Ireland begin their 2026 Nations Championship campaign with an opportunity to strengthen their World Cup preparations, but Andy Farrell’s team must first address a difficult recent record against the leading sides in international rugby.

Argentina, Fiji and South Africa will visit Dublin over three weeks. Ireland have lost their past six matches against New Zealand, France and South Africa by double-digit margins, scoring 101 points and conceding 191. Their most recent defeats included a 36-14 loss to France in this year’s Six Nations and a 40-21 defeat by New Zealand at Eden Park in July.

A convincing win over England at Twickenham earlier this year showed Ireland still possess the ability to deliver at the highest level. However, Farrell will want a more disciplined performance after errors allowed New Zealand to take control before half-time. Ireland will also be seeking to avoid first home defeats by Argentina and Fiji before facing South Africa, who beat them 24-13 in Dublin last year after dominating the scrum.

Ireland have placed additional emphasis on conditioning, which assistant coach Johnny Sexton described as a potential “point of difference”.

The squad includes Tadhg Furlong after a disciplinary committee cleared the prop following an incident involving Munster’s Gavin Coombes. With Andrew Porter also available, Ireland can field two British and Irish Lions in a front row expected to be central to their plans against South Africa.

There are more uncertainties elsewhere in the pack. Captain Caelan Doris and Jack Conan are unavailable, leaving Sean Jansen as the leading candidate at number eight. Dan Sheehan’s appearance in the back row for Munster has also opened the possibility of a different selection, while James McNabney and Ryan Baird provide further options.

Ireland must also assess their options at fly-half. Jack Crowley is ruled out and Sam Prendergast is managing a wrist problem, although the team remains optimistic about his availability. Ciaran Frawley could receive another opportunity after an impressive start with Connacht, while Ulster’s Jamie Benson is a less experienced alternative.

With Garry Ringrose unlikely to feature because of injury, Jamie Osborne could move to outside centre, although Robbie Henshaw offers the more experienced option. Mack Hansen’s return is a boost after the wing and full-back missed the Six Nations and summer Tests.

Argentina, Ireland’s first opponents, have never beaten them in Dublin but defeated the British and Irish Lions at the Aviva Stadium last year. Felipe Contepomi has added Facundo Isa, Rodrigo Martinez and Mateo Soler to his 33-player squad. Julian Montoya returns, while Santiago Grondona, Ignacio Ruiz, Joaquin Oviedo, Thomas Gallo and Santi Carreras are unavailable. Argentina’s recent results have been mixed, but their attacking style makes them a dangerous opening challenge.

Fiji arrive after defeats by Scotland, England and Wales during their southern hemisphere campaign. Their October win over Japan was the first match under new head coach Jake White, who previously led South Africa to the 2007 World Cup title. Fiji’s squad includes former England number eight Nathan Hughes and three other uncapped players.

South Africa remain the strongest test of Ireland’s series despite their latest defeat by Australia. The Springboks won a three-match series against New Zealand and recorded three convincing home victories in the summer Nations Championship. Injuries have ruled out Cheslin Kolbe, Eben Etzebeth, Handre Pollard and Andre Esterhuizen, but Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Damian de Allende are available. Rassie Erasmus has also selected six uncapped players as South Africa build towards defending their World Cup title.

Ireland’s scheduled fixtures are Argentina on 6 November at 20:10 GMT, Fiji on 14 November at 20:10 and South Africa on 21 November at 17:40. A finals-weekend fixture is scheduled for 27-29 November, with the opponent yet to be confirmed.

Sources: BBC Sport.