Watch Six Nations 2023: live stream the rugby championship free

By Tom Bailey
last updated

Watch the final day of the Six Nations 2023 – will Ireland's Grand Slam dream become reality?

Gabin Villiere of France dives over to score a France try during the Guinness Six Nations rugby tournament.
(Image credit: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
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Watch Six Nations 2023 live stream

The Six Nations 2023 is over but you can watch the Six Nations 2024 from Friday, 2nd February. Once again, it's free to watch on BBC and ITV in the UK. Rugby fans can also watch for free via RTÉ in Ireland. Peacock TV and CNBC are the live broadcasters in the USA, DAZN is the network for Canadian rugby fans, and Stan Sport offers a Six Nations 2023 live stream in Australia. Use a VPN to watch your local stream from anywhere, if you are away from home.

Six Nations 2023 live stream: Preview

Rugby Union is back for 2023, starting with the annual Six Nations. And there's even more than usual riding on this season's tournament, what with the Six Nations 2023 serving as an important precursor to the World Cup in September.

Unbeaten Ireland will win the Six Nations tournament on Saturday if they win against England. France are still in with a chance, though.

France arrived in this season's competition as defending champions having powered their way to a memorable Grand Slam triumph in 2022, capping a year which saw Fabien Galthié's Les Bleus win all 10 of their international matches. Their dismantling of England puts them in contention for the title and there are a fair few permutations where that could happen. Realistically, Ireland need to lose, though, and ideally without any bonus points, from France's perspective.

While Les Blues play first in their match against Wales, and will be looking to at least put the pressure on, this Six Nations and Grand Slam is very much Irelands to lose. Can England spring a surprise, though?

It's all change for England, with Steve Borthwick replacing Eddie Jones as head coach, while Warren Gatland has returned to take the helm for Wales.

Of course, Ireland remain the bookies favourites to win this year's tournament outright. The Boys In Green's recent good form, including a huge 32-19 win over France, has ensured Andy Farrell's side now sit at number one in the world rankings and top of the Six Nations table with 19 points.

Traditional whipping boys Italy came into this tournament with an air of optimism after signs of improvement in 2022, but they remain bottom of the tournament table having played four and lost four too.

All games are free to view in the UK and Ireland. Here's how to watch a Six Nations 2023 live stream from anywhere. Next up: the final round on Super Saturday!

Watch Six Nations free live stream 2023

Viewers in the UK can stream the entire 2023 Six Nations for free via BBC iPlayer, ITVX and S4C. That's also the case in Ireland with RTÉ and Virgin Media Player sharing live broadcast duties

Outside of the UK or Ireland? Use a VPN to access any local stream from abroad. We recommend ExpressVPN as it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. 

Not used a VPN before? It's easy. Here's our step-by-step guide...

Watch Six Nations 2023 from abroad with a VPN

You won't be able to watch your regular Six Nations 2023 live stream while traveling abroad. The streaming service will spot that you're in a foreign country and block you. You can use a VPN (virtual private network) to get around this, though.

It's a straightforward piece of software which sets your device to appear as if it's in the right country, allowing you to watch any Six Nations 2023 live stream from anywhere in the world.

We rate ExpressVPN as the best VPN for the Six Nations. It offers a 30-day guarantee for all your money back if you're not happy with the service.

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Try ExpressVPN risk-free for 30 days
ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money back guarantee with its VPN service. You can use it to watch Six Nations 2023 live streams on your mobile, tablet, laptop, TV, games console and more. There's 24/7 customer support and three months free when you sign-up. Try it – it's easier than you think.

For the best value, try the 12-month subscription.

How to use a VPN for Six Nations 2023

Using a VPN to watch Six Nations 2023 is incredibly easy:

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 ITVX.

3. Then head over to BBC iPlayer or ITVX on your browser or device and enjoy the free Six Nations 2023 live stream.

Watch Six Nations 2023 in the UK

Coverage of the tournament is once again shared between ITV and the BBC, while S4C will also offer Welsh-language coverage of one game from each round.

ITV is set to show every England, France, Ireland and Italy home match, while the BBC has the rights to every Wales and Scotland home match. 

This means its a piece of cake to watch Six Nations 2023 matches free on the ITVX and BBC iPlayer websites or mobile apps (live and on catch up). 

Remember: use a VPN to access either service when travelling outside of the UK.

Watch Six Nations 2023 in Ireland

Like the UK, you'll be able to watch every match of 2023 Six Nations for free in Ireland.

Free-to-air networks RTE and Virgin Media are once again sharing live broadcast duties.

That also means you'll be able to stream every game live via either RTÉ Player, or Virgin Media Player, with both services available across a wide range of devices. 

Don't forget: Irish nationals can live stream every match free of charge while abroad with a VPN.

Watch Six Nations 2023 in Australia

Streaming service Stan Sport has the rights to show every match of the 2023 Six Nations live in Australia, and will be broadcasting every game ad-free.

A Stan Sport subscription currently costs $10 per month in addition to a base $10 Stan membership. However, you can take advantage of a 7-day free trial.

As well as the Six Nations, Stan Sport also has the rights to a long list of top tier sports, including Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League football, and Formula E.

Out of Australia? Use a VPN to access your local stream when away from home.

Watch Six Nations 2023 in the USA

Every match of this year's Six Nations will be available to watch in the US via Peacock TV and CNBC.

Peacock starts at $4.99 a month for its ad-supported tier, which will also give you access to a wide range of live sports including Six Nations, EPL soccer, Premiership Rugby and more.

There's also the option of using a cable-replacement service:

Sling TV ($20 for your first month) doesn't include CNBC. But, add Sling News Extra for $6 a month more, and hey presto, you've got CNBC (and much more besides). 

FuboTV offers more than 100 additional channels including CNBC as well as Fox, CBS and ESPN. It's pricier at $74.99 a month, but new users get a free 7-day trial.

Don't forget: UK fans visiting the USA can stream every match free of charge while abroad with a VPN.

Watch Six Nations 2023 in New Zealand

Kiwi's can watch Six Nations 2023 action courtesy of Sky Sport, which is available as part of a range of pay TV packages. 

If you're a subscriber you'll also be able to watch online using the country's Sky Go service

If you're looking to cut the cords, you can try the Sky Sport Now streaming-only platform - where a pass costs $19.99 per week or $39.99 per month. The monthly package comes with a 7-day free trial.

Don't forget: UK nationals can live stream every match for free while abroad with a VPN.

Six Nations 2023 live stream in South Africa

Super Sport has rugby fans covered for live Six Nations matches in South Africa.

And if you're not going to be able to watch on your TV, you can also tune in via the network's streaming service for PC and Mac, as well as via SuperSport's dedicated app.

Watch Six Nations 2023 in Canada

Streaming service DAZN is showing every game of the 2023 Six Nations live in Canada.

A DAZN subscription will currently set you back CA$24.99 a month or $199.99 a year. 

As well as giving you every Six Nations 2023 match, DAZN also has exclusive rights in Canada to Champions League, Europa League and EFL Championship soccer, while the serve has dedicated apps for a wide variety of mobile devices, set top boxes and smart TVs.

Don't forget: Canadian nationals can live stream every match free of charge while abroad with a VPN.

Watch Six Nations 2023 in Singapore and Asia

This year's Six Nations will covered live across large parts of Asia by Premier Sports.

The network is set to show every game live in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

A weekly pass for Premier Sports Asia will currently set you back $25.99, but there's savings to be had if you opt for a rolling six-month contract at $89.99 or $129.99 for a full year.

Premier Sports Asia is largely focused on rugby, with a subscription giving you access to Heineken Champions Cup, Gallagher Premiership, Super Rugby Pacific and Rugby Championship action.

Don't forget: Asian nationals can live stream every match free of charge while abroad with a VPN.

Six Nations 2023 fixtures, times and dates

Guinness Six Nations 2023 draw

(Image credit: Six Nations / Guinness)

All times in GMT:

Round 5

Saturday, Mar 18 - Scotland vs Italy, 12.30pm

Saturday, Mar 18 - France v Wales, 2.45pm

Saturday Mar 18 - Ireland v England, 5pm

Six Nations 2023 tickets

Tickets to watch Six Nations 2023 matches are among the hottest during the sporting calendar, but its relatively straightforward to get hold of them. 

As ever, each Union has its own ticketing procedure, so the first step to purchasing a ticket is to sign up to the mailing lists of the Union you support. If you're looking to travel to away matches, make sure to check out each Union’s information resource or official travel partner for packages.

Check out your options from the relevant Union below:

Which team has won the most Six Nations?

England currently stand as the most successful team in the Six Nations team, having won the tournament seven times.

Defending champions France and Wales meanwhile are tied for the most Grand Slams - having won all five of their fixtures in a season on four occasions, with  England and Ireland having both pulled off the feat twice.

Scotland's have yet to win the Six Nations, but the Thistle were the final team to win the tournament in its five nations format back in 1999.

Wales has won the six nations six times, Ireland four times and France five, while Italy, who joined the tournament at the start of the century, have yet to come close to lifting the northern hemisphere's biggest prize. 

Tom Bailey

Tom is a journalist, copywriter and content designer based in the UK. He has written articles for T3, ShortList, The Sun, The Mail on Sunday, The Daily Telegraph, Elle Deco, The Sunday Times, Men's Health, Mr Porter, Oracle and many more (including What Hi-Fi?). His specialities include mobile technology, electric vehicles and video streaming.