How to Watch The Rugby Championship in USA & Abroad in 2024: Stream Rugby Online Anywhere
The Rugby Championship provides an unforgettable experience as the four Southern Hemisphere rugby powerhouses clash. If you have the matches on your watchlist, but don’t have an ideal streaming service, worry not. Read this guide to learn where and how to watch the Rugby Championship in USA states and abroad..
Written by Samson Kiarie (Writer)
Reviewed by Valentina Bravo (Editor)
Facts checked by Jasna Mishevska (Lead Fact-Checking Editor)
Last Updated: 2024-10-17T04:06:50+00:00
All our content is written fully by humans; we do not publish AI writing. Learn more here.
Key Takeaways: How to Stream The Rugby Championship 2024
- Go to NordVPN’s website and sign up at a 73% discount.
- Connect to a server in Australia.
- Create a free account with 9Now (AU).
- Watch some of The Rugby Championship games for free.
Best VPNs for Streaming The Rugby Championship:
- NordVPN — Premium protection and a wealth of features. A 73% discount is available for users who choose NordVPN’s extended subscription options.
- Surfshark — Budget-friendly VPN with unlimited connections. New Surfshark subscribers get up to 86% reduced rates on long-term commitments.
- ExpressVPN — Beginner-friendly VPN with expert-level features. Explore ExpressVPN’s features with a 30-day return policy, and grab extended plans at a 49% discount.
What to know about The Rugby Championship:
- Live Streams: The Rugby Championship is available for streaming on selected services in the U.K. (Sky Sports and Now), U.S. (FloRugby), Australia (9Now and Stan Sport) and Africa (SuperSport).
- Watch for Free: Most of these streaming services aren’t free. If you want to watch Rugby Championship for free, your best bet is 9Now, which is exclusively available in Australia. Just keep in mind that it will only show the Wallabies games.
- Bypass Restrictions: NordVPN is the best VPN to access The Rugby Championship, thanks to its fast speeds and unblocking ability. Surfshark is a cheaper alternative.
Four Southern Hemisphere rugby beasts — Australia, Argentina, New Zealand and South Africa — lock horns in the 13th edition of The Rugby Championship between Aug. 10 and Sept. 28. There are 12 games on offer, with each team playing six games in the battle for supremacy. Who will clinch the title? Read on to learn how to watch the Rugby Championship in USA states and abroad.
The tournament is back to its usual 12-match format this year after being shortened in 2023 because of the Rugby World Cup. Sadly, the matches are unavailable on popular sports streaming services such as ESPN, but fret not. In this guide, we’ll show you how to livestream the 12 games from anywhere.
Remember that some streaming options, particularly the free ones, might not be available in the U.S. You’ll need one of the best VPNs (read our best VPN guide) to circumvent geoblocks. NordVPN is the best VPN to livestream the Rugby Championship, but we’ll reveal its worthy alternative to give you more options.
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08/08/2024
We added up-to-date information on the 2024 Rugby Championship.
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10/01/2024
We refreshed these rankings based on the latest VPN testing and market analysis.
Where to Watch The Rugby Championship: Free, Cheap & Premium Options
The Rugby Championship (formerly Tri-Nations) is available on a few broadcasters across various regions. Sadly, if you’re in the U.S., the tournament isn’t available on popular sports streaming sites like ESPN, but you’re not out of luck. There are multiple options to livestream the games.
Which Streaming Services Have the 2024 Rugby Championship?
We compiled a list of Rugby Championship streaming platforms and countries where they are available. We’ll also highlight which services have free plans or free trials and the games they broadcast on the free plans.
| Service: | Country | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 9Network (9Now) | 🇦🇺Australia | Free (Wallabies games) |
| Stan Sport | 🇦🇺Australia | 7-day free trial, from $12 per month. You also need the Stan Sport add-on at $15 per month (all games) |
| FloSports* | 🇺🇸USA | $29.99 per month (all games) |
| Now Sports | 🇬🇧UK | £34.99 per month |
| Sky Sports | 🇳🇿New Zealand | NZ$49.99 per month |
| SuperSport | 🌍South Africa | (all games) |
| TSN | 🇨🇦Canada | CA$19.99 per month |
| Canal Plus | 🇫🇷France | €29.99 per month |
| Movistar+ | 🇪🇸Spain | €20 per month |
If any of these streaming services is unavailable in your country, fret not. You can now access overseas streaming services (say, Australia) from anywhere using a VPN and livestream the games as if you were in Australia. We’ll reveal how to use a VPN to watch the Rugby Championship, so stand by.
How Can I Watch Rugby Championship for Free?
You can’t livestream the entire tournament for free. However, if you’re operating on a budget, you can watch selected games free of charge. To that end, Stan Sport and 9Now would be your best bets.
All Australian games will air on 9Network, so you can watch half the tournament for free. In other words, with 9Network, you’ll watch the following games for free:
- Australia vs South Africa (x2)
- Australia vs Argentina (x2)
- Australia vs New Zealand (x2)
On the other hand, Stan Sport offers new subscribers a seven-day free trial on the sports add-on that broadcasts the Rugby Championship. That means if you subscribe on the tournament’s first day, you’ll be able to watch the first four games for free.
The only minor quibble is that Stan Sport and 9Network are exclusively available to Australian residents. If you’re outside the country, you’ll need a VPN with a server in Australia to access either streaming service.
Rugby Championship 2024: Match Schedule
The Rugby Championship is a 12-game tournament that pits four rugby titans against each other: Australia, Argentina, New Zealand and South Africa.
The heart-pounding action will begin on Aug. 10, with the final round on Sept. 28. Each team will play six games in a home-away format.
Here’s the complete match schedule:
| Round & Dates | Matches | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1️ (Saturday, Aug. 10) | 🇦🇺Australia 🆚 🇿🇦South Africa | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, AU |
| 🇳🇿New Zealand 🆚 🇦🇷Argentina | Sky Stadium, Wellington, NZ | |
| Round 2 (Saturday, Aug. 17) | 🇳🇿New Zealand 🆚 🇦🇷Argentina | Eden Park Stadium, Auckland, NZ |
| 🇦🇺Australia 🆚 🇿🇦South Africa | Optus Stadium, Perth, AU | |
| Round 3 (Saturday, Aug. 31) | 🇿🇦South Africa 🆚 🇳🇿New Zealand | Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg, SA |
| 🇦🇷Argentina 🆚 🇦🇺Australia | Estadio Jorge Luis Hirschi, La Plata, ARG | |
| Round 4 (Saturday, Sept. 7) | 🇿🇦South Africa 🆚 🇳🇿New Zealand | DHL Stadium, Cape Town, SA |
| 🇦🇷Argentina 🆚 🇦🇺Australia | Estadio Brigadier Estanislao López, Santa Fe, ARG | |
| Round 5 (Saturday, Sept. 21) | 🇦🇺Australia 🆚 🇳🇿New Zealand | Accor Stadium, Sydney, AU |
| 🇦🇷Argentina 🆚 🇿🇦South Africa | Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades, Santiago del Estero, ARG | |
| Round 6 (Saturday, Sept. 28) | 🇳🇿New Zealand 🆚 🇦🇺Australia | Sky Stadium, Wellington, NZ |
| 🇿🇦South Africa 🆚 🇦🇷Argentina | Mbombela Stadium, Mpumalanga, SA |
Clash of the Titans: Australia vs New Zealand
In 2023, all games were thrilling and highly competitive as the teams tested their mettle, fine-tuned tactics and assessed player performance ahead of the World Cup in France.
Last year, Australia vs New Zealand was billed as the clash of the tournament, owing to what happened in 2022. The All Blacks claimed a final-round victory on Australian soil against the Wallabies to clinch the 2022 Rugby Championship title — their third successive championship. Well, the All Blacks thrashed Australia in their final battle in 2023 too.
Australia is banking on home fans to give the Wallabies the impetus to shake off the home hoodoo and get one over New Zealand. This could be the title decider for both teams, depending on their performance in the preceding rounds. Interestingly, the match is taking place in the final round, just as it was last year.
Watch The Rugby Championship With a VPN
A virtual private network lets you witness every try and bone-crushing tackle on any streaming service from anywhere. In this section, we’ll show you how to use NordVPN — the best VPN for Australia and Rugby Championship — to watch the tournament on 9Now outside Australia. Let’s dive in.
- Download and Install a VPN App
Sign up for NordVPN by going to its website and grabbing a 73% discounted plan risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Cheapest plan is the two-year one.
- Connect to an Australian Server
Launch the VPN app and complete the setup. Connect to a server in Australia and do a DNS leak test to confirm you got an Australian IP address.
- Create a 9Now Account
On your web browser, go to the 9Now website and select “create your account” to create an account. Enter your email, create a strong password, and click “continue.” Follow along with the account creation wizard to set up your account.
- Complete 9Now Setup
You don’t need an address to set up 9Now, but you do need an Australian postcode. Type the name of an Australian city under the “postal code” section, pick an option from the dropdown options and click “continue.” Select 9Now and click “create account.” Lastly, verify your account and you’ll be good to go.
- Watch the 2023 Rugby Championship
Once the first game rolls around, log in to your 9Now account and select the game you want to watch under “live TV.” You can now enjoy interruption-free Rugby Championship streaming. The good thing is that 9Now works on smart TVs if you want to watch the games on a big screen.
The Best VPNs for Watching the Championship
We’ve already mentioned NordVPN as the best VPN to watch the Rugby Championship. In this section, we’ll tell you why the British Virgin Islands-based provider is our top pick. We’ll also reveal the best NordVPN alternative in case ExpressVPN’s pricing puts you off.
1. NordVPN— Best VPN for the Rugby Championship
Rugby Championship streaming experience.
Very Fast
Very Fast
Very Fast
As the best VPN for streaming, NordVPN is ideal for livestreaming the Rugby Championship, thanks to its fast speeds and unmatched unblocking ability. The service unblocks any streaming service you throw at it on the first attempt. During our testing, it unblocked 9Now with ease, and the story should be the same with other Rugby Championship streaming platforms.
NordVPN is one of the fastest VPNs, offering unlimited bandwidth and data. We got a glimpse of its speed during our testing, as the service enabled us to stream in HD without lags or buffering. The speeds are so consistent that the performance doesn’t dip, whether you’re connecting to a nearby server or one several continents away.
The good thing is that NordVPN is more affordable than ExpressVPN (our third pick). The monthly plan is still pricey, but extended plans offer significant discounts (the two-year plan, NordVPN’s best deal costs $3.09 per month). Like our top pick, NordVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. Read our full NordVPN review to learn more.
- *The prices are charged in the first billing cycle only. Renewal prices vary.
- Unlimited GB
- 10
- Yes
- *The prices are charged in the first billing cycle only. Renewal prices vary.
- Unlimited GB
- 10
- Yes
- *The prices are charged in the first billing cycle only. Renewal prices vary.
- Unlimited GB
- 10
- Yes
2. Surfshark — Best Budget Live Sports VPN
Very Fast
Very Fast
Good
- Unlimited GB bandwidth, Unlimited devices, Secure VPN, Ad blocker, Cookie pop-up blocker. Plans renew: $59.76 for one year, $59.76 per year for the two-year plan.
- Unlimited GB
- Unlimited
- Yes
- Everything in Starter, plus Antivirus protection, Identity protection, Email Breach and Credit Card Alerts, Online Alias Plans renew: $79 for one year & $79 per year for the two-year plan.
- Unlimited GB
- Unlimited
- Everything in One, plus Data removal Plans renew: $269.25 for one year, $404.65 for two years
- Unlimited GB
- Unlimited
3. ExpressVPN— Best Beginner-Friendly Streaming VPN
Very Fast
Very Fast
Very Fast
- Unlimited GB
- 8
- Yes
Final Thoughts: Rugby Championship
The Rugby Championship shouldn’t catch you unprepared. If you don’t want to miss the exhilarating clashes, get your subscription ready. If you’re cash-strapped, you could try free streaming services such as 9Now or Stan Sport. Sadly, the streaming services are available exclusively in Australia.
If you’re outside Australia, you’ll need a VPN to circumvent the blocks. Trying NordVPN for a month is completely risk-free, as you can use the 30-day money-back guarantee if you end up not liking it.
Have you watched the Rugby Championship on a free streaming service? Which streaming service did you use? Did you use a VPN to access the streaming service, and why? Which VPN did you use? We’d like to hear about it in the comment section. As always, thanks for reading.
FAQ: Watching the Rugby Championship
If you’re in the U.S., you can follow the action on FloSport. If you’re in the U.K., you can watch the championships on Sky Sports (SkyGO) and Now. Rugby fans in Australia can watch the tournament on Stan Sport and Australia games for free on 9Network.
Various TV channels will broadcast the Rugby Championship, including Stan Sport (Australia), SuperSport (Africa) and Sky Sports (U.K).
You can watch the Rugby Championship for free on Stan Sport with a seven-day free trial or on 9Network (Australia games only).