Last Update: September 8, 2023
This article is about how to watch rugby free TV abroad. Rugby inspires many people around the world. Every year, a number of interesting tournaments and championships are held. Basically, a distinction is made between rugby union and rugby league. More about this later. As a rugby fan, I have dedicated myself to the question of how you can still watch rugby for free on free TV nowadays. Because the prices of the pay TV channels are rising further and further. So make rugby look then just no more fun.
At the outset, the best solution is to watch Rugby Union for free on the BBC and ITV free-to-air TV channels in the UK. Rugby League for free, on the other hand, via the channels Channel 7 and Channel 9 in Australia. If you're not local, you'll need a reliable VPN that can reliably bypass the TV broadcasters' geoblocking. I use NordVPN* or the currently very cheap CyberGhost* for this.
Here's a rundown of the major rugby union and rugby league competitions you can stream for free with VPN:
The Guinness Six Nations is, in my opinion, the most exciting rugby tournament of the year. Whereas the Rugby World Cup is also an absolute highlight. I have dedicated separate articles to each of the two tournaments. For one, I explain how you can watch the Guiness Six Nations for free. Second, how you can stream the 2023 Rugby World Cup for free.
The best teams in Europe are England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France and Italy. To watch the rugby live stream of the Six Nations or the World Cup for free in this country, you need to access the free TV abroad with a VPN. Here is a brief explanation of how it works.
Total Time: 15 minutes
To watch the rugby live stream for free in another country, but blocked by geo-blocking, you need an IP address from the country of the broadcasting free TV channel. For this I recommend a reliable VPN with good streaming features like CyberGhost*. It works securely with it.
Now install the client of CyberGhost on your device. The VPN service allows up to 7 simultaneous uses. All major operating systems are supported.
If you want to watch Rugby Union for free, UK Free TV channels BBC and ITV are the solution. In this case you connect to a VPN server in England. If you want to watch Rugby League for free, you have to connect to Australia to unblock Channel 7 or Channel 9. If you are watching via another country, you will have to choose it accordingly.
Registration is required for some of the free TV channels mentioned above. This is free and relatively quick and easy. Ideally, you do not enter your real data, because you need a local address or zip code (you can choose any). Keep in mind that you may be violating the sender's user policy by circumventing geoblocking via VPN. If you have anonymized yourself by using a VPN and providing fantasy data, you have nothing to worry about.
Now you should be fine with the free rugby live stream as soon as you go to the broadcaster's website and start the stream. Have fun with it!
| | Rugby Union | Rugby League |
|---|---|---|
| Game duration | 80 minutes | 80 minutes |
| Teams | 15 players per team | 13 players per team |
| Match ball | Oval, larger size | Oval, slightly smaller size |
| Scoring | Try (5 points), raise (2 points), penalty kick (3 points), drop kick (3 points) | Try (4 points), Raise (2 points), penalty kick (2 points), field goal (1 points) |
| Rucks and mauls | More rucks and mauls, players can fight for the ball | Less rucks and mauls, ball must be passed after a certain number of tackles |
| Line-Outs | Used to put the ball back into play | - |
| Scrums | - | Used to restart the game after a rules violation |
The most popular rugby union tournaments and championships are:
These tournaments and championships are among the best known and most followed events in rugby union. They provide first-class rugby action and attract fans from all over the world.
The most popular Rugby League tournaments and championships are:
These tournaments and championships are some of the best known and most watched events in Rugby League. They feature high-caliber matches and attract fans from a variety of countries who enjoy the exciting action and competitive spirit of rugby league.
The live coverage of rugby union matches on free TV may be subject to change. But BBC and ITV are always a good place to go to watch rugby union games for free.
ITV refers to itself as the home of rugby because of its long-standing tradition and extensive coverage of rugby events. ITV is a British television network and has broadcast a wide range of rugby competitions and tournaments in the past, including the Six Nations Championship, Rugby World Cups and club competitions such as the European Rugby Champions Cup.
The designation as the home of rugby is intended to illustrate that ITV is a leading broadcaster specializing in providing rugby coverage and providing fans with quality content. It is also intended to highlight ITV's long-standing partnership and commitment to the sport of rugby.
As ITV positions itself as the home of rugby, the broadcaster aims to capture the attention of rugby fans and ensure they can watch their favorite matches and tournaments at key rugby events. It is a marketing strategy of sorts, aimed at establishing ITV as the first port of call for rugby fans and strengthening its market position in terms of rugby coverage.
So it should continue to be possible to stream rugby for free on ITV in the UK for years to come.
The BBC has a long history of live free-to-air broadcasting of rugby union matches and is heavily involved in coverage of the sport. As a public service broadcaster in the UK, the BBC has a mandate to provide high quality content for the general public, and this includes sports coverage.
The BBC has in the past broadcast various rugby competitions such as the Six Nations Championship, the Rugby World Cup and club competitions such as the European Rugby Champions Cup. It has also been involved in broadcasting England international matches and other major rugby events.
The BBC's decision to broadcast rugby union matches for free is based on its public service remit to make sport accessible to as many people as possible. By providing live coverage for free, fans who may not have pay-TV access can enjoy and support the sport. The BBC has also developed online streaming services such as BBC iPlayer to allow viewers to watch rugby matches live or on-demand.
It is important to note that the media landscape and broadcast rights of sporting events can change constantly. Therefore, it is advisable to check with the BBC and other broadcasters for the latest information on availability and access to free rugby broadcasts.
On the other hand, there is also Rugby League. You can watch Rugby League for free via VPN on Australian free-to-air TV channels Channel 7 and Channel 9.
The two channels are two major Australian television networks that offer regular rugby league broadcasts for free. Here is some information about them:
Both Channel 7 and Channel 9 are free-to-air broadcasters, meaning their Rugby League broadcasts are free to view. This allows Rugby League fans in Australia to watch the matches from the comfort of their own homes without having to subscribe to pay TV or other paid services.
I'll say it right up front. I have tested these following VPNs myself and think they are the best VPN services to watch rugby for free abroad.
All three services are able to bypass the geoblocking of rugby live streams abroad. So you have a choice.
A VPN offers many more advantages. If you use a VPN for streaming, you should use the service for other benefits as well. If you like to travel abroad, you should note that there are countries that censor or even block VPNs completely. In countries with censorship, NordVPN* has clear advantages.
CyberGhost* is great for streaming. You'll need about 5 Mbps for an HD stream, and the CyberGhost servers can do that easily. Both in Australia and England, so you can stream rugby for free. Plus, CyberGhost is a bit cheaper than NordVPN.
PIA* (Private Internet Access) offers the advantage that you can connect an infinite number of devices at the same time. So with one subscription, you can power your devices, as well as all your family and friends. Plus, PIA is the cheapest of the three services.
While rugby is so popular in our country, it is often shown on free TV in England on the British channels ITV and BBC. However, to watch these channels, you need an IP address in the UK, and for that, you need a VPN. Unless, of course, you're local.
BBC and ITV in the UK are known for broadcasting Rugby Union events. Channel 7 and Channel 9 in Australia are known for Rugby League events.
VPNs are legal in most countries. However, if you bypass the geoblocking of some broadcasters, you may be in violation of the streaming provider's terms of service. In the worst case, you'll get an account suspension.
