Ireland are set to take on New Zealand for the first time since the 2023 RWC quarter-final this Friday evening in one of the most hotly anticipated fixtures of the season.
Ireland currently sit top of the World Rugby Rankings while New Zealand sit closely behind them in third, should New Zealand overcome Andy Farrell's men in the Aviva Stadium they'll leapfrog them in the rankings.
While Ireland are the favourites heading into the test clash, New Zealand have racked up significantly more game time in the last few months than their Irish adversaries.
Ireland's last game was their sensational one-point win over South Africa in July. New Zealand on the other hand have played both The Rugby Championship and last week's Autumn International versus England where they won by two points in the intervening period.
When is Ireland v New Zealand
Ireland take on New Zealand this Friday the 8th of November in the Aviva Stadium. The game which will be played under the lights kicks off at 8:10pm.
How to watch Ireland v New Zealand
Ireland v New Zealand will be broadcast live on Virgin Media One and TNT Sports 1. The pre-match build-up gets underway on both channels at 7 pm.
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14 October 2023; Aaron Smith of New Zealand is tackled by Ireland players, from left, Iain Henderson, Caelan Doris and Josh van der Flier during the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final match between Ireland and New Zealand at the Stade de France in Paris, France. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Team News
Ireland
There are few shocks in Andy Farrell's squad to take on New Zealand as Finaly Bealham comes into the starting XV in place of the injured Tadhg Furlong, with Ulster's Tom O'Toole coming into the 23 as backup.
Elsewhere in the injury-stricken front row, Ronan Kelleher starts at hooker with Dan Sheehan still unavailable through injury. He's backed up by Rob Herring. Jack Crowley will start ahead of Ciaran Frawley, who as expected will earn his minutes from the bench while Jamie Osborne also gets a place on the bench.
Peter O'Mahony has also rejoined the 23 after recovering from injury faster than expected, meanwhile, Caelan Doris will lead out his country for the first time since he assumed the responsibility permanently.
New Zealand
We'll have all the team news here, as and when it's available.
That's all the info you need on how to watch Ireland v New Zealand this Friday the 8th of November.
Ireland v New Zealand is the first of four Autumn Internationals that the Aviva Stadium will play host to this November, with Argentina, Fiji and Australia all making the trip to Dublin in the coming weeks as well.
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