Visiting All Blacks and Australia set to boost IRFU coffers

Irish rugby’s ongoing challenge to fund the ever-increasing costs of the professional game should be considerably strengthened by the visits in the autumn of 2016 by the two most attractive countries in the game.

World Cup champions New Zealand and Australia, the side the All Blacks defeated in the Twickenham final in October, are both visiting our shores.

This represents Ireland’s latest opportunity to beat New Zealand, with their visit here next year all the more attractive because of the drama of their most recent clash at the Aviva Stadium in 2013, when they scraped a last-minute two-point victory over Ireland.