Jeremy Williams delivers confident Wallabies message before Ireland Test

The Wallabies are eighth on the world rankings and haven’t beaten Ireland in more than 2,940 days, but second-rower Jeremy Williams insists the Aussies are full of belief ahead of their Nations Championship opener in Sydney.

Australian-born Ireland fullback Mack Hansen produced a first-half hat-trick in the last meeting between the sides in November, with the Wallabies wrapping up a mammoth 15-Test season with a tough 27-point defeat in Dublin.

That was Ireland’s fifth straight win against the Wallabies, with the men in gold last tasting victory in this matchup on June 9, 2018. But the Irish bounced back with wins in Melbourne and Sydney, which was the last time they played the Wallabies on Aussie soil.

Ireland moved into top spot on the world rankings he following year, leading into the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan. The Irish have been an international powerhouse in the years since, including back-to-back Six Nations titles in 2023 and 2024.

Rugby Australia announced on June 8 that this upcoming Test at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium had already sold out, setting the scene for the clash. It may have been eight years without a win over the Irish for the Wallabies, but the Aussies remain undeterred.

“I don’t really think we care what people think or if people are underestimating us. We’ve got full belief in our team and our system and we’ve got confidence in each other to go out there and do a job,” Williams told reporters in Sydney.

“We’ve shown that at training the last few days and we’re keen to go out there and do it come Saturday.”

This Test on Saturday evening takes place in the opening round of the Nations Championship, with the all-new competition pitting the world’s best against one another. The Six Nations sides represent the north, while there are six teams from the south.

Rugby Championship outfits the Wallabies, Springboks, All Blacks and Los Pumas are joined by the Flying Fijians and Brave Blossoms. These teams will host three Northern Hemisphere sides each in July before the second block of fixtures in November.

The Wallabies host France at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium next weekend, before heading out west to take on Italy at Perth’s HBF Park. They round out their Nations Championship against England, Scotland and Wales later this year.

These matches will determine the rankings ahead of the inaugural Finals Weekend at Allianz Stadium. There will be six matches played across three days of double headers, with the winning team and hemisphere to be crowned.

“We obviously know it’s really important to start well for this Nations Championship,” Williams said.

“Ireland, they’re a quality side, top three in the world and have been really consistent over the past few years.

“We’ve had a really good training week… we’re really looking forward to getting out there and putting on a good performance on home soil.”