It may be a new tournament but it includes old rivalries and rugby history.
On Saturday, in addition to the tournament points, there is the prize of winning the Lansdowne Cup.
The cup was introduced in 1999 when it was presented by the Lansdowne Club in Sydney to mark the the two match test series. Made of Waterford Crystal, the cup has been presented to the winning team ever since.
Australia won that test series in '99 and held the Lansdowne Cup until November 2002 when Ireland won it for the first time beating the Wallabies 18-9 in the old Lansdowne Road.
The trophy changed hands several times in the intervening seasons until 2014 when Ireland won 26-23 at Aviva Stadium. Another win in 2016 and a test series win for Ireland on Australian soil in 2018 followed.
Since then Ireland have retained the trophy through wins in 2022, the 150 Celebration match in 2024 and again in November 2025.
