Who will win the latest edition of the Joe Schmidt derby as Ireland travel to Australia in the Nations Championship
Watch Australia v Ireland as Andy Farrell leads his side against his former boss, Joe Schmidt. These sides know each other extremely well – especially after last year’s British & Irish Lions Test series – so this promises to be a must-watch fixture on this opening weekend of Nations Championship action.
The match gets underway at 11.10am BST in Sydney. The good news is that you can watch Wallabies v Australia live streams for free in Australia, Ireland, the UK and France – so read on to find out how you can use a VPN to tune in wherever you are in the world. Scroll down to the bottom of the page for a match preview and team line-ups.
Key information
– Australia v Ireland date: Saturday 4 July 2026
–Australia v Ireland kick-off time: 11.10am BST / 12.10pm CET / 12.10pm SAST / 8.10pm AEST / 10.10pm NZST / 6.10am EDT / 3.10am PDT
– Australia v Ireland venue: Allianz Stadium, Sydney
–Australia v Ireland free streams: 9Now (Australia), ITVX (UK), Virgin Media Play (Ireland), TF1+ (France)
– Watch from anywhere: Try NordVPN 100% risk-free
Free Wallabies v Ireland live streams in Australia
While most of this year’s Nations Championship games are trapped behind a paywall down under, every Wallabies home match is available for free on Channel 9 and the 9Now streaming service in Australia.
Coverage starts at 7.30pm AEST ahead of the 8.10pm kick-off.
How to watch Australia v Ireland for FREE in Ireland
Virgin Media Television is the place to watch Australia v Ireland for free in Ireland. You can tune in for free on the Virgin Media Play streaming service or terrestrial channel Virgin Media One.
Pre-match build-up starts at 10.25am IST, before the game gets underway at 11.10am.
Stream Wallabies v Ireland from anywhere
Being overseas this weekend doesn’t mean you have to miss any of the Nations Championship action. By using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to change your IP address, you can avoid geo-blocking restrictions and stream Australia v Ireland as if you were tucking into brunch at home.
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How to watch Australia v Ireland in the UK – live stream the game for free
Wallabies v Ireland lives streams are available for free on streaming service ITVX in the UK. The match is also on terrestrial channel ITV1.
Pundits will be talking about the match from 10.30am BST, with kick-off scheduled for 11.10am.
ITVX is free to use, but you do need to complete a simple sign-up process to access the service. You also need an up-to-date TV Licence to stream live TV in the UK.
Wallabies v Ireland free streams in France
French fans can tune in for free on both TMC and the TF1+ streaming service.
Coverage of Australia v Ireland starts at 12.00pm CET, just 10 minutes before the 12.10pm kick-off.
French fans who are away from home but want to tune in with their usual French language commentary can still access their TF1 coverage from overseas by using a VPN, such as NordVPN.
More ways to watch Australia v Ireland live streams
Australia: If you want to watch Wallabies v Ireland ad-free, you can head to subscription service Stan Sport. You’ll need a base Stan subscription (monthly fees start at $12 per month) plus a Stan Sport subscription (which will cost you $20 per month, and also gives you access to Premier League soccer).
South Africa: If you’re in South Africa you need to head to SuperSport to watch Wallabies v Ireland. The match gets underway at 12.10pm SAST this afternoon.
New Zealand: In New Zealand, Australia v Ireland is on Sky Sport, which costs $54.99 per month for a streaming subscription. Kick-off is at 10.10pm NZST tonight.
United States: In the US you can watch Wallabies v Ireland, along with all the Nations Championship games, on World Rugby’s RugbyPass TV. It’s free to use, though you do need to register before you can start streaming the action. Kick-off is at 6.10am EDT/3.10am PDT on Saturday morning.
Australia v Ireland match preview
These two sides know each other extremely well. Australia boss Joe Schmidt (who’ll soon hand over the reins to Les Kiss) spent six years at the Aviva Stadium, with current head coach Andy Farrell on his staff. And with the British & Irish Lions squad that toured down under last year dominated by Irish players, there’ll be an air of familiarity when the sides take to the field in Sydney.
Schmidt has restored some pride and optimism to the Wallabies after a dismal World Cup under Eddie Jones. After running the Lions close (although they lost the series 2-1, the aggregate score was 68-67), they beat the Springboks and the Pumas in the Rugby Championship. Since then, however, they’ve been on a run of one win in eight games, and will need star names like Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and Len Ikitau (fresh off reaching the Gallagher PREM final with Exeter Chiefs) to fire in Sydney if they’re going to start their Nations Championship campaign with a win.
Many had written off Ireland as yesterday’s men ahead of the Six Nations, but Farrell’s men proved them wrong in emphatic style. Defeat to France on the opening night was followed by victories in their other four games, and they were still in with a shot of the title until Thomas Ramos clinched it for Les Bleus with a last minute penalty against England. And, after an injury hit campaign, they’re now looking somewhere close to full strength, albeit without the Japan-bound James Lowe. Sam Prendergast gets the nod at fly-half, as the never-ending search for Johnny Sexton’s successor continues.
Australia v Ireland line-ups and officials
Australia
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)
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
Ireland
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 (captain)
3. Tadhg Furlong
4. Joe McCarthy
5. James Ryan
6. Cian Prendergast
7. Josh van der Flier
8. Jack Conan
Replacements:
16. Rónan Kelleher
17. Jeremy Loughman
18. Thomas Clarkson
19. Tadhg Beirne
20. Nick Timoney
21. Craig Casey
22. Ciaran Frawley
23. Bundee Aki
Ben O’Keeffe of New Zealand takes charge of this one, assisted by Karl Dickson (England) and Andrea Piardi (Italy). Another Italian, Matteo Liperini, is in the TMO booth.
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