Ireland vs Australia prediction: Wallabies won’t enjoy Dublin visit

Follow our rugby betting tips as Ireland face Australia in Dublin in the Irish’s third game of the Autumn Nations Series

(Getty Images)

Ireland vs Australia betting tips

• Ireland to win by between 8-14 points - 5/2 Betway

Ireland are back in action this weekend, when they take on Australia in Dublin, looking for a more convincing display than against Japan last time out (8:10pm, TNT Sports 1 & Discovery+).

The 41-10 scoreline might look impressive, but after a slow start, it took three tries in the final 13 minutes to finally end Japan’s challenge.

That was head coach Andy Farrell’s first win in charge since November 2024, after taking a sabbatical to take coach the British and Irish Lions during their successful tour to Australia last summer.

It was also Ireland’s first win of the Autumn Series, after opening with a 26-13 defeat to New Zealand in Chicago, despite leading 10-3 at halftime.

Despite their recent form, the hosts are firm favourites with betting sites to be the winners on Saturday night and it’s hardly surprising after the Wallabies were beaten 26-19 by Italy last time out.

Australia scored three tries without reply in the opening 51 minutes in Udine before the home side were inspired to victory by the son of a Wallabies legend.

Louis Lynagh, son of Michael, who was capped 72 times by his country, scored one try, and Australian-born winger Monty Ioane got the other to give Italy only their second win over Australia in 20 Test matches.

Australia vs Ireland preview: Wallabies’ woes to continue

This is a great time for Ireland to be playing the Wallabies, who go into the game having lost five of their last six matches.

After winning the final match of the Lions tour and two of their first three matches in the Rugby Championship, things were looking up for Joe Schmidt’s side. However, a home loss to Argentina and back-to-back defeats to New Zealand saw them finish third in the Rugby Championship.

A narrow win over Japan was followed by defeats to England and, most recently, Italy, to leave more questions than answers about where the Wallabies go next.

Former Ireland coach Joe Schmidt makes six changes from the team that lost to Italy with Rob Valetini recalled to boost the pack and James O'Connor handed the number 10 shirt as the Wallabies go in search of a first win in Dublin in 12 years.

This will be the fourth time that Farrell has gone up against Australia this year, so if anyone knows what to expect, it’s him. He also knows how to beat them after guiding the Lions to a 2-1 series win down under.

Farrell has made nine changes to the team that beat Japan last time out with Mack Hansen coming in at full-back, while Sam Prendergast gets the nod at fly-half for a team searching for some momentum before facing world champions South Africa next weekend.

The best odds you can get on an Ireland victory is 1/5, while rugby betting sites are offering 11/2 on Australia ending a run of four straight defeats by the Irish.

Those four Ireland wins have all been by the narrowest of margins. They haven’t beaten the Wallabies by more than five points in that time while each of the last four meetings in Dublin have been settled by three points.

However, we expect something more convincing this time around. England beat Australia by 18 and Italy by seven and we’re backing Ireland to fall somewhere in the middle.

Ireland vs Australia prediction 1: Ireland to win by between 8-14 points -5/2 Betway

Ireland vs Australia teams

Ireland: M Hansen, T O'Brien, R Henshaw, S McCloskey, J Lowe; S Prendergast, J Gibson-Park; P McCarthy, D Sheehan, T Furlong ; J Ryan, T Beirne; R Baird, C Doris (capt), J Conan.

Replacements: R Kelleher, A Porter, T Clarkson, C Prendergast, N Timoney, C Casey, J Crowley, B Aki.

Australia: M Jorgensen; F Daugunu; JA Suaalii, L Ikitau; H Potter; J O'Connor, J Gordon; A Bell, M Faessler, A Alaalatoa; J Williams, T Hooper; R Valetini, F McReight, H Wilson (capt)

Replacements: B Pollard, T Robertson, Z Nonggorr, N Frost, C Tizzano, R Lonergan, T Edmed, A Kellaway.

Please gamble responsibly

If you’re having a bet, it’s vital to practice responsible gambling.

Betting can be addictive, and it’s important to stay in control of your gambling, whether you’re using UK betting sites, casino sites, slot sites, bingo sites or any other gambling platform.

Never treat gambling as a way to make money, never bet more than you can afford and when the fun stops, stop.

Gambling sites offer punters tools, like deposit limits, profit and loss trackers and self-exclusion options, to help you stay in control.

Try not to get carried away by free bets or casino bonuses, which are widely available on gambling apps.

But if you ever feel like you need help or advice on gambling addiction, don’t hesitate to contact one of the charities or organisations below.

• NHS Help
• GamCare
• Gamblers Anonymous

We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.