Ireland and Australia collide at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday in the final game of the Autumn Nations Series as Joe Schmidt returns to his old stomping ground and takes on his successor, Andy Farrell.

Where the game will be won

What they said

Players to watch

All eyes will be on the man in the green number 10 jersey, Sam Prendergast, as he is entrusted with steering Ireland to victory. Jack Crowley looked the clear-cut favourite to succeed Johnny Sexton earlier this year, but another candidate has made his presence known and it is quite telling that he has been given the nod against the Wallabies.

Meanwhile, Ireland’s success in their last Test match of the year will also be heavily reliant on the performance of loosehead prop Andrew Porter as he goes toe-to-toe with Wallabies powerhouse Taniela Tupou in the scrums. Ireland’s scrum has creaked multiple times this year and while Tupou has struggled with injuries, when he has been fit the Wallabies set-piece has benefitted.

After a stunning Test debut against Fiji, Gus McCarthy will be out to make an impact from the bench this weekend. The hooker assisted three tries on debut and crossed for one himself and while he did have some shaky moments at lineout time, he was a real force with the ball in hand.

Another man who will be in the spotlight is centre Joseph Suaalii, who has been sublime since making the switch from rugby league. He has phenomenal hands and is sensational under the high ball, particularly from restarts. The Wallabies have some real threats throughout the matchday 23 but perhaps none more so than their multi-million dollar recruit.

His midfield partner Len Ikitau has been just as superb and arguably more so this November, locking down a regular role in the centres under Schmidt. He brilliantly sent flyer Max Jorgensen away for the winning score against England but has been resolute in defence too. He will need to be on top of his game with Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw in the opposing midfield.

With the battle lines drawn at the breakdown, it’s only natural for the main individual head-to-head to be in the number seven jumpers between Josh van der Flier and Fraser McReight despite the plethora of talent in the respective backlines.

Prediction

Ireland certainly looked sharper last week and Australia blunter but a week is a long time in international rugby and with both teams looking to end the year on high, we expect a glorious battle at the Aviva. The Wallabies have been hit and miss this year and have managed to put in some really strong performances but even at their best it hasn’t been enough to knock over the best of the best which Ireland are. Still, we predict that it won’t be a one-sided affair with Farrell clinching a five-point victory over his old boss.

Previous results

2022: Ireland won 13-10 in Dublin

2018: Ireland won 16-20 in Sydney

2018: Australia won 18-9 in Brisbane

2018: Ireland won 21-26 in Melbourne

2016: Ireland won 27-24 in Dublin

2014: Ireland won 26-23 in Dublin

2013: Australia won 15-32 in Dublin

2011: Ireland won 15-6 in Auckland

2010: Australia won 22-15 in Brisbane

2009: Drew 20-20 at Croke Park

Ireland: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris (c), 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 James Ryan, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Rónan Kelleher, 1 Andrew Porter

Replacements: 16 Gus McCarthy, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Tom O’Toole, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Peter O’Mahony, 21 Craig Casey, 22 Jack Crowley, 23 Garry Ringrose

Australia: 15 Tom Wright, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Joseph Suaalii, 12 Len Ikitau, 11 Max Jorgensen, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Harry Wilson (c), 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Jeremy Williams, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 1 James Slipper

Replacements: 16 Billy Pollard, 17 Angus Bell, 18 Allan Alaalatoa, 19 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Tane Edmed, 23 Harry Potter

Date: Saturday, November 30

Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin

Kick-off: 15:10 GMT (Sunday, 02:10 AET)

Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)

Assistant Referees: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia), Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)

TMO: Eric Gauzins (France)