Australia v IrelandVenue: Allianz Stadium, SydneyKick-off: 8.10pm local time/11.10am Irish, Saturday.On TV: Live on Virgin Media One and ITV.Only time will tell to what extent this brave new dawn will alter the rugby landscape, add to or detract from the Rugby World Cup, make the rich richer and/or actually spread the gospel and broaden the sport’s reach. But as of this weekend, for better or for worse, the Nations Championship is upon us. Rugby is not a sport noted for radical or revolutionary new concepts, but this does feel a little different. If nothing else, Ireland’s opening match against the Wallabies is live on terrestrial television back home. What’s more, so are the other five first-round matches in this weekend’s veritable feast, and all of them have more relevance beyond the two competing nations than ever before in a non-Rugby World Cup and non-Lions year.This weekend is the first round of the southern hemisphere leg of the new biennial competition, with two more rounds over the ensuing Saturdays. Each of the Six Nations sides will play three of the six teams from the other group, which consists of the four Rugby Championship teams plus Fiji and Japan. They will host the other three countries in November. Ireland will face Australia, Japan and New Zealand over these first three weekends, before hosting Argentina, Fiji and South Africa in the autumn, with the Six Nations then ranked from first to sixth. Sixth will face sixth in the playoffs and so on, with first v first in the final at Twickenham on the last weekend in November.And you know that Andy Farrell would just love to see Ireland be the inaugural winners, as would Rassie Erasmus, Dave Rennie, Fabien Galthié et al. So, although June summer tours were never truly “friendlies”, now these games bring an additional meaning. “It’s the top drawer, and that’s how we’ve been preparing for a top-drawer Test match,” said Farrell, scarcely concealing his heightened excitement in the team’s base on a glorious day under crystal blue skies near Circular Quay and Sydney Opera House. “We expect an Australian side to be bullish and play the type of rugby that the best of the Australian sides that we’ve seen over the years do. That’s an attractive one, that’s a competitive one, that’s a physical one and all of that,” added Farrell, who pays no heed to the 46-19 win last November that extended Ireland’s record run in the fixture to five successive wins. The three-match tour here in 2018, swelled to capacity each time by the Irish expats, was such a huge success it was widely expected Ireland would swiftly return. Given it seems to have become an even more popular home from home for our young expats, the wonder is it has taken eight years. The 42,500-capacity Allianz Stadium was quickly sold out, with this match giving the Irish Down Under a rare opportunity to fully express their national identity. And Farrell has not been shy about stressing this to his players.“We’re excited,“ he said. ”And I’m sure Rugby Australia are excited as well, because the ground sold out within a matter of days. I’m 100 per cent certain there’s a reason for that and it’s because of everyone that’s over here that’s been waiting for us, an Irish contingent who have come over and want to see their team play in front of them. So, it’s at the forefront of our mind that we need to give them the best version of ourselves.”Then there’s the fact the World Cup is here next year, which will mean a third successive trek to Australia for Farrell, the majority of his coaching staff and 14 of this playing squad.“I’m sure that [this game] will whet the appetite for what’s coming next year as well, and in general this tour is great for us. There’s a lot of firsts for a lot of lads. You talk about the Lions and people being involved from an Irish perspective, but there’s a big group of the lads over here that’s never been and tested Southern Hemisphere rugby before. So for what’s coming down the track, we’re very fortunate to have this experience.”The Wallabies are also mustard keen to make a statement 16 months out from hosting the World Cup and, in advance of his last three games before handing over to Les Kiss, Joe Schmidt’s team expects a sizeable Blarney Army presence. Joe Schmidt has three matches left as Australia's head coach. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho “I know that County Coogee and County Bondi are going to be there in full,” said Schmidt. “It’s going to be green and gold, but not the green we’re looking for so much for the Wallaby team. But I just think it’s going to be a great atmosphere.”In contrast to Schmidt, Farrell now has the security of tenure that comes with his recently signed four-year extension – “an absolute no-brainer for me” – until the 2031 World Cup. “The exciting part is the challenge of rebuilding a little bit and going again and trying to make people into a better team-mate than they thought they was going to be originally themselves. So, to get people to dream big and aspire to be something that they never dreamed of themselves is part of the whole process. I see that continuing in the future.”Whereas Schmidt worried aloud about the Irish players tiring of him in advance of extending his stay, not so Farrell. “No. I see me just being myself and continuing to make sure that I keep on improving as a coach, that’s it. If I’m doing that, we’ll be in a decent spot.”And there is another potential advantage to Farrell’s extended stay. His 16-year-old son Gabriel, who has been living in Dublin for 10 years and has two more years in Blackrock College, may be even more inclined to declare for Ireland, although seemingly this is already a done deal. “If you asked him that three years ago, never mind if we get to the end of this contract, that would be a shoo-in, I would have thought,” quipped Farrell snr.As for this game, the Wallabies look curiously callow 16 months out from a World Cup but are marginal favourites with the local bookies. Ireland, however, are more seasoned and match hardened. Australia: Jock Campbell (Queensland Reds); Max Jorgensen (NSW Waratahs), Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii (NSW Waratahs), Len Ikitau (NSW Waratahs), Dylan Pietsch (Western Force); Carter Gordon (Queensland Reds), Ryan Lonergan (ACT Brumbies); Angus Bell (NSW Waratahs), Josh Nasser (Queensland Reds), Allan Alaalatoa (ACT Brumbies), Jeremy Williams Western Force), Josh Canham (Queensland Reds), Rob Valetini (ACT Brumbies), Fraser McReight (Queensland Reds), Harry Wilson (Queensland Reds, capt). Replacements: Brandon Paenga-Amosa (Western Force), James Slipper (ACT Brumbies), Taniela Tupou (Racing 92), Lachlan Shaw (ACT Brumbies), Tom Hooper (Exeter Chiefs), Tate McDermott (Queensland Reds), Ben Donaldson (Western Force), Tom Wright (ACT Brumbies).Ireland: Hugo Keenan (Leinster); Rob Baloucoune (Ulster), Garry Ringrose (Leinster), Stuart McCloskey (Ulster), Jamie Osborne (Leinster); Sam Prendergast (Leinster), Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster); Tom O’Toole (Ulster), Dan Sheehan (Leinster, capt), Tadhg Furlong (Leinster), Joe McCarthy (Leinster), James Ryan (Leinster), Cian Prendergast (Connacht), Josh van der Flier (Leinster), Jack Conan (Leinster). Replacements: Rónan Kelleher (Leinster), Jeremy Loughman (Munster), Thomas Clarkson (Leinster), Tadhg Beirne (Munster), Nick Timoney (Ulster), Craig Casey (Munster), Ciarán Frawley (Leinster), Bundee Aki (Connacht).Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (NZ) Forecast: Ireland to win.