Georgia will replace Japan in the new eight-team tournament being held in Ireland and the UK this November, as organisers confirmed the format and fixtures which will see Andy Farrell's side kick off the competition on 13 November.
After the original November internationals were cancelled because of travel restrictions impacting the southern hemisphere nations, an "alternative Six Nations", with Fiji and Japan added, was devised. Japan too then had to withdraw because of Covid-19 travel complications, with Georgia stepping in.
The competition, titled the Autumn Nations Cup, will comprise two pools of four. Group A will see Ireland up against England, Wales and Georgia, with Group B comprising France, Scotland, Italy and Fiji.
Ireland get the action underway on 13 November against Wales at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, followed by games against England and Georgia on the following two weekends.
The opening weekend will also see England v Georgia and Italy v Scotland on Saturday,14 November, while France will host Fiji on the Sunday.
The competition will conclude on the weekend of the 5-6 December with a final round of matches where each team will face off against the team ranked in their same position in the opposite pool.
Matches, which would be played out on four consecutive weekends, will be screened by RTÉ Sport.
Ireland Fixtures
13 November: Ireland v Wales, Aviva Stadium
21 November: England v Ireland, Twickenham
29 November: Ireland v Georgia, Aviva Stadium
5 December: Ireland v TBD (Finals Weekend), Aviva Stadium
Wales's home games are expected to be held at London venues as the Principality Stadium is still unavailable after being used as a Covid-19 hospital.
Before that, the rearranged games in the Six Nations will be played, with Ireland taking on Italy and France on 24 and 31 October.
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