The final round of the 2022 Guinness Six Nations kicks off this Saturday so grab a flag and prepare to cheer on England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, France and Italy as they battle it out for the Six Nations crown. The action starts Wales vs Italy at 2.15pm GMT. UK fans can watch every game free on BBC and ITV. Going to be abroad? Below, we'll explain how to watch a free England vs Ireland live stream from wherever you are with a VPN.
Date: 5th February – 19th March 2022
Nations: England, Scotland, Wales, France, Italy, Ireland
Free UK stream: BBC iPlayer / ITV Hub
Watch anywhere: Try ExpressVPN risk-free today
US stream: Peacock ($4.99/month)
AUS stream: Stan Sport (free trial)
Canada stream: DAZN (CAD$20/month)
Last time out, Grand Slam-chasers France overpowered Wales 13-9, Ireland beat England 32-15 and Scotland defeated the Azzurri 33-22 in Rome. Can anyone beat red-hot favourites France to the 2022 Six Nations title? We'll find out this Saturday...
Last year, Wayne Pivac's Wales were crowned Six Nations champions after France missed out on their first title in 11 years. Dan Biggar's hopes of leading the Red Dragons to a second consecutive Six Nations triumph have faded, however.
Ireland captain Johnny Sexton will be hoping to capitalise on his side victory over England with another win this weekend. The fly-half missed the France game with a mild hamstring injury but is back in the fold under the watchful eye of head coach Andy Farrell. Ireland have picked two uncapped players this year: Ulster full-back Michael Lowry and Australian-born Mack Hansen.
England, last year's fifth-place finishers, are hoping their youthful squad keeps them in contention for the title. Owen Farrell has been ruled out but the Red Roses squad features the likes of 22-year-old Harlequin Marcus Smith, who helped England seal victory over world champions South Africa last November.
| TEAM | PL | W | D | L | PD | BP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 56 | 2 | 18 |
| Ireland | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 84 | 4 | 16 |
| England | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 2 | 10 |
| Scotland | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -8 | 2 | 10 |
| Wales | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -27 | 2 | 6 |
| Italy | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -122 | 0 | 0 |
France coach Fabien Galthie named seven uncapped players for his 2022 Six Nations squad, including prop Daniel Bibi Biziwu. Charles Ollivon, who captained France in the previous two Six Nations Championships, is out with a knee injury scrum-half Antoine Dupont has been skippering the Les Bleus with aplomb.
As for Scotland, flanker Jamie Ritchie is out but Gregor Townsend has named five uncapped players, leading to some interesting decisions at hooker and inside centre.
As ever, momentum is everything in such an intense competition. Only three times in 22 editions of the Six Nations Championship has a team lost their first match and gone on to lift the trophy. That doesn't bode well for England or Wales.
We'll be following the finale of the 2022 Guinness Six Nations action live. UK fans can watch every game free on BBC and ITV. Here's how to watch a free Six Nations live stream from anywhere...
Watch the Six Nations 2022 for free online
In the UK? Every single 2022 Six Nations match will air live and in HD on either BBC or ITV.
All games will be streamed on BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub, making it easy to watch on a computer, laptop or mobile device. France TV's FR2 will also serve up free-to-air Six Nations coverage. C'est bon!
If you're a UK TV license holder outside of the country this weekend, simply use a VPN to unblock the free Six Nations live streams. Not used a VPN? It's easy – follow the step-by-step guide below.
Watch the Six Nations 2022 from abroad using a VPN
Even if you have subscribed to the relevant 2022 Guinness Six Nations rights holders, you won't be able to access them when outside your own country. The service will know your location based on your IP address, and will automatically block your access.
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) helps you get around this obstacle. VPNs are a doddle to use and create a private connection between your device and the internet, helping you access local streams from anywhere – and saving you money!
How to use a VPN
Using a VPN is incredibly simple.
1. Install the VPN of your choice. ExpressVPN is the one we recommend.
2. Open up the VPN app and choose the location of the service you wish to access. For the Six Nations, you may wish to choose 'UK' for BBC iPlayer or ITV Hub.
3. Then head over to BBC iPlayer or ITV Hub on your browser or device and enjoy the Six Nations live stream free of charge.
If, for whatever reason, you can't get it working, do remember that you have the comfort of a 30-day money back guarantee with ExpressVPN. You could also try NordVPN, which also comes with a 30-day money back guarantee, and Surfshark which offers 24 hour assistance.
Watch the Six Nations 2022 in the USA
NBC Sports will broadcast every match of the 2022 Six Nations in the States. The action will be streamed live on Peacock. Subscription costs $4.99 a month (with ads) or $9.99 a month (ad-free).
Peacock membership gets you full coverage of the 2022 Guinness Six Nations plus Premier League soccer, Premiership Rugby, blockbuster movies and TV boxsets such as The Office.
Remember: UK nationals who are outside the UK can stream the 2022 Six Nations free on BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub using a VPN. Follow the step-by-step guide above.
Watch the Six Nations 2022 in Australia
Stan is the place to watch all of the Six Nations in Australia and the good news is that there's a 7-day free trial of Stan Sport to try out. The subscription proper starts from $20 per month.
Remember: UK nationals who are outside the UK can watch the 2022 Six Nations free on BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub using a VPN. Details just above.
Watch the Six Nations 2022 in Ireland
Rugby fans in the Emerald Isle can enjoy free-to-air coverage of the Six Nations 2022 courtesy of RTE.
The coverage is also split with Virgin Media and is available on Virgin Media One. The Virgin Media Big Bundle costs €69 per month, which gets you 50+ TV channels and a set-top box complete with voice control.
Watch the Six Nations 2022 in Canada, Austria and Switzerland
Streaming service DAZN is the place to catch the 2022 Six Nations in Canada, Austria and Switzerland.
Those in Canada can subscribe for just CAD $20 a month, which includes Six Nations games as well as Premier League and Champions League soccer. DAZN membership costs around €12 a month in Switzerland and Austria.
Watch the 2022 Six Nations in South Africa
As ever, SuperSport is the place to watch the Six Nations in South Africa, Ethiopia, Benin, Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The African online sports channel will broadcast the games via its DStv satellite platform in South Africa. You can sign up to DStv here. Failing that, head to any bar in the Cape Town area.
One of the biggest African online sports channels, DStv also shows live FA Cup, Champions League, La Liga as well as rugby, tennis, golf, motorsport and cricket.
Six Nations 2022 fixtures and kick-off times
All times GMT
ROUND 5
Saturday 18th March 2022
Wales vs Italy - 2.15pm - BBC
Ireland vs Scotland - 4.45pm - ITV
France vs England - 8pm - ITV
Six Nations 2022 factfile
The Six Nations started in Swansea, with a rugby match between England and Wales on 16th December 1882. Fast forward 140 years and the Six Nations is the oldest and most prestigious rugby tournament in history.
The team that wins the 2022 Guinness Six Nations will be presented with the current trophy, which is made from 7kg of silver. It stands a whopping 75cm tall, which happens to be the same height as a standard bar stool.
No crowds were permitted to attend last year's tournament, but it's all change this year. It's game on with full crowds expected at London's Twickenham Stadium and Cardiff's Principality Stadium. The largest stadium in the 2022 Six Nations is Twickenham with 82,000 seats.
The Six Nations has been called off or abandoned only six times in its 138-year history, mostly during World War One and Two. In 1885, the clash was marked as 'incomplete' due to simmering tensions between England and Scotland. And in 1972, the Six Nations was left unresolved because of political unrest in Ireland.
Irish stout Guinness is title sponsor of the Men's Six Nations. Not a great surprise when you consider that Twickenham sells around 160,000 pints of Guinness worth an estimated £1 million at every single Six Nations match. Social media giant TikTok recently agreed a four-year deal to become the title sponsor of the Women's Six Nations. It's also an official partner of the Men's tournament this year.
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