How to watch Rugby this week/weekend
For us here in Canada the big exciting news is that our fabulous Women now ranked third in the World after their defeat of Australia last weekend in the Pacific Four Series now face the ultimate challenge this weekend of facing up to New Zealand’s Black Ferns in their own backyard in the wee hours of Sunday morning (Eastern Time). Super Rugby Pacific is in its frantic final rounds of regular season games, with New Zealand sides looking ominous already as we close in on the playoffs. Australian sides are starting to show their customary signs of being unable to compete with their Trans Tasman rivals as they head towards the business end of the tournament, while Fijian Drua look set to spoil a few parties. URC action continues this weekend and with it the final race to the playoffs. Also if you’ve been watching Riaan Louw’s YouTube videos you’ve probably been wondering how to watch Chasing the Sun, the documentary on the Springboks World Cup campaign. Well Season 2 which chronicles their most recent triumph is still unavailable in this country but on Rugby Pass TV (which is free) you can catch the first Season which profiled their 2019 triumph.
Here’s a quick summary of who shows what in Canada.
Premier Sports Asia (VPN to an Asian server required): URC, (Investec formerly Heineken) Champions Cup, Six Nations, Super Rugby Pacific, Rugby Championship, Premiership Rugby
Flo Rugby (VPN to a US Server required for everything except Champions and Challenge Cup): URC, (Investec formerly Heineken) Champions Cup and Challenge Cup, TOP 14
Sportsnet+ (No VPN required) – URC and Premiership Rugby
DAZN (No VPN required): Six Nations (For now the Men’s Edition but also probably the Women’s Edition in April)
Stan Sport (VPN to an Australian server required) – Premiership Rugby, Super Rugby Pacific, Six Nations, The Rugby Championship
TSN+ (No VPN required) – They will be showing live this year’s Super Rugby Pacific and as a result we imagine Ireland’s Tour to South Africa and England’s Tour to New Zealand along with the Rugby Championship in the summer (though the majority of the Internationals ie Tours and Rugby Championship should also be on some of their TV channels as well)
Here’s what we know:
Summer Tests and Tours: Premier Sports Asia always have the whole lot along with Stan Sport and FLO Rugby and TSN usually has England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales’ tours to the Southern Hemisphere in July.
Autumn Internationals: Premier Sports Asia, FLO Rugby US, Stan Sport and DAZN usually show all the internationals live and on demand. DAZN does not require a VPN but FLO, Premier and Stan do. All four platforms have the games live and on demand.
Premiership Rugby (England): Sportsnet+ ,Premier Sports Asia and FLO Rugby with the latter two often having the superior on demand coverage
United Rugby Championship (replaces the PRO14): Premier Sports Asia and FLO Rugby as well as some games free to air on a mix of BBC and RTE Ireland. There is also URC TV which works the same way as EPCR TV for the Heineken Cup but doesn’t show any of the knockout rounds but is pretty cheap at $52 Canadian a year and for the most part does not require a VPN. Sportsnet+ is also showing the URC but given its limited coverage, high price and spotty on demand availability we don’t recommend it.
Investec (formerly Heineken) Champions and Challenge Cup – Premier Sports Asia and FLO Rugby (live and on demand). There will also be some games available live and on demand on a mixture of the UK’s Channel 4, BBC, RTE Ireland and France 2.
Rugby Championship: Premier Sports Asia, Stan Sport and Flo Rugby with all 3 having the superior on demand coverage to TSN. TSN apparently had broadcast rights again this year.
TOP 14 (France) – FLO Rugby. It’s also on TV5 which is available to Rogers Ignite subscribers on TV so that is also an option.
Pacific Four Series – TSN and World Rugby live and on demand
Pacific Nations Cup – Most probably TSN and FLO Rugby live and on demand
Six Nations (Men and Women’s) – DAZN, Stan Sport and Premier Sports Asia (as well as free on BBC and ITV with a VPN). FLO Rugby also has it but games are only available on demand a week after they have been played so not really much use. FLO Rugby has only the Women’s Six Nations and requires a VPN.
Super Rugby Pacific – TSN+ (with probably limited on demand games and being only web based so good luck catching those 1 and 3 AM kickoff times), Premier Sports Asia and FLO Rugby with the latter two having the superior on demand coverage
Major League Rugby – The Rugby Network for live and on demand coverage
WXV – This is a new annual Womens’ tournament set up by World Rugby and played in October/November. Canada will feature in the Top Tier and as a result TSN and Stan Sport will be broadcasting all the Tier 1 games with Stan also having the Tier 2 and 3 action. Rugby Pass TV for the other Tiers in the competition which is free service .
As things change we’ll keep you updated particularly if there are cheaper options. As several of you have pointed out, for some of the club competitions such as the URC and Heineken Cup, you can often get games on YouTube free sometimes only a few hours after the games have been played live, but scouring the net can often give the score away if you’re not careful and if that’s an important criteria for your rugby viewing enjoyment then be warned – but it’s still an option if you’re reluctant to shell out.
Providers that work in Canada
Like we say, Premier Sports Asia has long been our preferred viewing source, but now does require accessing it through a VPN and a Hong Kong/Singapore server to view. At $35 Canadian a month it’s a good deal and gets you everything barring the TOP 14 in France. However, Six Nations (Men and Womens’), U20s Six Nations, English Premiership, URC, Summer Tours, Super Rugby Pacifica, Rugby Championship, Heineken (Champions) Cup and Autumn Internationals are all there so it’s definitely worth it. The annual plan is a pretty good deal at $169 USD (approximately $215 CDN). Since this week, you now need a VPN to access it and as always we use Express VPN and a Hong Kong server with no problems. Follow the link down below and once on the web page go to where it says continue to main site. Do not try and download the Apps as these don’t work in Canada, but streaming from the website whether on iPad, laptop or phone (Android and iPhone) works just fine. You still have to list your country as one of the ones listed in the drop down menu when you sign up as Canada is not listed – we normally use Hong Kong or Singapore, but you can pay with a Canadian credit card. Some people have tried to download the app, but be advised you CANNOT access its content through any of the apps either for Apple or Google Play you can ONLY access the content through the website below. There is a way to access it through the app but it is not that straightforward. Here is the link to the main website:
https://www.premiersportsasia.com/
The other possibility is US based service Flo Rugby which has a growing body of competitions it now covers and a solid live and on demand service. It has much of the same content with the exception of the Six Nations and Premiership, as Premier Sports Asia but is a wee bit more expensive at almost $50 CDN monthly but quite reasonable at $200 CDN a year, however despite their customer service team saying you don’t need a VPN connected to a US server, we have been unable to do so without, but like Premier its on demand service is generally very good and also their feed quality is slightly higher at times than Premier’s. An interesting note is you can take out a subscription to FLO Rugby in Canada and when you log into your account you can watch the Champions and Challenge Cup games without a VPN but if you try to watch any of the other games on the site like TOP 14, Super Rugby or the URC you will need to be connected to a VPN linked to a US server. It’s an increasingly solid service and although not quite having as much content as Premier it’s becoming an increasingly solid choice.
https://www.florugby.com/signup?go=%2F
Our new option in this country is Stan Sport Australia. However, accessing it does require a VPN connected to an Australia server and so far you can only access it via the website on a computer or an Ipad. If you try and access it through the website on either your phone even with a VPN it will require you to download the app on your phone which even with a VPN will not work, so it’s computer/iPad or nothing. However, it is pretty straightforward and you can just connect your laptop to your TV with an HDMI cable. It costs approximately $21 CDN a month. You have to take out a subscription to Stan Basic first at $10 AUD a month and then add Stan Sport to it at $15 AUD a month. The whole package is $25 AUD a month which works out at approximately $21 CDN. They cover Super Rugby Pacific and the Six Nations and when they resume the Summer and Fall Tours. Its an excellent quality feed and has superb live and on demand coverage.
You will need an Australian postal code in order to use it, but that is not a problem, we just chose a random caravan park in Australia and used it as our address and were able to access its content no problem and pay with a Canadian credit card. Just remember you have to be connected to an Australian server through a VPN when trying to access the site’s content. Important note though is that unlike many overseas sites, interestingly you have to log into/create your Stan account without being connected to an Australian server on a VPN, but once logged in you will have to then connect to an Australian server with a VPN to watch any of the content. Also because we have only managed to make it work through the website on a computer, you’ll need to connect your laptop to your TV via an HDMI cable unless you can also connect your Chromecast to the same Australian server.
TSN+ will have Super Rugby Pacific again this year. However, for the Rugby World Cup TSN+ had all the games in addition and including the ones being shown on TSN TV channels and only costs $8 a month and gives you full live and on demand access, useful if you forget to set that PVR. Still their on demand coverage can sometimes be a bit hit and miss, but unlike Stan Sport, FLO Rugby and Premier Sports Asia and others you don’t need a VPN which makes it much easier to watch on your TV if you want to cast. They are also showing the WXV Top Tier which is the annual global women’s competition. They should also have the Summer Tours to the Southern Hemisphere and the Rugby Championship. Here is their Super Rugby Pacific Broadcast Schedule.
Sportsnet+ has the URC and English Premiership but it’s expensive at $35 a month or $250 a year CDN especially given the fact they only cover two competitions but their live and on demand coverage is fairly good. Here is the link to subscribe:
https://secure.sportsnetplus.ca/pricing
DAZN has an occasional foray into the rugby broadcast landscape in Canada. They showed all the Autumn Nations series last year played by the Six Nations competitors England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. They also will broadcast the Six Nations (Men and Women’s) this year as well as the Under 20s Six Nations. They will also be showing up to 15 of the World Cup warm-up games this summer played by the Six Nations competitors. DAZN is $30 CDN a month. There is no buildup with DAZN but halftime is no longer simply an endless rotation of NFL scores and statistics, as they at least show highlights of the first half. They usually don’t announce any of their rugby listings until literally days before kick off for some strange reason. (Not very good marketing if you ask us)
https://www.dazn.com/en-CA/sport/Sport:59zkrmozaazlyumpmqw5hpdp7
For those interested in the English Premiership along with MLR you can catch all the games free live and on demand on the Rugby Network based out of the US. You will need to be connected to a US server to watch the Premiership games though.
https://www.therugbynetwork.com/
Also for the lower level Tiers of the WXV you can catch that on Rugby Pass TV which is also free and has some other interesting rugby content.
As always a big shout out to Brian Barber in Victoria who continues to excel at digging up some of these viewing sources.
We’ve added a Podcast to our repertoire! It is also available on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify among others. This week we look ahead to Canada’s penultimate game in the Pacific Four Series against New Zealand’s mighty Black Ferns and increasingly heated playoff races in the URC and Super Rugby Pacific.
We’re competing in a SuperBru Pool just for fun this year. We’re competing in a URC, Super Rugby Pacific and Champions Cup pools. For those of you not familiar with it – it’s just a fun predictor game, there is no betting or financial transactions involved, and it’s a free service. All you have to do is set up a profile, join in the fun and see how your rugby knowledge matches up to predicting accurate results. If you watch Two Cents Rugby you’ll know he’s a big fan of the service and pretty good at it from what we can gather.
Investec (formerly Heineken) Champions and Challenge Cup
We have to admit that this has always been one of our annual favorites and in terms of the best of International Club competition it’s hard to beat, especially with South African teams now added to this European Competition. While its format remains slightly messy along with the route to the knockout stages, there is no denying that it is a festival of high octane European and South African club rugby that will keep us glued to our TV screens now that the Pool stages are done and the Finals take center stage this month. Best of all our viewing options in this country are now slightly easier than they have been in the past, even though they require a VPN and a subscription to one of the providers. However, Premier Sports Asia and FLO Rugby out of the US have you covered. There are plenty of highlights of the first two rounds on YouTube if you missed the action but here’s a good place to start. Remember if you’re watching on FLO it’s the only competition you can watch on their service in Canada without a VPN.
https://www.youtube.com/@InvestecChampionsCup
Caught your breath yet? What a weekend that was as the Semi Finals were spectacular. We’re set up for a very special final as two of the greats of European rugby Toulouse and Leinster get set to square up against each other as a result. We were also treated to some quality Challenge Cup semis and can now look forward to a Sharks/Gloucester final.
If you missed some nail-biting semi finals here are the highlights:
United Rugby Championship
The annual tournament between South African, Welsh, Scottish, Irish and Italian franchises continues this weekend with the last two rounds to go before the knockouts, expect some tense encounters ahead this weekend. Our picks start on Friday in Scotland as Edinburgh host Ireland’s Munster. The Irishmen are showing a blistering run of form of late and a big win here could secure them a home quarter final. Then on Saturday, much as it did last weekend, our focus shifts to the action in South Africa. Italy’s Benetton buoyed by a narrow win over the Sharks last weekend, face the much tougher prospect of a trip to the highveld to face the most formidable South African outfit the Bulls. That’s followed by the Lions who suddenly find themselves within reach of a playoff spot hosting a stacked Scottish outfit in the shape of Glasgow Warriors. Our attention then shifts to the West Coast of Ireland, as Connacht who find themselves just outside the last eight, host South Africa’s Stormers who will certainly fancy their chances and who sit fifth on the log. Finally, we stay in Ireland as Ulster host Leinster, and although the men from Dublin are comfortably into the last eight, Ulster simply can’t afford to lose this one, as some big results from some of their rivals could see them shunted out of the last eight after this weekend.
Edinburgh vs Munster – Friday, May 17th – 2:35 PM (Eastern) – Sportsnet+, FLO Rugby and Premier Sports Asia (live and on demand)
Bulls vs Benetton – Saturday, May 18th – 8:00 AM (Eastern) – Sportsnet+, FLO Rugby and Premier Sports Asia (live and on demand)
Lions vs Glasgow – Saturday, May 18th – 10:05 AM (Eastern) – Sportsnet+, FLO Rugby and Premier Sports Asia (live and on demand)
Connacht vs Stormers – Saturday, May 18th – 12:05 PM (Eastern) – Sportsnet+, FLO Rugby and Premier Sports Asia (live and on demand)
Ulster vs Leinster – Saturday, May 18th – 2:35 PM (Eastern) – Sportsnet+, FLO Rugby and Premier Sports Asia (live and on demand)
Super Rugby Pacific
The Annual Southern Hemisphere club competition’s regular season is in its final regular season stages, featuring teams from New Zealand, Australia, and a representative team each from Samoa and Fiji. Australian sides have struggled in the past few years, making the competition essentially a showpiece of New Zealand rugby as their sides have utterly dominated the tournament, and this year is already starting to show much of the same trend. However, the new kids on the block Fijian Drua are also making some serious waves, and their home games in the Islands are glorious celebrations of passionate rugby at its best. Many are tipping the Drua to do well in the competition this year after Fiji’s stellar exploits at last year’s World Cup.
This weekend there are some interesting Trans Tasman tussles which will be of keen interest to the Wallaby selectors and new Coach Joe Schmidt. On Friday Moana Pasifika travel to Wellington to take on the seemingly unstoppable Hurricanes. Australia’s Rebels who refuse to lay down and quit despite the franchise being in receivership have the tough task of hosting New Zealand’s Chiefs in Melbourne. Then there is a fascinating encounter in Suva as Fijian Drua host Australia’s Reds. The Reds are assured of a spot in the playoffs, but the Drua need to reassert the fact that they are seemingly unbeatable at home in the islands. On Saturday, New Zealand’s Crusaders will make a last ditch attempt at the playoffs when they travel to Canberra to take on Australia’s best side the Brumbies.
As mentioned above TSN+ will be broadcasting all the games see schedule below, along with Premier Sports Asia, Flo Rugby and Stan Sport Australia, however unlike TSN+ a VPN is required to access these broadcasters.
Hurricanes vs Moana Pasifika – Friday, May 17th – 3:05 AM (Eastern) – TSN+, Flo Rugby, Premier Sports Asia and Stan Sport Australia (live and on demand)
Rebels vs Chiefs – Friday, May 17th – 5:35 AM (Eastern) – TSN+, Flo Rugby, Premier Sports Asia and Stan Sport Australia (live and on demand)
Fijian Drua vs Reds – Friday, May 17th – 10:05 PM (Eastern) – TSN+, Flo Rugby, Premier Sports Asia and Stan Sport Australia (live and on demand)
Brumbies vs Crusaders – Saturday, May 18th – 12:35 AM (Eastern) – TSN+, Flo Rugby, Premier Sports Asia and Stan Sport Australia (live and on demand)
Pacific Four Series
Our extraordinary Canadian women are back in action this weekend with their biggest game of the year so far as they travel to New Zealand for their final game in the Pacific Four Series. Their excellent win against Australia last weekend allowed them to climb the World Rankings to that coveted third place. This Sunday, though it’s a really tough assignment for Canada as they take on New Zealand’s Black Ferns in Christchurch. New Zealand looked ominous in their 57-7 thumping of the USA last weekend, but Canada looked of to be of comparable quality when they faced the USA last month. You will be able to watch the game live on World Rugby’s site, see details below. We also are able to confirm that TSN will be showing it delayed on TSN 2 but live on TSN+. The WXV Tier one competition at the end of this year will be held in BC and we are fairly confident that Canada, provided they finish in the top 3 of the Pacific Four series, will be represented. So start making travel plans for November!!!!! You can also catch the Australia/USA game on both TSN+ and Rugby Pass.
If you missed the games against the USA and Australia here are the highlights:
A couple of you have asked how to find these games on Rugby Pass TV as for reasons best known to themselves they don’t appear in the schedule listings on their website. However if you type in Pacific Four in the Search bar all the games come up, though playback has been a problem, but either way TSN or World Rugby have you covered. As TSN is showing the games as well, you can also watch them on Rugby Pass live or on demand but will need to log into a foreign server, we used Hong Kong.
Australia vs USA – Friday, May 11th – 2:40 AM (Eastern) – TSN+ and Rugby Pass TV (live and on demand)
New Zealand vs Canada – Sunday, May 19th – 12:20 AM (Eastern) – TSN+ and Rugby Pass TV (live and on demand) and TSN 2 (delayed at 8 AM Eastern also on Sunday)
https://www.wxvrugby.com/format
https://www.world.rugby/tournaments/pacific-four-series/2024
Canadian Rugby
With no teams from North of the 49th Parallel represented in this year’s MLR, we are a bit short on opportunities to catch Canadian players in action apart from our stellar Women’s’ team. However, a big shout out to Brian Barber on the West Coast for this gem of information regarding the ability to watch BC rugby.
Visit BC Rugby News for local and national news, plus access to recorded full matches with a $20/yr subscription.
Major League Rugby
With no Canadian teams in the league this year, it is an All American affair and therefore of rather diminished interest to us here in Canada. However, a lot of Canadian players are playing in the league so it’s definitely worth a look. The action kicks off on March 2nd and you’ll be able to catch all the games live and on demand for free on the Rugby Network.
General Internet Listings for following International Rugby
Of big excitement was the Netflix documentary “Full Contact” series on the Six Nations akin to the “Drive to Survive” series they do on Formula 1. It aired on January 26th.
Our YouTube favorite is Squidge Rugby. His highly entertaining and insightful videos on our glorious sport have become the The Lineout’s number one YouTube go to location for quite some time now. The videos are well put together and the analysis is absolutely top drawer. They have some fascinating insights into the topic being discussed and have a production value that is both highly amusing and ingenious. Well worth your time and more than likely to put a smile on your face over a cup of coffee and provide some talking points with your rugby mates. Here’s his take on the importance of Jamison Gibson-Park to not only Leinster but Ireland as well, as well as his take on how South Africa won last year’s World Cup but was deleted from the Internet by World Rugby over ridiculous copyright allegations (so much for growing the game) along with a look at Handre Pollard.
Here’s the link to his channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu2oaGQ6Dds6g9lqfexUFbQ
For a contrasting opinion from New Zealand and our other fan favorite we also really like Two Cents Rugby on YouTube. Mark is an enthusiastic Kiwi fan who knows his players and the game and probably has the most extensive rugby jersey collection on the net. Along with the mighty Squidge his opinions are so respected that both are now regular contributors to such sites as Planet Rugby.
Here is his look at last weekends Champions Cup semi-finals and how the Super Rugby playoff race is panning out :
And here’s the link to his channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@TwoCentsRugby/videos
In our opinion, we enjoy Eggchasers the most as an objective English perspective on the global game. As with all of these outstanding YouTubers, get behind his work and support his solid content. Here’s his look at the race to the URC playoffs:
And from South Africa here’s one of our new favorites Riaan Louw. Get behind his work and enjoy this latest addition to our roundup of contrasting views from around the globe. He reviewed the new Chasing the Sun documentary which profiles the Springboks successful 2023 World Cup campaign, which sadly we have been unable to watch here in Canada. However Series 1 which profiled South Africa’s 2019 World Cup win, is now available in this country on Rugby Pass TV which is free, so go catch it see link below:
Talking of Chasing the Sun Season 1 which chronicled South Africa’s 2019 World Cup triumph you can catch it for free on Rugby Pass TV see link below. Just sign up for a free account.
https://rugbypass.tv/section/Springboks
Our favorite site is Rugby Pass who some of you may remember used to broadcast huge amounts of Rugby out of Hong Kong and was a lifeline for many of us with a VPN in the days when accessing international rugby in this country was like trying to find the proverbial needle in a haystack. Although they are no longer in the broadcasting business their site hosts a huge amount of rugby content and articles on the various aspects of the modern international game. There are documentary videos and weekly specials as well as a ton of in depth rugby journalism and like Ultimate Rugby if you like your stats it’s a good place to go. What we also appreciate is the fact that it’s a great place to go for news on the Women’s side of the game which sadly gets neglected by a lot of other rugby media. It’s free for the most part but for a $10 CDN annual fee you get additional access to some premium video content and articles. It’s well worth a visit:
One of the most comprehensive site for International Rugby news is without doubt Planet Rugby although we’ve felt that they seem to be going down the path of quantity rather than quality in terms of their journalism recently and also as far as they are concerned they Women’s side of the game doesn’t seem to exist, but it’s still a useful clearing house of rugby news, see link below:
For following the games if you can’t watch them either on the Internet or Television then they always have a very useful live tracking feature for all the big games, both for the Six Nations and Super Rugby as well as the World Cup. This allows you to get minute by minute updates on the games as they progress on either your computer or smart phone. If you’re on the road, this is a fabulous tool and best of all it’s free, along with their excellent coverage of the world game, and discussion forums (but be prepared to be shot down in flames by some of the more die hard fans if they feel your opinions aren’t well founded). If you’re a rugby fanatic then it’s pretty easy to lose time on this website and well worth a weekly or daily visit.
Another source of excellent international rugby coverage especially for video is Ultimate Rugby. Its video coverage features highlights, interviews and other interesting tidbits of rugby trivia and is a great place to go if you love your stats. Nicely produced and well worth spending some time at. It also has a live match tracker like Planet Rugby and one which you can actually post comments on as the action unfolds which is a nice feature.
There is a series on Amazon Prime documenting the All Blacks 2017 season “All or Nothing” which had plenty of ups and downs similar to the roller coaster ride the team is on at the moment. There are a lot of fascinating parallels with last year, and an insight on some of the personalities involved so is well worth a watch – see link below for a description and if you’re a Prime member well worth a watch:
https://www.primevideo.com/detail/0PYZDJFM7UAHE0SMHZXPPIW9YF/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r
As always thanks to everyone for checking in, and getting our visitors over the 100,000 mark, including 800+ regular followers.
Take care everyone and stay safe.
The Lineout 