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28th November 2024
02:59pm GMT
Ireland will wear a special, commemorative jersey against Australia on Saturday to celebrate the IRFU's 150th anniversary
The IRFU was initially formed in 1874 and the organisation have been driving the celebrations throughout the year.
Their most notable push will come against Australia this Saturday (kick-off: 3.10 pm), when Ireland will wear a unique jersey at the Aviva Stadium.
It is a sleek, classic look and will be available to buy from Friday.
Ahead of the game, head coach Andy Farrell said:
"Saturday’s Test match is a significant milestone in the story of Irish rugby. Aside from the 150th celebrations, for Cian Healy it presents the opportunity to break the Test cap record, which is a remarkable achievement considering the robustness of his position. Cian is a giant of Irish rugby and we are determined to provide him with a performance that he deserves.
"We have seen steady improvements over the last few weeks and the visit of a strong Wallabies presents another challenge for the squad. There has been a collective determination to drive forward and finish the Autumn Nations Series on a high."
Speaking about Ireland's work-on and Aussie head coach Joe Schmidt, lock James Ryan said:
"If I look at our lineout defence, we probably would have liked a bit more pressure in the air. We enjoy getting after teams in the air.
"In those first couple of games, against Argentina, it didn’t help that we got a couple of yellow cards in the forward pack, so there were different moving parts and so on.
"Against Fiji, it was much better. Cormac Izuchukwu obviously started and he did very well. The defence did very well in the air. That’s been a big strength of ours and we enjoy that part of the game. Certainly for this game [Australia], we’re looking to bring that up another level.
"Schmidt’s rugby brain, his strike plays are always world-class. That’s a conversation that we’ve had. There is going to be something that we probably haven’t seen.
"So, for us, it’s just making sure we are loaded for everything really, defensively, because I’ve no doubt he will have a few tricks up his sleeve."
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