How to watch the 2020 Six Nations: live stream the rugby online anywhere

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The Six Nations 2020 was due enter its final round of fixtures this weekend, with a winner set to be firmly crowned in March. However, the tournament is currently in the hands of Corvid-19 – the coronavius – as much as it is England or France.

The bulk of this weekend’s matches have been postponed, with dates for the rescheduled fixtures still to be concerned. Nevertheless, our guide explains how to watch a Six Nations live stream wherever you are in the world and is regularly updated with all the latest Six Nations news, so you know what to expect and when your team will be back in action.

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Six Nations 2020 cheat sheet

Current champions: Wales

Wooden spoon holders: Italy

Most titles: 6 – England

When? From Saturday, February 1 to TBC

Next fixture(s): Saturday, March 14

In round 4, England defeated Wales by the narrow score of 33-30 to win the Triple Crown, with the Twickenham faithful no doubt feeling the final score flattered the Welsh. Equally, the Dragons are none too pleased with the questionable antics of their opponents.

Most infamously, hot-headed prop Joe Mauler faces a lengthy ban from the sport for grabbing Welsh captain Alun Wyn Jones by the genitals, while Manu Tuilagi was red carded during the match and Courtney Lawes also faces a citation by the union overlords.

Elsewhere, Scotland stunned prior Six Nations leaders France 28-17 on the Sunday in another match filled with drama. French prop Mohamed Haouas was red carded for punching Scotland’s Jamie Ritchie in the face, but Gregor Townsend’s men ultimately prevailed because of their defensive dominance – they turned France over nine times in the first-half, with the dismissal not occurring until just before the break.

By now, we’re sure you’ll want to watch the rest of this year’s biggest European rugby union international tournament. Read on to learn how to get a reliable Six Nations live stream wherever you are, plus a complete guide to the remaining 2020 fixtures.

Six Nations fixtures 2020: what has been postponed due to the coronavirus?

Right now, only Wales vs Scotland is due to go ahead this weekend, with the match set for Saturday, March 14. Kick-off is at 2.15pm and it will take place at Cardiff’s epic Millennium Stadium (or Principality Stadium, to its sponsors). It’s a crying shame, because as we’ve said, last weekend saw some stunning results. The Six Nations 2020 is going down to the wire, but public safety is rightly being prioritised for now.

It means that England currently sit atop the Six Nations 2020 table on 13 points because of a superior point differential compared to France – Les Bleus are also on 13 points. But Scotland are also suddenly in the frame with 10 points and, with their match against Wales now the only one set to go ahead this weekend, they can really pile the pressure on the tournament favourites with a victory in Cardiff.

How to live stream Six Nations 2020 in the UK for free

Great news! All of the remaining Six Nations fixtures will be shown live in the UK on free-to-air television. Enjoy it while it lasts, as Sky is tipped to bid aggressively for exclusive rights to Six Nations coverage in the future, meaning it could soon be behind a paywall. For now, though, the coverage is spread across the BBC and ITV, so take a look at our info box below to see what channel is showing which individual games.

If you’re trying to watch online (either live or on catch-up) then you can get access via the BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub websites or mobile apps. Alternatively, just head to an online streaming TV service such TVPlayer.com, which has all of the UK’s freeview channels (including the BBC and ITV) in one place. This means you can catch the match on TV, computer, tablet and smartphone for free if you’re in the UK – or subscribe to TVPlayer Plus if you want to record it and watch later.

Not in the UK for the next Six Nations fixtures? No worries – just download and install a VPN and use a UK location to watch live as if you were back home. Full instructions below.

How to live stream the Six Nations when you’re not in 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 Ts&Cs, of course.

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It’s really easy to get started with a VPN – simply download, install, open the app and select the appropriate location.

We’ve tested all of the major VPN services and we rate ExpressVPN as the absolute best thanks to its speed, security and simplicity to use. We also like that it’s compatible with so many devices and streaming services (e.g. Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox, PS4, etc).

There are other fantastic VPN options out, which we cover in our best VPN guide, but ExpressVPN also has the benefit of coming with a 30-day money back guarantee and 3 months FREE with an annual plan are real added value, too.

Six Nations 2020: Fixtures and UK TV schedule

There’s just two rounds of Six Nations rugby action left. Here are the fixtures we have to look forward to over the next two weekends. All times are in GMT.

ROUND FOUR:

Saturday, March 7, 2020

England v Wales, 4.45pm, Twickenham Stadium, London. TV – ITV SPORT + S4C

Sunday, March 8, 2020

Scotland v France, 3pm, BT Murrayfield, Edinburgh. TV – BBC SPORT

ROUND FIVE:

Saturday, March 14, 2020

Wales v Scotland, 2.15pm, Principality Stadium, Cardiff. TV – BBC SPORT + S4C

POSTPONED – date, time and TV channel TBC:

Ireland v Italy (round 4), Aviva Stadium, Dublin

France v Ireland (round 5), Stade de France, Paris

Italy v England (round 5), Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Live stream the Six Nations: Watch the rugby in Australia this weekend

If you don’t mind the late nights/early mornings, then subscription service beIN Sport is showing every game of the 2020 Six Nations in Australia.

If you’re a Foxtel customer, you can add beIN to your package for an extra fee. No worries if you aren’t though as you can also subscribe to beIN as a standalone subscription that can be watched on your laptop, desktop computer or mobile device. That costs $19.99 per month after you’ve taken advantage of a FREE two week trial.

Not in Australia for the rugby? Don’t forget to take advantage of the VPN option as detailed above to make sure you can watch your domestic coverage anyway.

Live stream the Six Nations 2020 in New Zealand

beIN Sport is also the place to be for rugby fans in New Zealand looking to watch all the prime European action this weekend.

Sky subscribers can add beIN to their package at an additional cost or, like in Australia, you can subscribe to a standalone package that can be watched on laptop, desktop or mobile app. It costs $19.78 per month after you’ve taken advantage of the FREE two week trial.

Live stream the 2020 Six Nations for free in Canada and more

DAZN is a streaming service available in a select few countries including Canada, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Luckily, it has secured streaming rights for the Six Nations Rugby.

You can even watch for free as DAZN offers a 30 day FREE TRIAL.

How to live stream Six Nations: watch the rugby in the US this weekend

NBC Sports Network once again has the rights to show Six Nations rugby in the US. You’ll need the network’s Rugby Pass which now costs $79.99, which will give you access to live broadcasts of every match of the tournament commercial-free, and you’ll also be able to watch each game on-demand, as well as Premiership Rugby and the Heineken Champions Cup.

What is the format of the Six Nations?

Taking place each year from the beginning of February and usually concluding by the end of March, the tournament is contested by the international sides of France, England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales.

Each Six Nations team plays the other five once per season with home advantage in alternate seasons, giving a total of 15 matches per Championship. A win earns that team four points, while a draw earns both teams two points. A losing side receives no points, however a bonus point can be picked up by a team regardless if they won, lost or drew if they score four or more tries in a game. Losing sides can also still pick up two bonus points if they score four tries or more in the process and lose by a margin of seven points or fewer.

The team with the most points at the season wins the Six Nations Championship Trophy. If the winning team has defeated all five other Unions, it is given the title ‘Grand Slam Winner’. No one will win the honour this year, though, following Scotland’s victory over France. However, England has already won the ‘Triple Crown’, which is when one of the ‘home nations’ (England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland) defeat all the others in a single tournament.

Who are the favourites for the 2020 Six Nations?

Beaten World Cup finalists England started the Six Nations as favourites with most bookies, but now France firmly lead the pack. They need only beat Scotland and Ireland to win not only the Six Nations 2020 crown, but also claim Grand Slam glory.

Ireland look set to face the sternest test and will need to win out if they’re to be in with a shot of Six Nations glory – and England also can’t afford another loss if they want to take home this year’s crown.

What happened in the 2019 Six Nations?

Regarded as outsiders at the beginning of the tournament, Wales clinched their first grand slam in seven years, with a clean sweep of victories against their five opponents.