How to watch European Champions Cup rugby and live stream every game from anywhere – Last 16

Antoine Dupont, captain of Toulouse celebrates with team mates after their victory during the Heineken Champions Cup Final match between La Rochelle and Toulouse at Twickenham Stadium on May 22, 2021

(Image credit: Getty Images / David Rogers)

There are local rivalries to be settled, slim deficits to overturn and gauntlets to throw down as the European Rugby Champions Cup reaches its edge-of-your-seat, glued-to-the-TV, sudden death stage. The reigning champions are on the ropes, and you can read on as we explain how to watch a European Rugby Champions Cup live stream online for every 2021-22 game wherever you are.

European Rugby Champions Cup live stream 2021/22

Dates: December 10 - May 28

Champions: Toulouse

FREE live streams: All 4 (opens in new tab) (UK) | Virgin Media Player (opens in new tab) (Ireland) | beIN Sports FREE trial (opens in new tab) / Kayo Sports FREE trial (opens in new tab) (AU)

Global streams: BT Sport (opens in new tab) (UK) | Peacock TV (opens in new tab) (US)

Watch anywhere: Try ExpressVPN 100% risk-free (opens in new tab)

Each pool's four top-ranking sides have home advantage for the second leg, which goes some way to explaining why we saw so many away victories last weekend. Exeter and Montpellier were the only teams to make home advantage count, and even then Exeter’s win was so narrow it felt like defeat to the players.

Leinster, La Rochelle, Racing 92 and Leicester are in envious positions, as are Ulster, who have a six-point lead over defending champions Toulouse, but won’t be taking anything for granted given the respective sides’ contrasting records in the knockout stages of this competition.

There’s only one point separating Bristol and Sale, who face off in one of the standout games of the weekend, while Harlequins, who are used to digging deep, are going to have to dig deeper than ever after a heavy 40-26 defeat to Montpellier.

Whatever unfolds, our guide has you covered - here's how to get a European Rugby Champions Cup live stream from anywhere.

A different ball game: how to watch a Premier League live stream

How to watch European Rugby Champions Cup in the UK

In the UK, you can watch every single game from every single round of the European Rugby Champions Cup on BT Sport.

Don't forget that BT now has a £25 Monthly Pass (opens in new tab), so you can get everything BT Sport has to offer, including Champions League football and UFC, without a long-term commitment.

The BT Sport app will let subscribers watch the rugby on any number of devices, including mobiles, tablets, consoles and smart TVs.

However, one game from each round is being shown for absolutely FREE on Channel 4.

That means you can also watch online via Channel 4's All4 streaming service (opens in new tab), which is available on your laptop, or via apps for the likes of Android, iOS, PS4, Xbox, Roku, Amazon Fire.

Outside the UK? To access your preferred streaming service from abroadK, you'll need to download a good VPN (opens in new tab), as detailed below.

How to watch European Rugby Champions Cup: live stream in Ireland

How to watch European Rugby Champions Cup from outside your country

We've recommended some of the best places to live stream European Rugby Champions Cup games below. But might run into a problem trying to access them if you're outside of your country - even if you're fully registered and in all likelihood paying a subscription fee.

This is because of something called geo-blocking - best thought of as a kind of digital border - but it's not nearly as scary as it sounds and we can help you get back to your preferred European Rugby Champions Cup live stream in no time at all.

Simply follow our VPN advice below and you'll soon be up and running with a great bit of software that allows you to relocate your device back to your country of residence - thereby regaining access to all the streaming services and content you normally enjoy at home.

Use a VPN to live stream rugby anywhere

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We've put all the major VPNs through their paces and we rate ExpressVPN as our top pick, thanks to its speed, ease of use and strong security features. It's also compatible with just about any streaming device out there, including Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox and PlayStation, as well as Android and Apple mobiles.

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How to live stream European Rugby Champions Cup in the US

Rugby fans based in the US can watch the European Rugby Champions Cup on NBC, NBCSN and the Peacock TV streaming service.

Peacock is your best and most cost-effective bet, as NBC's linear channels only show games once in a while.

Peacock costs just $4.99 a month (opens in new tab) for an ad-supported version of the service that offers live coverage not only of the European Rugby Champions Cup, but also the Rugby Premiership, loads of EPL soccer games, every big WWE event, plus plenty more live sports.

It's exceptional value for money and comes loaded with fantastic family entertainment too, like Modern Family, The Office and Saved by the Bell.

You also have the option of paying $10 a month for commercial-free coverage.

- Click through to Peacock TV to start watching now (opens in new tab)

If you're abroad right now, you can still tune in just like you would at home with the help of a good VPN (opens in new tab). Or consult our guide to the best Peacock VPN options for more details.

More rugby: how to watch Premiership rugby

How to live stream European Rugby Champions Cup FREE in Australia

beIN Sports has the rights to show the European Rugby Champions Cup Down Under.

If you don't have it as part of a pay TV package, you can also sign up to beIN Sports as a standalone subscription, costing $19.99 per month after you've taken advantage of a FREE two-week trial (opens in new tab).

That said, sports streaming specialist Kayo Sports includes beIN in its package - and it also offers a FREE 14-day Kayo Sports trial (opens in new tab), plus Kayo's other vast sport offerings. The only catch is that you won't get every European Rugby Champions Cup game with Kayo.

After the free trial, the Kayo Sports Basic plan costs just $25 a month and lets you stream on two screens, while Premium is a mere $35 a month for simultaneous viewing on up to three devices.

Of the two, Kayo Sports Premium (opens in new tab) represents the best value as it offers multi-screen support - which means you can effectively split the price of a monthly subscription between friends or family and pay less.

Don't forget, you can take your coverage abroad with you as well. For those wanting to watch home coverage of sports from overseas, a good VPN (opens in new tab) is the solution.

2021/22 European Rugby Champions Cup fixtures: schedule, times and dates

All times are given in GMT/IST

ROUND OF 16

First leg results

Connacht 21-26 Leinster

Sale Sharks 9-10 Bristol Bears

Bordeaux 13-31 La Rochelle

Toulouse 20-26 Ulster

Exeter Chiefs 13-8 Munster

Stade Français 9-22 Racing 92

Montpellier 40-26 Harlequins

Clermont 10-29 Leicester Tigers

Second leg

Friday, April 15

Leinster vs Connacht - 5.30pm

Bristol Bears vs Sale Sharks - 8pm

Saturday, April 16

Harlequins vs Montpellier - 12.30pm

Munster vs Exeter Chiefs - 3pm

La Rochelle vs Bordeaux - 3pm

Leicester Tigers vs Clermont - 5.30pm

Ulster vs Toulouse - 8pm

Sunday, April 17

Racing 92 vs Stade Français - 3.30pm

QUARTER-FINALS - May 6-8

SEMI-FINALS - May 13-15

FINAL - May 28, 4.45pm

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.

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