehan is captaining the team; he's at hooker there,” Burke said on SEN’s The Run Home with Joel and Fletch.

“You've got a guy called Tadhg Furlong, Joe McCarthy, there's Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan, these are all the boys up front. The big boys who are going to try and inflict some damage on our fellas and a pretty slick backline as well.

“So, classically they play a really high tempo, lots of passing type of football; they make you make lots of tackles.

“Joe Schmidt and our guys, they’ve chosen the team to be able to one, compete with those blokes up front there but then also just making sure that they’ve got some ammunition in attack out the back with a pretty slick backline that he’s chosen as well.”

And should they be able to get the ball out to the backline and to the likes of reigning John Eales Medallist Len Ikitau, Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’I and Max Jorgensen, the Wallabies are a chance of beating Ireland for the first time since 2018.

“(Be) big, strong (and) be confident to be able to play the game as well,” he explained.

“If you wait and react to these blokes, you can get put in a spot where they're dictating rather than us dominating.

“You'll see the guys up front like Allan Alaalatoa, Josh Nasser, Angus Bell, who had a bit of a sojourn in Ulster in Ireland, and they wanna try and impose themselves on those blokes to be able to have a chance to play, if that's the word.

“And then, look at that backline there, you've got guys like Len Ikitau who went overseas, had a little sabbatical (with the Exeter Chiefs), as they call it, teaming up with Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i (in the centres).

“You've got Max Jorgensen there. These guys are renowned for (being) strike weapons.

“So, get them the ball and then we could be in for a really interesting game.”

The Wallabies will host Ireland at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night.

Kick-off is at 8:10pm AEST.