How to watch live Rugby online with a VPN
James Patterson | Last Updated:
Online Privacy & Internet Security Expert
The rise of online streaming has been a boon for rugby fans. With more choices than ever for catching live rugby events online, it has never been easier to enjoy watching these exciting matches from anywhere in the world. Depending on your location, however, you might open up your favorite rugby streaming app or website, only to find the match you were looking forward to blocked.
We’re here to offer a workaround: Using a Virtual Private Network, or VPN, you can easily defeat these regional restrictions and watch rugby online, no matter where you are. VPNs work by connecting you to a server located in another country before you access the internet, effectively changing your IP address. Since websites identify your real location through this IP address, you can pretend to be in a different country and watch rugby matches streamed for that location.
Where can I watch Rugby for free?
There are many free licensed streams for various live rugby events online, but all of them are country-specific. Here are some of them for each country:
- If you’re in the UK: BBC and ITV hold the rights to broadcast many rugby events, including the Rugby World Cup matches. You can watch their coverage of these matches live for free on either the BBC iPlayer app or ITV website.
- If you’re in Australia: Local broadcasters Channel 7 and Channel 9 often show both local and international rugby events, and you can watch these matches on their online apps for free.
- Other notable free channels: CBC in Canada, CCTV in China and RTE in Ireland stream some rugby events live on their websites or apps. Over in Europe, ARD en ZDF in Germany and Canal+ en FranceTV in France also stream rugby for free online.
Unfortunately, it is much harder to watch rugby matches for free in countries such as the United States or New Zealand without resorting to unlicensed streams from non-official sources. We highly recommend using a VPN and changing your online location to one of the above countries to watch free rugby, if you want the best possible viewing experience.
Watch rugby with a VPN: Unblock all rugby content online with a VPN in just five steps!
- Pick out a VPN. Our first recommendation is ExpressVPN, for its speed and many server locations.
- Download the VPN app. Most good VPN services have specific apps for a wide range of devices.
- Login on the VPN app.
- Connect to a VPN server, located in a country with rugby content you want to watch.
- You’re all set! Open your rugby stream and enjoy!
Which VPNs are best for streaming Rugby?
A good VPN for rugby should give you access to a wide range of server locations, allowing you to have maximum access to as much rugby content as possible. It should also come with connection speeds fast enough to keep up with HD streaming. Out of the many VPN providers out there, we’ve picked out three which we think does best for streaming online rugby.
1. ExpressVPN
This blazing-fast VPN service is able to provide speeds of up to 132 MBPs, making it more than capable of achieving the 20 MBPs speeds required to stream live rugby buffer-free in 4K UHD.
Its incredible server network can reach 95 countries through more than 3,000 individual servers, and has the proven ability to unblock streaming content in Australia and the UK, two countries with the most free rugby content.
Not only that, ExpressVPN also has an extremely streamlined user experience. The VPN provider has specific apps available for a wide range of electronic devices, including nine major brands of Smart TVs. This makes installation simple, and should you still get stuck setting up the app, you can always turn to their 24/7 customer support team for help.
ExpressVPN also uses private DNS servers to protect against DNS leaks that can give away your real location online, and they were one of the first providers to implement RAM-based server technology. They are one of the most secure VPN services around, and are a great choice if you want to safeguard your privacy online.
2. NordVPN
NordVPN is another VPN service who puts a large emphasis on privacy. Their host of security features include military-grade AES 256-bit encryption, 3072-bit DHE-RSA key exchange and Perfect Forward Secrecy key generation.
The service also allows users to set up a customized kill switch, which disables your internet connection when it detects that you’ve disconnected from the VPN network.
Along with their 5,400 strong network of 10GBPs servers and no bandwidth limits, NordVPN also ensures a lag-free rugby streaming experience.
Their SmartPlay DNS feature is specially designed to unlock geo-restricted content as well, making NordVPN a great choice for unblocking not just live rugby, but all content across major streaming apps like Netflix or Amazon Prime Video.
Where can I watch the Six Nations Championship online?
The Six Nations Championship is one of the biggest rugby events held each year, and features an international tournament between the six nations of England, France, Scotland, Wales, Italy and Ireland.
You can catch the matches for free on the UK’s BBC and ITV streaming apps online. Rugby fans in Ireland can also enjoy free matches streamed via the Virgin Media Player app, while a paid subscription to beIN Sport or Foxtel is required to watch the matches in Australia.
Where can I watch the Rugby World Cup online?
Held only once every four years, the Rugby World Cup sees top international teams duke it out on the global stage. This is one event which no rugby fan would want to miss, and you can catch the matches live here:
- Australia: You can watch matches live on the paid Fox Sports app, or for free on Channel 10’s online streaming portal 10play.
- UK: Catch live matches for free on ITV’s website, after registering for a free account using a valid UK postal code. S4C also provides a Welsh-language broadcast online for the UK region.
- US: A paid NBC sports app subscription is required to watch Rugby World Cup matches online in the US.
Where can I watch the Rugby World Cup Sevens online?
Not to be confused with the Rugby World Cup, the Rugby World Cup Sevens is a separate international rugby tournament also hosted once every four years. Featuring both men and women’s brackets, you can catch the matches here:
- Official Website for the HSBC World Rugby’s Sevens Series (Free)
- DAZN (paid, only available in Switzerland, Japan, Canada, Germany and Austria)
- Sky Sports (UK)
- BBC iPlayer (UK)
- NBC Sports (USA)
- Sky NZ (New Zealand)
What other benefits does a VPN bring?
In addition to helping you stream geo-blocked rugby content, a VPN can also help you:
- Surf the web more securely. A VPN’s data encryption stops your internet activity from being spied on or intercepted. This is especially important if you often use public WIFI, which can be easily hijacked.
- Avoid firewall restrictions. If you’re on a school or office network, you would often find streaming or social media sites blocked. Using a VPN allows you to easily evade these restrictions.
- Access more content on major streaming platforms. Similar to how VPNs can be used to unblock rugby content on sports apps, their location-spoofing abilities can help you unblock the regional libraries of other sites as well. For example, Netflix, YouTube TV and Hulu all have region-blocked content that requires a VPN to access.
PRIVACY ALERT: Websites you visit can see your current IP Address:
- Your IP Address: 3.139.72.78
- Your Location: Dublin, US
- Your Internet Provider: Amazon.com, Inc.
* Scammers, Governments, and Advertisers can use this information to track and target you.
Our recommended vpn service provider for general all-round internet security and online privacy is ExpressVPN. It offers an excellent selection of online security and internet privacy features, excellent speed, and the ability to unblock your favorite streaming services (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, BBC iPlayer).
Visit ExpresssVPNCategories: Sport
