Irish Rugby

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Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has called on the uncapped players in his squad to "rip" into Saturday's Nations Championship game against Japan.

Farrell has included Connacht back row Sean Jansen from the start and Billy Bohan, Sam Illo and Bryn Ward on the bench while resting several players before next week's meeting with the All Blacks in Auckland.

"I'm really excited about this one for all sorts of reasons," said Farrell.

"Obviously, it's always a special occasion when you give one person a debut, never mind four.

"[I'm] really looking forward to how they apply themselves to attacking the game, first and foremost, because that's the role they're able to add to the team and the performance behind all that.

"But making sure that the rest of the team are there to support them and for it to be a special day for them. So, huge congratulations to the four of them. It's business time now, they need to rip in."

British and Irish Lions forward Tadhg Beirne will captain Ireland from the start for the first time, while hooker Ronan Kelleher earns his 50th cap.

"The milestones in Tadhg Beirne captaining his country for the first time, he typifies everything we'd want within a captain of Ireland.

"How he goes about his job, how he understands what we're after as a team, driving standards, he typifies that so he thoroughly deserves that.

"For Ronan to get his 50th cap. It's something we've worked hard to celebrate together over the past few years and we'll do that as a group tonight with the four debutants as well.

"It's a huge honour to get to 50 caps in the Test arena, it shows the level of consistency at the top level you're able to produce."

Farrell added he is looking forward to facing Japan, who he believes are "bang in form" after a 27-10 win over Italy last week.

"I mentioned the Maori [All Blacks] game last week, how they played against them and the confidence they took from that into the Italian game and we all know how difficult Italy are to play against.

"I thought Japan dominated the game from start to finish so the confidence they'll bring to Newcastle is going to be a test that we're after."

Matt Gault
BBC Sport NI senior journalist

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Given the sense of rivalry and occasion attached to next week's crunch meeting with the All Blacks at their Eden Park fortress, Ireland boss Andy Farrell was always likely to make changes for Saturday's contest with Japan.

With nine alterations from the line-up that started last weekend's dramatic 33-31 win over Australia in Sydney, Farrell has pumped new blood into the set-up with four uncapped players named in the matchday squad.

Sean Jansen starts at number eight, while Billy Bohan, Sam Illo and Bryn Ward are named on the bench.

For New Zealand-born Jansen, a first outing in green caps a hugely impressive season. The 27-year-old scored 10 United Rugby Championship tries for Connacht and was third for tackles made with 219.

With captain Caelan Doris and a six-Test British and Irish Lion in Jack Conan above him in the pecking order, Jansen must seize his first chance to show Farrell what he can do in the Test arena just over a year out from the World Cup in Australia.

Conan - who switches to blind-side flanker - has certainly shown him the way. The 33-year-old made 19 tackles (with a 95% success rate) and 16 carries against Australia.

Bryn Ward is another new face in the back row. The 21-year-old is an explosive talent and enjoyed a breakout season with Ulster.

An unused Six Nations squad member earlier this year, the opportunity to elbow his way into the back-row picture will not be lost on the Ballynahinch man.

Ward is one of eight Ulster players in the matchday squad, while the inclusion of replacement props Billy Bohan and Sam Illo takes Connacht's representation to four alongside Jansen and experienced centre Bundee Aki.

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But the significance of Saturday's game extends beyond the new blood. For Jacob Stockdale, it is the first opportunity to stake his claim as the starting left wing following James Lowe's departure.

Jamie Osborne started there against Australia, and while Tommy O'Brien will be a long-term option when he returns to fitness, a strong outing this weekend will breathe new life into Stockdale's Test career and make him a contender to feature against the All Blacks for the first time since 2019.

It is also an important fixture for Stockdale's long-time Ulster team-mate Nick Timoney. Ultra-consistent, the 30-year-old started and scored against Japan in November and hopes to show Farrell he can be more than an impact player after another strong showing off the bench against Australia.

Then there is a first Test start at fly-half for Ciaran Frawley.

Two years on from his drop-goal heroics in South Africa, the 28-year-old has left Leinster for Connacht in the hope of regular starts.

While Sam Prendergast appears to be the frontrunner to start against the All Blacks, a star turn on Saturday for Frawley will give Farrell plenty to ponder heading to Auckland.

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Charlie O'Shea and Sean Walsh both scored a hat-trick of tries as Ireland concluded the Junior World Championships pool stage with a 73-22 win over the United States in Tbilisi.

Munster fly-half O'Shea and Connacht centre Walsh combined for six of Ireland's 11 tries, with Christopher Barrett, Robert Carney, Adam Cooper, Daniel Ryan and Jack Deegan also on target.

Green also landed nine conversions as Andrew Browne's side - who led 45-3 at the break - responded to defeats by England and Argentina in emphatic fashion.

Finnian Love, Joseph Sarlkees and Leo Keesler-Venables scored second-half tries for the USA, who were thumped by Argentina and England in their first two games.

Ireland, however, finished the game with 14 men when winger Charlie Moloney received a 20-minute red card following an aerial collision.

The Irish finish third in Pool C and move into the ninth-place semi-finals.

England edged past Argentina 40-38 later on Tuesday to clinch top spot and will advance to the final four, with the South Americans progressing to the fifth-place semi-final bracket.

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Scrum coach John Fogarty says the Ireland backroom team have been impressed with uncapped props Billy Bohan and Sam Illo, who are hoping to make their Test debuts against Japan this week.

Bohan, 20, is pushing for a first outing at loose-head with Jeremy Loughman ruled out after sustaining a concussion in Saturday's win over Australia.

Illo - Bohan's Connacht team-mate - could feature at tight-head if Tadhg Furlong is rested before the All Blacks game on 18 July.

"There's a reason they're here," said Fogarty.

"Both Billy and Sam have performed well throughout the season. They've put their hands up and we're seeing that form in training.

"It's been brilliant. It's been exactly what we'd wanted for them. The learnings are huge and to be around the other more experienced props and be around Andy [Farrell], Paul [O'Connell], Goody [Andrew Goodman], Johnny [Sexton], Simon [Easterby], and get reviewed and understand what it's going to take to become an international player, we're seeing that and I'm sure they're feeling that throughout the week.

"It's been brilliant. It's exciting, isn't it?"

After a dramatic victory over the Wallabies in Sydney, Ireland face Eddie Jones' Japan, who opened their Nations Championship campaign with a 27-10 win over Italy in Tokyo.

The Brave Blossoms started that game with uncapped university student Ryunosuke Ito at fly-half, while full-back Takuro Matsunaga contributed 17 points.

Ireland comfortably beat Japan 41-10 in Dublin in November, but Fogarty is expecting a stiff challenge in Newcastle on Saturday (11:10 BST).

"It's not easy to knock over Italy. 27-10 was a good score. At scrum time, they're always unbelievably organised," he said.

"They're really well coached. Japan are always very compact, very organised, quick to hit and always get to a really good height.

"If there's little inaccuracies with your timing, you'll get exposed, so we're making sure we're preparing properly for what's going to be a tough game."

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The Irish Rugby Football Union [IRFU] says a decision on Robert Baloucoune's fitness will be made later this week before Ireland's Nations Championship match against Japan on Saturday (11:10 BST).

The winger was due to start Ireland's opening game against Australia in Sydney but was withdrawn due to a hamstring injury.

Andy Farrell's side will aim to build on their narrow 33-31 victory over the Wallabies when they face Japan in Newcastle.

Munster prop Jeremy Loughman will not feature in the squad due to concussion, while there are no further injury concerns.

Japan opened their Nations Championship campaign with a victory over Italy in Tokyo and sit joint third with Ireland in the Conference table.

Eddie Jones' side have won their past two matches with Ireland unbeaten in their past six games.

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Head coach Andy Farrell gave his thoughts after Saturday's 33-31 win over Australia in the opening match of the Nations Championship.

On the match: "That was some game, especially for the neutral!

"Some fantastic tries and I thought Australia were awesome in the first half and we needed to come to the party a little bit more. I think we did that after the break. We put them under pressure but could not convert it.

"There were some big moment for us. Hugo Keenan's tackle, he deserves something special when you are fighting like that. Then, Sam Prendergast to have the calmness to convert that try."

On Ireland's reaction in second half: "We talk about character all the time and how we are going to make each other feel and not just that, but the thousands of Ireland fans that were here- how are you going to make them feel?

"For us to come out the other side of this match is very pleasing as Australia played really well.

"The best thing about the match is we got over the line, but there is plenty to do and plenty to work on."

On Japan: "We tend to regroup really quickly.

"This whole experience coming here, half of our team have never been to the southern hemisphere before, so it is priceless for what is coming up."

Hugo Keenan was awarded player of the match after an impressive display and praised Ireland's resilience.

On the win: "It was so tight and so intense, a proper Test match.

"We [were] asked to make the thousands in green proud and I think that is exactly what we did. We never gave up and dug in deep."

On Australia:"It came down to a kick so hard luck to Australia, they were really unlucky and it could have gone either way

"Australia have some incredible ball carriers and unbelievable threats at the breakdown. They are a top quality side."

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Ireland captain Dan Sheehan says the squad have emphasised the importance of "hitting the ground running" when they face Australia in the inaugural Nations Championship.

The Irish have opened their two most recent campaigns with defeats, losing last year's autumn opener to New Zealand in Chicago and the first game of the 2026 Six Nations to France.

Andy Farrell's side will face Japan and New Zealand later this month after taking on Joe Schmidt's Wallabies in Sydney on Saturday (11:10 BST).

"We're a very diligent group that preps very well," said Sheehan, who has stepped up to skipper Ireland in the injured Caelan Doris' absence.

"Trying to think back to the Six Nations, we hit the ground running in Portugal [in the pre-tournament training camp] and thought we did a great week's prep, but obviously didn't give the best version of ourselves on the day in that first game in France.

"We need to make sure the prep is the same and we have that same feeling, turning over all stones but at the same time it's stripping the detail back now and making sure we're focused on showing up properly.

"The basics of the game, physicality and making sure you're willing to work hard, that's been my focus the past weeks, making sure the lads are switched on and not overawed by detail."

While the loss to France in Paris ultimately ended Ireland's hopes of reclaiming the Six Nations title, Farrell's side reeled off wins over Italy, England, Wales and Scotland to clinch the Triple Crown and finish second behind Les Bleus.

A 42-21 victory over England at Twickenham and a 43-21 defeat of the Scots in Dublin were the highlights of Ireland's tournament - and Leinster's Sheehan is hopeful they can recapture that form this month.

"It's probably been a theme in a few campaigns where we've started slowly but built nicely through it," added the 27-year-old British and Irish Lions hooker.

"A big focus has been on us continuing that form from the end of the Six Nations. I think we've got the tone of the week right.

"We'll wait and see tomorrow but I'm fizzing to go. My head feels clear and free, which is how you want to feel as a player, so all good."

Matt Gault
BBC Sport NI senior journalist

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Given that he has started the past seven Ireland games for which he has been available, Jamie Osborne's inclusion in Andy Farrell's latest line-up is no great surprise.

But the position he has been asked to fill against Australia in Sydney on Saturday will raise a few eyebrows.

Osborne, 24, has excelled at full-back for Ireland, most recently in this year's Six Nations when he scored four tries in five games while deputising for the injured Hugo Keenan.

The majority of his work with Leinster this season has been done at centre, but with fit-again Keenan reinstalled at 15 and the Stuart McCloskey-Garry Ringrose midfield axis maintained, Farrell has shifted Osborne to the left wing.

The number 11 shirt, of course, was up for grabs following James Lowe's departure from Irish rugby and Tommy O'Brien's injury - and Farrell was not short of options.

Jacob Stockdale has spent much of his career patrolling the left wing. Jimmy O'Brien and Zac Ward can also play there.

But it's Osborne who gets the nod. A versatile and intelligent player, the Kildare native is defensively solid, has a huge left boot and has try-scoring credentials at this level.

He does not possess Rob Baloucoune's blistering pace. Neither did his predecessor, but Lowe's muscular running style helped him break clear of defenders.

After such a productive Six Nations campaign, perhaps Farrell just wants Osborne in his line-up, but it will be interesting to see how he fares against Australia's Max Jorgensen on Saturday.

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Osborne will be part of a Leinster-dominated backline that includes Sam Prendergast at 10.

Prendergast has endured his fair share of chastening outings in his first two years at Test level, but with Jack Crowley's injury having opened the door, the 23-year-old comes into the summer on the back of an outstanding display in Leinster's URC final win over the Bulls.

There will be much focus on Prendergast's defensive output having previously struggled in that department against the likes of France and South Africa.

And with a trip to New Zealand's Eden Park coming later this month, Saturday is a big chance for Prendergast to prove he can excel in the grittier areas of the Test arena.

His older brother Cian is the notable inclusion in Farrell's pack. Like most of his team-mates, the 26-year-old back row struggled during Ireland's Six Nations loss to France in Paris earlier this year.

But his displays for an improving Connacht side have been impossible to ignore in recent months, with Farrell hailing his form as "outstanding".

Beyond that, Farrell has largely stuck to a tried-and-tested formula, with none of the five uncapped players - Billy Bohan, Sam Illo, Sean Jansen, Bryn Ward and Zac Ward - included in the 23.

Coming up against his old boss Joe Schmidt, Farrell clearly wants to start the summer with a statement win and perhaps use the Japan game on 11 July to tinker.

Big performances from the Prendergast brothers and Osborne will go a long way to achieving that.

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Leinster have confirmed the return of Ireland international Joey Carbery before the 2026-27 season.

Fly-half Carbery, who has 37 Ireland caps, has spent the past two seasons with Bordeaux-Begles in France, where he won two Investec Champions Cup titles.

The New Zealand-born 30-year-old came through the Leinster academy and made 37 senior appearances during his first spell, helping the province win a Pro14 and Champions Cup double in 2018.

He moved to Munster the same year and helped them win the United Rugby Championship title in 2023.

"I am delighted to be returning home to Leinster," said Carbery.

"I am thrilled to be joining in with Leo and the lads, there are some familiar faces and loads of new ones to get to know.

"I am working hard now to get myself fit and ready and contribute to the team as soon as possible."

Head coach Leo Cullen said Leinster "are delighted to welcome" Carbery back to the club.

"Joey and his family have been huge contributors to the province over many years and it certainly feels like a homecoming for Joey," said Cullen.

"He has gained plenty of valuable experience over the last number of years and we are all keen to learn from each other over the coming months as we look to compete in a new season."

Carbery joins Leinster following Ciaran Frawley's departure to Connacht.

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Head coach Andy Farrell has named his Ireland team for Saturday's Nations Championship opener against Australia in Sydney (11:10 BST).

Here is what Farrell said about some of his key selection calls.

On Jamie Osborne's switch to the left wing: "Obviously, he's been playing really well. He's a bloody good rugby player in whatever position he's playing in.

"With how we want to play the game with having our wingers involved, he's a smart player. He gets that straightaway. Pretty good in the air, good left boot, that all comes into the pot."

On whether Osborne could have a future at 10: "Whoever is playing full-back, they would step up and do that because we don't want our 10s to just be a solid linchpin in the middle of the field that everything goes through, we want to be interchangeable.

"He steps up and does that in training, as does Hugo (Keenan) and Frawls (Ciaran Frawley)."

On Osborne's versatility possibly hindering his long-term development:"I understand the point. As far as we're concerned, his versatility is gold to us. He's been himself no matter where he plays. Who knows what will happen down the line, how the jigsaw moves around a little bit."

On starting brothers Sam and Cian Prendgerast: "Cian has come a long way in the past 12 months. The learnings he took from the autumn into the start of the Six Nations and how that progressed, I think he's been outstanding for Connacht.

"Sam, the way he's handled the last month is a credit to him in regards to taking responsibility for the shirt and his chance to build through the last few games and finish with a big performance in the final (for Leinster), so he's earned the right."

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Ulster will face Cheetahs, Perpignan, Dragons, Bayonnais and Zebre in pool one of the 2026-27 European Challenge Cup.

Richie Murphy's side lost this year's final against Montpellier and are back in the second-tier European competition after finishing ninth in the United Rugby Championship table.

They have been drawn against French opposition again in Top 14 sides Bayonnais and Perpignan, who finished 12th and 13th in the division.

The province will also come up against South African side Cheetahs, who they beat in the group stage last year, as well as familiar URC opposition in Italian side Zebre and Welsh team Dragons.

In the Champions Cup, this year's beaten finalists Leinster will be up against French sides Clermont Auvergne and Pau as well as English teams Leicester Tigers and Sale Sharks and fellow URC outfit Glasgow Warriors in Pool One.

Due to tournament rules, the URC champions will not play against Glasgow.

Connacht, who sneaked into the URC play-offs and qualified for the Champions Cup ahead of Ulster, have been handed a tough draw in Pool Two.

They will be up against Toulouse, Ronan O'Gara's La Rochelle, Saracens, Exeter Chiefs and Lions, who they will not play.

Munster are in Pool Three and will take on back-to-back winners Bordeaux, Racing 92, English sides Bristol Bears and Gloucester and Stormers, who they won't face.

The pool stage of both the 2026-27 Champions Cup and Challenge Cup will see the introduction of try-scoring bonus points awarded only to teams who cross at least three more times than their opponents – rather than for simply scoring four or more tries.

There will also be a change in qualification criteria for the last-16 stage with only three teams from each of the four pools going through automatically, with the remaining four last-16 spots allocated on the basis of table points collected.

Champions Cup draw

Pool 1: Leinster, Glasgow, Pau, Sale, Leicester, Clermont

Pool 2: Toulouse, Lions, Saracens, La Rochelle, Exeter, Connacht

Pool 3: Bordeaux-Begles, Stormers, Racing 92, Munster, Bristol, Gloucester

Pool 4: Northampton, Bath, Cardiff, Montpellier, Stade Francais, Bulls

Challenge Cup draw

Pool 1: Cheetahs, Ulster, Perpignan, Dragons, Bayonne, Zebre

Pool 2: Treviso, Lyon, Newcastle, Sharks, Castres, Scarlets

Pool 3: Ospreys, Edinburgh, Black Lion, Harlequins, Toulon, Vannes

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Junior World Championship Pool C

England (24) 34

Tries: Staples, Pater, Knight, penalty try Cons: Shields 3 Pens: Shields 2

Ireland (12) 27

Tries: Ryan 3, Byrne, Deegan Cons: O'Shea 3

England opened their under-20 Junior World Championship with victory as they held off a second-half fightback from Ireland to win a thrilling Pool C opener in Tbilisi.

Ireland, who beat England in this year's Under-20s Six Nations, got off to a flying start when Connacht wing Daniel Ryan crossed twice inside the opening seven minutes.

But after Ireland's Dylan McNeice was sin-binned, Jimmy Staples and James Pater's converted tries put England back in front before a penalty try increased the advantage to 21-12.

Irish woes deepened when Ben Blaney's yellow card was followed by Hugh Shields' penalty, giving England a 12-point lead at the break.

Ryan completed his hat-trick three minutes after the restart to give Ireland renewed hope, but England quickly shifted momentum when Will Knight crossed three minutes later.

While Ryan had a fourth try ruled out when the television match official deemed he had been held up on the line, Ireland threatened to reel England in when Seb Kelly's yellow card was followed by Noah Bryne's try.

Ireland reduced the arrears to four when replacement centre Jack Deegan marked his substantial impact off the bench with a try after a superb run from Josh Neill 11 minutes from time.

However, two failed conversion attempts by replacement fly-half Tom Wood prevented Ireland from levelling the score at 31-31 before Shields' penalty sealed a seven-point win for England.

England face the United States on Thursday while Ireland hope to regroup against Argentina, who thrashed the USA 78-14 in their opener, on the same day with only the pool winners advancing to the semi-finals.

Matt Gault
BBC Sport NI senior journalist

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Forwards coach Paul O'Connell has confirmed Ireland have no further injury concerns before next Saturday's Nations Championship opener against Australia in Sydney.

Having missed out on reclaiming the Six Nations title in March, Ireland take on the Wallabies and Japan in Australia and New Zealand in Auckland on 4, 11 and 18 July.

Head coach Andy Farrell's preparations have been hit by injuries to key players including fly-half Jack Crowley, prop Andrew Porter and captain Caelan Doris.

While Munster forward Tadhg Beirne and Ulster centre Stuart McCloskey have been struggling with injuries, O'Connell confirmed "everyone is fine".

"Everyone is training and trained hard and trained well, so everyone's fine," he said.

While the inaugural Nations Championship is not a traditional summer tour, Ireland have the chance to claim the scalps of next year's World Cup hosts Australia and rivals New Zealand, who have won the past three meetings with Farrell's side.

Ireland's second batch of Nations Championship games will see them host Argentina, Fiji and South Africa in November before a possible finals weekend at Twickenham's Allianz Stadium.

And O'Connell hopes the next four weeks prove as useful as recent summer tours, which included 2022's historic series win in New Zealand.

"It feels like a summer tour, really. I think it's exciting to have a competition. And we certainly want to be at the business end of it come November, but it feels like a tour," added O'Connell.

"And that's what we're trying to make it like. I think you learn a lot about each other as a group. You develop a little bit more on tour because you're not going home at the weekend.

"You're not catching up with your family at the weekend. You're together all the time. So, we tend to get an awful lot of work done when we're on tours.

"We tend to, I think, take big strides as a team in terms of trying to improve and evolve. So, even though it's a competition, it feels like, and we're probably treating it like a tour."

Ireland's Nations Championship fixtures (times BST)

4 July: Australia v Ireland, Allianz Stadium, Sydney, 11:10 BST

11 July: Japan v Ireland, McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle, 11:10 BST

18 July: New Zealand v Ireland, Eden Park, Auckland, 08:10 BST