Andy Farrell names final Ireland team of the year, with Wallabies bringing big guns

Ireland are looking to end their Test year on a high.

Andy Farrell has named his Ireland team to face Australia, on Thursday afternoon, as he seeks to end the calendar year as World No.1. Ireland have followed out on their summer series win over the All Blacks by defeating South Africa and Fiji, in Dublin. The Wallabies are in town, this weekend, and a 12th straight home Test win would see Farrell's men finish atop the world rankings, heading into a World Cup year. Here (in our live feed, below) is all you need to know about the Ireland team announcement and the final Test match of 2022:

IRELAND TEAM TO FACE WALLABIES

15. Hugo Keenan 14. Mack Hansen 13. Garry Ringrose 12. Stuart McCloskey 11. Jimmy O'Brien 10. Johnny Sexton 9. Jamison Gibson-Park 1. Andrew Porter 2. Dan Sheehan 3. Tadhg Furlong 4. Tadhg Beirne 5. James Ryan 6. Peter O'Mahony 7. Josh van der Flier 8. Caelan Doris

Replacements: Rob Herring, Cian Healy, Finlay Bealham, Joe McCarthy, Jack Conan, Craig Casey, Jack Crowley, Bundee Aki. [caption id="attachment_276064" align="aligncenter" width="800"] 5 November 2022; Jonathan Sexton, left, and Jimmy O'Brien of Ireland after the Bank of Ireland Nations Series match between Ireland and South Africa at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile[/caption]

Johnny Sexton on Ireland team coming first

Ahead of the game, Ireland captain Johnny Sexton told reporters that he would happily trade winning his second World Rugby Player of the Year accolade if it meant his team could get one ober the Wallabies.

"It's always nice to be recognised like that," said Sexton, "I’m not going to lie.

"It's not something you go searching for but to be recognised in that area is very special. I would prefer a win and to play well on Saturday than win that, because ultimately at the end of the day it’s opinion. Whereas what you produce on Saturday is what it is, what you see, and it’s the only thing you can control. All my focus is on that and to be recognised is enough."

Ireland vs. Australia kicks off at 8pm on Saturday, at Aviva Stadium, and there will be live TV coverage on Virgin Media and Amazon Prime. Related stories:

• "Spuds, gravy, the mother's Sunday roast!" - Tadhg Furlong's first interview as Ireland captain was a classic
• Ireland's first names on the team-sheet, as Top 5 players debated
• Conor Murray on Keith Earls' incredibly personal pre-match gesture before his 100th cap

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