Wallabies hoping Lions lessons are heeded in Ireland showdown

June 28, 2026 — 7:33pm

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The Wallabies are banking on a settled squad - and an extra week’s training - to guard against the same sluggish start to an international season that scuttled their chances of a Lions series win within the first 120 minutes of last year’s campaign.

Australia meet Ireland at a sold-out Allianz Stadium on Saturday, in the first of three Nations Championship Tests in July.

The Irish sit in third place in the international rankings, and almost half of their touring squad are players from powerhouse province Leinster, who played in the Champions Cup final last month and won the URC final over a Springbok-laden Bulls team nine days ago.

It is one of the sternest possible tests for the Wallabies, and they can ill-afford to repeat their slow start to the 2025 Test season. In a very rusty outing, Joe Schmidt’s men just squeaked home to beat Fiji in Newcastle, and then fell behind 24-7 to the Lions after 42 minutes of the opening Test in Brisbane.

The Wallabies........

© Brisbane Times