Ireland vs Australia rugby: TV channel and kick-off time for Nations Championship

Ireland begin their Nations Championship campaign with an away fixture against Australia at the Sydney Football Stadium on Saturday, 4 July. The match kicks off at 11.10am with coverage on ITV1 beginning at 10.30am.

Head coach Andy Farrell has made significant selection changes for the fixture. Sam Prendergast returns at out-half, having started the opening two Six Nations fixtures before being dropped from the matchday squad for the final three. Jack Conan slots into the number eight position, with Cian Prendergast moving to number six. Dan Sheehan takes on the captaincy in place of the injured Caelan Doris. Ireland have made four changes to the side that secured the Triple Crown in March, with Jamie Osborne shifting to left wing for the first time.

Farrell said of his out-half selection: "The way that 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 those last few games and finish it off with a top performance in a big game."

Australia's form has been concerning, having lost seven of their last eight matches, including a defeat to Ireland in Dublin last November. However, full-back Jock Campbell makes his return after 1,316 days away from international rugby, while second-row Josh Canham will make his first start for the Wallabies.

Australia coach Joe Schmidt acknowledged the challenge ahead, stating: "We don't feel like we're miles away but execution of that plan is the essence of success or failure. There's always a plan and that plan has always got to be adaptable because Ireland will squeeze you."

Ireland's Jack Conan reflected on Australia's potential: "A lot of us were down here last year with the Lions and saw how good they could be. They're not a side you can take lightly."