The arrival of the inaugural Autumn Nations Cup this November marked an exciting moment in the rugby union calendar. Eight teams have signed up, with Fiji and Georgia joining all of the Six Nations participants, for a tournament that's been specifically formatted so that it culminates in a quartet of evenly-matched finals. Read on as our guide explains how to watch an Autumn Nations Cup live stream - including for FREE in many countries!
The pools are split down the middle, with Six Nations winners England kept separate from runners-up France. Joining England in a mouth-watering Group A line-up are Ireland, Georgia and Wales, while Scotland, Fiji and Italy join France in Group B - though that's ended been a three team contingent, with FIji essentially dropping out of the competition due to positive coronavirus tests in their camp.
The 2020 Autumn Nations Cup kicked off on November 13 with matches taking place every Saturday and Sunday through finals weekend - set for December 5 and 6. Several huge matches are 100% FREE to watch in the UK, with coverage spread across Channel 4, S4C and Amazon Prime - and with the help of a good VPN, you can take your preferred local coverage with you wherever you are and watch just like you would at home.
Each team plays three group games, and on finals weekend the top-ranked team in Group A will face their Group B equivalent. Similarly, the teams in second will play each other, it'll be third vs third and fourth vs fourth too, which will determine the final standings.
It's a compelling substitute for the autumn internationals, and though England enter the tournament riding high on their Six Nations triumph, that was no walkover, and Ireland and France in particular look strong enough to mount serious challenges, while Scotland and Wales could prove to be dark horses.
The involvement of Georgia feels like an exciting new dawn for European rugby, although Fiji's participation has been unfortunately cancelled thanks positive Covid tests in their camp.
Follow our guide as we explain all the ways to get a rugby live stream - starting with how to watch the Autumn Nations Cup for FREE in the UK.
- Related: how to watch an NFL live stream
How to watch a free Autumn Nations Cup live stream
The best thing about the Autumn Nations Cup is, like the Six Nations, there are loads of ways to watch the new tournament's biggest clashes for FREE.
On UK TV, you can watch a selection of huge Autumn Nations Cup games for free courtesy of Channel 4 and its All 4 streaming service, and S4C, which is available to stream in Wales via BBC iPlayer. All 4 and iPlayer can be used by anyone in the UK 100% free. Registration takes seconds, but you should be in possession of a valid TV license, as this now extends to digital content as well as traditional box viewing.
In Ireland, free-to-air broadcaster RTE will be showing all of Ireland's games, including the opener against Wales on November 13. You can also watch the action online and on the go via the RTE Player service, which can be access via your browser or via dedicated iOS and Android apps.
If you prefer your coverage local, then French TV has you covered, too - specifically France 2. In this case, the only prerequisite is being in France - you don't even have to register or anything!
If you'd normally watch one of these options but can't because you're abroad right now, don't sweat it. As we're about to explain, using one of the best VPNs is an easy way to take your favourite streaming services with you wherever you are - right now, ExpressVPN is our top choice.
How to watch an Autumn Nations Cup live stream from outside your country
If you're outside your country of residence - whether that be the UK or anywhere else - and try to start streaming the rugby via your native broadcaster, you'll soon discover that you can't as it is location-restricted. But there's a way you can watch anyway.
By downloading and installing a VPN, you can effectively trick your computer into thinking that it's back at home. That way you can enjoy your home coverage without having to find an illegal stream - assuming you comply with the broadcaster's fine print, of course - specifically its terms and conditions.
Use a VPN to watch Autumn Nations Cup rugby from anywhere
How to watch an Autumn Nations Cup live stream FREE in the UK this weekend
- Related: check out the best Amazon Black Friday deals live now
How to watch Autumn Nations Cup free online and live stream rugby in the US today
- Related: how to watch an NFL live stream
Nations Cup live stream: how to watch the Autumn Nations Cup rugby in Australia
How to get a 2020 Autumn Nations Cup live stream in New Zealand
- Related: how to watch a Champions League live stream
Autumn Nations Cup: fixtures, schedule, TV details and streaming guide
As mentioned above, many of the biggest Autumn Nations Cup fixtures are being shown live and for FREE in many of the countries participating in the new tournament.
The rest are on Amazon Prime, which itself offers a FREE 30-day trial that will allow you watch all of the rugby without paying a penny,
Here's the complete Autumn Nations cup schedule including full UK and Irish TV and streaming details for every fixture. Alternatively, scroll down for viewing options in the US, Australia and New Zealand.
Out of your home country for the Autumn Nations Cup action? No worries - just download and install a VPN and use a UK location to watch live as if you were back home. Full instructions of how to do this are below.
Nations Cup round 1 results
- Friday 13 Nov, Ireland v Wales - won by Ireland
- Saturday 14 Nov, Italy v Scotland - won by Scotland
- Saturday 14 Nov, England v Georgia - won by England
- Sunday 15 Nov, France v Fiji, 3.15pm - cancelled, France awarded win
Nations Cup round 2 results
- Saturday 21 Nov, Italy v Fiji - cancelled, Italy awarded win
- Saturday 21 Nov, England v Ireland - won by England
- Saturday 21 Nov, Wales v Georgia - won by Wales
- Sunday 22 Nov, Scotland v France - won by France
Nations Cup round 3 results
- Saturday 28 Nov, Scotland v Fiji - cancelled, Scotland awarded win
- Saturday 28 Nov, Wales v England - won by England
- Saturday 28 Nov, France v Italy - won by France
- Sunday 29 Nov, Ireland v Georgia - won by Ireland
Nations Cup TV, streaming and fixtures schedule: finals week (round 4)
- Saturday 5 Dec, Ireland v Scotland, 2.15pm, Aviva Stadium on Amazon Prime & FREE on RTE in Ireland
- Saturday 5 Dec, Wales v Italy, 4.45pm, Parc y Scarlets on Amazon Prime (UK), Premier Sports (Republic of Ireland) & S4C
- Sunday 6 Dec, England v France, 2pm, Twickenham on Amazon Prime (UK) & Premier Sports (Republic of Ireland)