How to watch Rugby Championship 2023: live stream every game online from anywhere

Rob Leota of the Wallabies is tackled during The Rugby Championship
(Image credit: Getty Images / Cameron Spencer)

Watch Rugby Championship live stream

Looking for a free Rugby Championship live stream? This weekend's Australia vs New Zealand showdown is being shown FREE on 9Now in Australia. Top tip: use a VPN to unblock 9Now when travelling outside Oz. In New Zealand, the rugby is on Sky Sport, and in South Africa it's on SuperSport. Rugby fans in the UK can tune in on Sky Sports, while it's FloRugby for those in the US. Full details on how to watch Rugby Championship 2023 just below.

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Dates: Sat, July 8 – Sat, August 5
Watch free: 9Now (AUS) | Sky Sport Now trial (NZ)
Use ExpressVPN to watch any stream

Rugby Championship 2023 preview

A captivating 2023 Rugby Championship comes to a close this Saturday with two huge round three games. The biggie is, of course, Australia vs New Zealand (aka Bledisloe Cup Game 1). Having beaten first Argentina, then South Africa, a win over the Aussies would hand the All Blacks their latest Rugby Championship title. The final game – South Africa vs Argentina – should be tasty, too.

Confusingly, an additional round of fixtures has been scheduled for next weekend. However, while the second New Zealand vs Australia clash will count towards the outcome of the Bledisloe Cup, that and the second Argentina vs South Africa clash won't be considered part of the Rugby Championship. Not officially, at least.

Despite losing to both the Springboks and Pumas last year, Ian Foster's beleaguered All Blacks just about managed to retain the trophy because the Wallabies were able to take points off the reigning world champions. However, it was a very hollow victory, with New Zealand's shaky performances costing them their sheen and paving the way for a humbling slide down the world rankings.

So far, though, it's been a great Championship for the All Blacks, with confident and comprehensive a first round defeat of the Pumas on Argentine soil followed by a 35-20 win over the Springboks last time out.

Despite finishing a distant third and fourth, Australia and Argentina appear to have used the competition as a launchpad for better things. With Eddie Jones at the helm, you wouldn't rule out a sudden shake-up of the pecking order, and if Michael Cheika can get a handle on the Pumas' disciplinary issues, they could certainly ruffle a few feathers too.

Neither have started this year's competition well but this weekend provides an opportunity for at least one of them to show improvement.

Here's how to watch a free Rugby Championship live stream wherever you are. We've also listed the 2023 Rugby Championship schedule further down the page.


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How to live stream Rugby Championship 2023 for FREE

Channel 9

Rugby fans in Australia are amongst the luckiest in the world, as they can watch Wallabies game for FREE on Channel 9.

That means viewers can also fire up a free Rugby Championship live stream on the <a href="https://www.9now.com.au/" data-link-merchant="9now.com.au"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">9Now streaming service, which is compatible with most smart devices. Currently away from Australia?

<a href="https://go.expressvpn.com/c/4550836/1330033/16063?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.expressvpn.com%2Fgo%2Frugby" data-link-merchant="expressvpn.com"" data-link-merchant="9now.com.au"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Use a VPN to watch Rugby Championship on 9Now from abroad.

Stan Sport, meanwhile, is live streaming every match of the Rugby Championship, ad-free.

A subscription costs $10 per month (on top of a $10 Stan sub), after a 7-day Stan Sport FREE trial.

How to watch Rugby Championship from outside your country

For broadcast and streaming details in more rugby-mad countries like the UK, New Zealand, South Africa and the US, just scroll down the page - everything you need to know is there, including details of who's showing the 2023 Rugby Championship.

But if you try to watch your domestic coverage from anywhere outside your home country, you'll soon find a problem - geo-blocking. That's where the broadcaster prevents you from watching your usual feed from abroad. It's a common problem for sports fans all over the world. 

By downloading and installing a VPN, you can effectively trick your computer into thinking that it's back at home.

Use a VPN to watch a Rugby Championship live stream from anywhere:

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How to use a VPN to watch Rugby Championship 2023

Using a VPN is as easy as one-two-three...

1. Download and install a VPN - as we say, our top choice is ExpressVPN.

2. Connect to the appropriate server location - open the VPN app, hit 'choose location' and select the appropriate location, eg: 'Australia' for 9Now.

3. Go to the broadcaster's stream - head to your home broadcaster's site or app and watch as if you were at home - 9Now for Aussies abroad.


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How to watch Rugby Championship: live stream in the UK

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In the UK, every game of the 2023 Rugby Championship is being shown on Sky Sports.

If you want to sign up to Sky Sports, you can check out our dedicated guide to <a href="https://www.techradar.com/news/sky-tv-packages-deals-bundles-offers" data-link-merchant="techradar.com"" target="_blank">Sky TV deals and packages for today's best prices.

Don't fancy being locked in to a long, expensive contract? Consider the more flexible streaming option, Now, (formerly Now TV). Now sports passes start at £11.99.

Meanwhile, Sky customers with a Sky Sports subscription can also live stream Rugby Championship games on the go on mobile devices via the Sky Go streaming service, which has dedicated apps for iOS, iPadOS and Android devices, along with Xbox and PlayStation consoles.

Outside the UK? To access your preferred streaming service from abroad, you'll need to <a href="https://go.expressvpn.com/c/4550836/1330033/16063?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.expressvpn.com%2Fgo%2Frugby" data-link-merchant="expressvpn.com"" data-link-merchant="techradar.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">download a good VPN, as detailed above.

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How to watch Rugby Championship in the US without cable

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Rugby fans can watch every game of the 2023 Rugby Championship on dedicated rugby streaming service <a href="http://share.flosports.tv/SHWH?aff_id=1196&aff_click_id=hawk-custom-tracking&aff_sub2=hawk-article-url" data-link-merchant="share.flosports.tv"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">FloRugby in the US.

A monthly subscription costs $29.99, with an annual subscription costing $150. 

Both packages give you access to the entire FloSports network, which includes coverage of cycling, motorsport and American Football, all of which can be streamed on a range of devices, including iOS, Android, Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast and Apple TV.

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How to watch Rugby Championship in South Africa

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In South Africa, every game of the 2023 Rugby Championship is being shown on SuperSport. 

If you're not going to be able to watch on your TV, you can also tune in <a href="https://www.supersport.com/live-video" data-link-merchant="supersport.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">via the network's streaming service for PC and Mac, as well as via SuperSport's dedicated app.

New Zealand flag

How to watch Rugby Championship: live stream in New Zealand

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<a href="https://www.sky.co.nz/sport" data-link-merchant="sky.co.nz"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Sky Sport is the place to watch every 2023 Rugby Championship game in New Zealand.

Sky Sport subscribers can also tune in online using the country's Sky Go service.

If you don't have Sky Sport on cable, every fixture is also being shown live via the <a href="https://www.skysportnow.co.nz/" data-link-merchant="skysportnow.co.nz"" data-link-merchant="sky.co.nz"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Sky Sport Now streaming-only platform. A Sky Sport Now subscription costs $19.99 per week or $39.99 per month. The monthly package comes with a <a href="https://www.skysportnow.co.nz/" data-link-merchant="skysportnow.co.nz"" data-link-merchant="skysportnow.co.nz"" data-link-merchant="sky.co.nz"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">7-day FREE trial.

Rugby Championship 2023 schedule, times and dates

(All times BST)

Saturday 8th July
4.05pm - South Africa vs Australia
8.10pm - Argentina vs New Zealand

Saturday 15th July
8.05am - New Zealand vs South Africa
10.45am - Australia vs Argentina

Saturday 29th July
10.45am - Australia vs New Zealand
4.05pm - South Africa vs Argentina

Saturday 5th August
3.35am - New Zealand vs Australia
11.10pm - Argentina vs South Africa

Aatif Sulleyman

Aatif is a freelance copywriter and journalist based in the UK. He’s written about technology, science and politics for publications including Gizmodo, The Independent, Trusted Reviews and Newsweek, but focuses on streaming at Future, an arrangement that combines two of his greatest passions: sport and penny-pinching.