How to watch the Rugby World Cup liveon September 7, 2023 at 10:50 Tech Advisor
The men’s Rugby World Cup is upon us. 20 of the world’s very best teams head to France to compete for the iconic Webb Ellis Cup.
New Zealand, France and holders South Africa are favourites to win the tournament, but we shouldn’t rule out England. Despite some poor form coming into the tournament, Steve Borthwick’s side still possess some real star quality.
It’s also possible that the likes of Ireland, Australia or a lesser-fancied nation spring a surprise. The best way to find out is by watching live, which is possible if you’re based in the US, UK or elsewhere.
When is the Rugby World Cup?
The Rugby World Cup gets underway on 8 September 2023.
It continues for seven weeks, with the final taking place on 28 October 2023.
Which teams are in the Rugby World Cup?
Here are the official groups for the tournament:
Pool A: New Zealand, France, Italy, Uruguay, Namibia
Pool B: South Africa, Ireland, Scotland, Tonga, Romania
Pool C: Wales, Australia, Fiji, Georgia, Portugal
Pool D: England, Japan, Argentina, Samoa, Chile
Rugby World Cup fixtures
Every single Rugby World Cup match is being broadcast live in the US and UK. Here are some of the highlights from the group stages:
Fri 8 Sept
France vs New Zealand – KO 8.15pm UK, 3.15pm ET, 12.15pm PT – ITV
Sat 9 Sept
England vs Argentina – KO 8pm UK, 3pm ET, 12pm PT – ITV
Sun 10 Sept
South Africa vs Scotland – KO 4.45pm UK, 11.45am ET, 8.45am PT – ITV
Wales vs Fiji – KO 8pm UK, 3pm ET, 8.45am PT – ITV
Sat 16 Sept
Wales vs Portugal – KO 4.45pm UK, 11.45am ET, 8.45am PT – ITV
Sun 17 Sept
England vs Japan – KO 8pm UK, 3pm ET, 12pm PT – ITV
Sat 23 Sept
England vs Chile – KO 4.45pm UK, 11.45am ET, 8.45am PT – ITV
South Africa vs Ireland – KO 8pm UK, 3pm ET, 12pm PT – ITV
Sun 24 Sept
Scotland vs Tonga – KO 4.45pm UK, 11.45am ET, 8.45am PT – ITV
Wales vs Australia – KO 8pm UK, 3pm ET, 12pm PT – ITV
Sat 30 Sept
Scotland vs Romania – KO 8pm UK, 3pm ET, 12pm PT – ITV
Sat 7 Oct
Wales vs Georgia – KO 2pm UK, 9am ET, 6am PT – ITV
England vs Samoa – KO 4.45pm UK, 11.45am ET, 8.45am PT – ITV
Ireland vs Scotland – KO 8pm UK, 3pm ET, 12pm PT
See all the fixtures and results on the Rugby World Cup website.
How to watch the Rugby World Cup in the US
In the US, NBC has full rights to the Rugby World Cup. All 48 matches will be broadcast live on NBC Sports, but also available via the Peacock streaming service.
The latter is the easiest and most affordable way to start watching. It starts $5.99 per month/$59.99 per year for ‘Premium’, or $11.99 per month/$119.99 to step up to the ad-free ‘Premium Plus’. You can sign up for both on the Peacock website.
However, 15 live matches will also be broadcast on CNBC. That includes the final and several other games (see the full list on the NBC Sports website), and may already be included with your cable subscription. If you’re happy to miss some matches, you might not need to pay anything extra.
How to watch the Rugby World Cup in the UK
In the UK, ITV is showing every single live match, and you can watch live either on your TV or via ITVX its streaming service.
As a free-to-air channel, you don’t need a dedicated subscription to watch ITV. But like any live content in the UK, you will need a TV Licence – it currently costs £159 per year.
How to watch the Rugby World Cup outside the US and UK
The Rugby World Cup broadcasters in the US and UK are geo-restricted, meaning you can only officially watch in the country where they operate. But if you’re only temporarily out of country, on holiday or a business trip, it makes sense to use a service you’ve already paid for.
To appear as if you’re in the US or UK and access local content, you’ll need a VPN.
We’re using NordVPN for the purposes of this tutorial, but there are plenty of great alternatives in our best VPN chart. Just make sure it unblocks the service you’re trying to use before signing up.
Once that’s done, here’s what you need to do.
Download the relevant VPN app
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Head to the download page for the VPN you’d like to install and click ‘Download App’. The likes of NordVPN are available on a range of devices.
Connect to a US or UK server
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Open the app and sign in to your account if necessary. Then, select any US or UK server and connect to it.
Depending on the service you’re using, it might look quite different to the above. But this should be relatively easy to find.
Start watching as usual
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Head to the website or app you’d usually use to start watching. You should now be able to stream content as normal and without any restrictions.
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