How to watch the Rugby Autumn Internationals online
Chris
Chris, a UK-born media connoisseur, is an expert in watching international TV. Known as "The Global Screen Wanderer", he has travelled extensively across the globe with long stints away from home. With over 10 years of experience he has become the go-to guru for streaming content from home and abroad.
In this guide I’ll be looking at the best way to watch the Rugby Autumn Internationals.
The Autumn Internationals are about to kick off on 3rd November and if you’re looking for a reliable way to watch the majority of matches then this is the guide you need.
Unfortunately, Rugby has gone a little like football and these days often ends up on expensive cable networks. If you don’t have a subscription or you can’t make it to a pub showing the game then you could be left with nowhere to watch.
Many people turn to illegal online streams but if you’re like me then you’ll find that these are poor quality and you risk ending up with some kind of malware on your device.
Below I’m going to show you how you can watch a legitimate stream of most of the Rugby Autumn Internationals in any country.
Where can I watch the Autumn Internationals?
The UK’s TV services have split viewing depending on your team. While England matches are reserved to the subscription service Sky Sports the Scotland, Wales and Ireland games are being shown for free.
This means if you’re a fan of one of the teams or a fan of one of the teams playing against Scotland, Wales or Ireland then you’ll be able to watch the matches for free.
If you’re outside the UK then you’ll need to get a VPN app to do this such as ExpressVPN. This will let you unblock the streaming service that is showing the match letting you watch in any country.
Below I’ll show you how easy this is.
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How to watch the Rugby Autumn Internationals
If you’re outside the UK then you’ll need to grab a VPN app from ExpressVPN which will let you watch the Rugby Autumn Internationals on the free official streams from the UK.
A VPN app will cost you a couple of dollars. Just follow the steps below which show you where to get a VPN and how to use it to watch the Autumn Internationals.
How to watch the Rugby Autumn Internationals online:
- Visit ExpressVPN by clicking here and sign up for their service.
- Download their app and login when required.
- Press ‘Choose Location‘ (1).
- Then press ‘United Kingdom‘ (2).
- Wait for the app to connect or hit ‘Connect‘ if it’s not connecting automatically.
- Once the app has connected see below for where to watch each match.
Watch the Autumn Internationals with ExpressVPN.
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Where to watch each match now you’re connected
Now you’re connected you’ll need to visit the correct streaming service to watch your intended match.
The Scotland, Wales and Ireland games are being shown on the following official streaming services:
- Scotland – BBC iPlayer
- Wales – BBC iPlayer
- Ireland – Channel 4
Both services to watch the matches involving all three teams are free. You’ll need to create a free account on each to watch.
If you want to watch matches featuring England then you’ll need a Sky Sports account. So you’ll really need to be a Brit abroad to have any chance of watching those.
The games featuring Scotland, Wales and Ireland are available to anyone using a simple VPN app from ExpressVPN as explained above.
When are the games being shown?
The Rugby Autumn Internationals start on 3rd November and run right through until December 1st.
You can see the full schedule of matches below. All times given below are GMT/UTC.
Saturday, November 3rd
- Japan vs New Zealand, 5:45 am, TBC
- Wales vs Scotland, 2:45 pm, BBC iPlayer
- England vs South Africa, 3 pm, Sky Sports
- Ireland vs Italy, 10 pm, All 4
Saturday, November 10th
- Italy vs Georgia, 2 pm, TBC
- Scotland vs Fiji, 2:30 pm, BBC iPlayer
- England vs New Zealand, 3 pm, Sky Sports
- Wales vs Australia, 5:20 pm, BBC iPlayer
- Ireland vs Argentina, 6:30 pm, All 4
- France vs South Africa, 7:45 pm, TBC
Saturday, November 17th
- Italy vs Australia, 2 pm, TBC
- Wales vs Tonga, 2:30 pm, BBC iPlayer
- England vs Japan, 3 pm, Sky Sports
- Scotland vs South Africa, 5:20 pm, BBC iPlayer
- Ireland vs New Zealand, 7 pm, All 4
- France vs Argentina, 7:45 pm, TBC
Saturday, November 24th
- Italy vs New Zealand, 2 pm, TBC
- Scotland vs Argentina, 2:30 pm, BBC iPlayer
- England vs Australia, 3 pm, Sky Sports
- Wales vs South Africa, 5:20 pm, BBC iPlayer
- Ireland vs USA, 6:30 pm, All 4
- France vs Fiji, 7:45 pm, TBC
Saturday, December 1st
- Barbarians vs Argentina, 2:30 pm, BBC iPlayer
Just connect to ExpressVPN at the time of the match and then head over to the relevant streaming service above to watch the entire match live.
Are there alternative VPN services?
Yes, definitely. My recommended VPN service to watch the Rugby Autumn Internationals is ExpressVPN but there are other good providers available too.
If you want to look around at the available choices then I also recommend checking out the following providers:
All three providers listed above will allow you to watch the Rugby matches in any country in the world. Just follow the steps from earlier in this guide for any of the providers listed above.
Recap: How to watch the Rugby Autumn Internationals
To watch the Rugby Autumn Internationals in any country you’ll need to sign up for a VPN service.
My recommendation is to use ExpressVPN but you can use any of the three providers listed above.
Once you’ve signed up for a VPN service download and install their app. Then connect to the UK. You’ll now be able to watch the matches live on the streaming service listed above from any country in the world.
ExpressVPN has a massive 30-day money back guarantee so it’s completely risk-free too!
Who will you be supporting this year? I would love to know and hear your predictions. Why not post in the comments section below and let me know.
Check out these other great articles:
Amazon Prime specifically states that you cannot watch it via a VPN. Is this true?
Hi Jim,
Amazon does actively block VPN services but some are still able to access it.
Often it’s possible to access both US and UK Amazon with some providers and usually it works better when viewing on a computer web browser than, for example, an Amazon Fire TV Stick (although it is possible too).
It may be worthwhile signing up and trying in your setting on the type of device you want to watch on, if it doesn’t work then nearly every provider offers a 30-day money back guarantee so you’ve got plenty of time to try.
I live in Spain and when I tried to purchase a vpn from Express they said because I had a toshiba smart tv it would not work, I am still awaiting my refund! Any other suggestions?
Hi Lyn,
You’ll also need to make sure you have an Amazon UK Prime account as BBC no longer show the games as this is an article from the previous year.
Are you able to watch on a laptop / tablet? You could also link those via cable if you wanted to watch on the big screen. Alternatively, if you have an Amazon Fire TV Stick that would allow you to watch on your TV.
Autumn rugby internationals are being broadcast by Amazon Prime not Sky. Living in Spain this appears not to be available?
Hi Julie,
Sadly this article is from last year when they were available on the BBC. As you they’re now being shown on Amazon Prime.
It would work by using the ExpressVPN app but you’d also need a UK Amazon account with and Amazon Prime subscription to watch.
The Ireland games are being shown on Channel 4, so you could use a VPN app to watch those too.