Ireland vs Australia prediction: No happy return for Schmidt

Joe Schmidt returns to his old stomping ground of the Aviva Stadium on Saturday with his new side Australia hoping to claim the scalp of his former team Ireland (3.10pm, TNT Sports 1).

The New Zealander spent six years in charge of Ireland, leading them to three Six Nations titles, but his focus now is on seeing the Wallabies bounce back from last weekend’s defeat.

Australia got their Autumn Series off to a flying start with wins over England and Wales, but they were brought down to earth with a bump last weekend when they were well- beaten by Scotland 27-13.

They will want to end the tour on a high but face their toughest test yet against an Ireland side currently ranked second in the world.

Ireland saw their 19-game winning run at home ended by the All Blacks earlier this month but have bounced back well, edging out an improving Argentina side and then thrashing Fiji 52-17, and betting sites make them heavy favourites to win on Saturday.

Australia might have the edge in the overall head-to-head with 22 wins compared to Ireland’s 14, but recent history is very much on the side of Andy Farrell’s team.

They have won the last three matches, including a series victory in Australia in 2018, and a win this weekend would equal their longest winning run against the Wallabies.

The last meeting was back in 2022, and it was anything but a classic as Ireland, who lost captain Johnny Sexton in the warm-up, claimed a 13-10 victory.

They will be without Jacob Stockdale and Jamie Osborne from the side that beat Fiji, after the pair were forced off with hamstring and abductor injuries respectively. They were already without lock Ryan Baird with a head injury and prop Tadhg Furlong who has missed the whole autumn series through injury.

Australia will hope they can call upon centre Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, who was forced off against Scotland with a wrist injury. X-rays have confirmed there is no break and the player, who converted from rugby league to make his Australia debut earlier this month, could feature.

Lock Jeremy Williams could also return after missing the game at Murrayfield through illness, but Will Skelton has been recalled to his club, with this fixture falling outside of the international window.

Rugby betting sites are forecasting a comfortable win for Ireland, who are favoured by 16 points on handicap markets, but the margin of victory may not be that sizeable.

The biggest winning margin between the sides in the last six meetings was nine points and with Australia showing signs of improvement under Schmidt, they can keep the scoreline respectable.

Ireland vs Australia prediction: Ireland to win by 6-10 points - 13/2 William Hill

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