Nations Championship Preview: New Zealand v Ireland

Ireland Men

17th July 2026

Ireland's Southern Hemisphere Series campaign is set for a big crescendo as they look horns with New Zealand, bidding to become the first team to beat the All Blacks at Eden Park since 1994.

NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP - SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE SERIES:

Saturday, July 18 -

NEW ZEALAND v IRELAND, Eden Park, Auckland, kick-off 7.10pm local time/8.10am Irish time (live on Virgin Media One & Virgin Media Play/ITV1 & ITVX/BBC Radio Ulster/BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra/BBC Sounds)

Team News: Following bonus point wins over Australia and Japan, Ireland conclude the opening block of the inaugural Nations Championship in Auckland, with Dan Sheehan returning to captain Andy Farrell's men.

Ireland are top of the Northern Hemisphere table on 10 points, the same amount accumulated by the South's pacesetters, South Africa and New Zealand, heading into a mouth-watering round 3.

Farrell's charges have lost their last three meetings with the All Blacks, including last November's 26-13 defeat in Chicago, but famously made history by winning the 2022 Series 2-1 on New Zealand soil.

Seventeen member of that successful touring squad will be on duty tonight, while the fit-again Robert Baloucoune, who has recovered from a hamstring injury, will start on the right wing.

Robert Baloucoune during the Captain's Run in Auckland

Stuart McCloskey and Jimmy O'Brien are the only backs retained from the much-rotated side that overcame Japan 36-20 in Newcastle.

Sam Prendergast and Jamison Gibson-Park return to the half-back positions, and Hugo Keenan, the player-of-the-match against the Wallabies, and Garry Ringrose also feature.

Tom O'Toole, one of last week's try scorers, is set for his fifth successive international start at loosehead prop, packing down alongside captain Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong.

Joe McCarthy and James Ryan make up an all-Leinster second row pairing, with Tadhg Beirne, fresh from captaining Ireland for the first time, reverting to the blindside flanker berth.

Josh van der Flier and Jack Conan complete the starting back row, while Connacht's Sean Jansen, an impressive debutant against Japan, is rewarded with a bench spot against the country of his birth.

Rónan Kelleher, returning loosehead Jeremy Loughman, Thomas Clarkson, and Nick Timoney are the other forward options for Ireland's twelfth and final Test of the 2026/27 season.

The Ireland players huddle together at Eden Park

Craig Casey, Ciarán Frawley, and Bundee Aki are the replacement backs, as this year's Triple Crown winners come up against New Zealand just three games into Dave Rennie's coaching reign.

Looking forward to the heavyweight clash between the world's second and third-ranked teams, Farrell said: "It doesn't get any bigger than this. I mean, where else would you rather be? Not making the most out of the fortunate position that we're in would be a shame, wouldn't it?

"We always reference, how do you want to wake up on Monday morning? Have no regrets, all of that.

"So, making sure that people are able to be themselves and perform on a big stage like that, that is what it's all about. Don't waste the opportunity."

He added: "New Zealand are a brilliant attacking side and that is probably never going to change. So, you have to score points.

"Keeping them to a minimum is going to be a challenge, but you also have to give your best defensive display that you're able to, and raise it again because of the nature of how they want to play the game.

"So, yeah, keeping the scoreline to a minimum – it's all right talking about - is harder to do in reality, but I suppose on the other side of it, we're confident in our own ability as well to score points and we know that if we click, we put our best performance out there, that we can cause any team trouble as well."

Meanwhile, New Zealand head coach Rennie has made four personnel changes and one positional switch to the team that secured a 47-17 victory over Italy in Wellington last Saturday.

The 28-year-old Josh Moorby, a recent Super Rugby Pacific title winner with the Hurricanes, steps up for his first Test start on the left wing.

Quinn Tupaea from the Chiefs returns in midfield, linking up with former Leinster back Jordie Barrett, and the hosts' back-line will be led once again by Ruben Love and Cam Roigard, with 26 caps between them.

Josh Lord and Patrick Tuipulotu are the preferred second row combination, with the 46-times capped Tupou Vaa'i moving to the back row, and Sam Darry and Wallace Sititi the players to miss out.

"Ireland have been one of the best sides in the world for a number of years now," said Rennie, as New Zealand look to extend their 52-match unbeaten record at Eden Park.

"They are very experienced and well-coached and will have belief on the back of their recent success here. We are well aware of the challenge they pose.

"We have selected a strong team that allows some of the combinations we have tested to continue building, and rewards players who have impressed over the last two rounds, including some of our recent debutants.

"We know how important our bench will be against a team as tenacious as Ireland, so have selected players who we know are capable of making an impact and influencing the course of the game."

NEW ZEALAND: Damian McKenzie (Waikato/Chiefs); Will Jordan (Tasman/Crusaders), Quinn Tupaea (Waikato/Chiefs), Jordie Barrett (Taranaki/Hurricanes), Josh Moorby (Waikato/Hurricanes); Ruben Love (Wellington/Hurricanes), Cam Roigard (Counties Manukau/Hurricanes); Ethan de Groot (Southland/Highlanders), Codie Taylor (Canterbury/Crusaders), Tyrel Lomax (Tasman/Hurricanes), Josh Lord (Taranaki/Chiefs), Patrick Tuipulotu (Auckland/Blues), Tupou Vaa'i (Taranaki/Chiefs), Luke Jacobson (Waikato/Chiefs), Ardie Savea (Wellington/Moana Pasifika) (capt).

Replacements: Asafo Aumua (Wellington/Hurricanes), Xavier Numia (Wellington/Hurricanes), Fletcher Newell (Canterbury/Crusaders), Anton Segner (Auckland/Blues), Peter Lakai (Wellington/Hurricanes), Cortez Ratima (Waikato/Chiefs), Anton Lienert-Brown (Waikato/Chiefs), Caleb Clarke (Auckland/Blues).

IRELAND: Hugo Keenan (UCD RFC/Leinster); Robert Baloucoune (Enniskillen RFC/Ulster), Garry Ringrose (UCD RFC/Leinster), Stuart McCloskey (Bangor RFC/Ulster), Jimmy O'Brien (Naas RFC/Leinster); Sam Prendergast (Lansdowne FC/Leinster), Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster); Tom O'Toole (Ballynahinch RFC/Ulster), Dan Sheehan (Lansdowne FC/Leinster) (capt), Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf FC/Leinster), Joe McCarthy (Dublin University FC/Leinster), James Ryan (UCD RFC/Leinster), Tadhg Beirne (Lansdowne FC/Munster), Josh van der Flier (UCD RFC/Leinster), Jack Conan (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster).

Replacements: Rónan Kelleher (Lansdowne FC/Leinster), Jeremy Loughman (Garryowen FC/Munster), Thomas Clarkson (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster), Nick Timoney (Queen's University Belfast RFC/Ulster), Sean Jansen (Connacht), Craig Casey (Shannon RFC/Munster), Ciarán Frawley (UCD RFC/Leinster), Bundee Aki (Galwegians RFC/Connacht).

Referee: Nic Berry (RA)
Assistant Referees: Luc Ramos (FFR), Damon Murphy (RA)
TMO: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)
FPRO: Andrew Jackson (RFU)

Pre-Match Quotes - Dan Sheehan (Ireland): "Performances probably haven't been where we want them, but it is a brilliant opportunity now to bring it all together for a big game.

"I think everyone's excited. It's been in the calendar for a while, so yeah, it's a great occasion and a great opportunity for us to finish the season off on a high.

"We saw improvements in all the campaigns we've had this year. We probably had a slow start and built nicely through it. So hopefully we get the best we've seen this year.

"New Zealand are playing some good rugby, and flying high and then in this stadium, we need our best on Saturday night."

Ardie Savea (New Zealand): "We haven't really had to talk about it (defending the unbeaten record at Eden Park) because we all know what's at stake.

"We all know, so we don't fear it. But it's a great challenge for us to come here and play a quality Irish side.

"You have seen they've been around the number one team in the world for a long time, and it's the quality of players and the coaching staff that they have.

"It is when we nail our game-plan and nail how we want to play, we get the results. Rugby is a simple game. You win the physical battle, you win the territory position, you go a long way to putting yourself in a good stead to win."