Premiership Rugby, with its gore and glory, is the epitome of sports for millions of its fans. A sure sign of the league’s growing popularity is its crowds which have doubled since 2000, while its live TV audience is up 50% since 2011.
Where to stream Premiership Rugby online
As the race to qualify for the Premiership Rugby semi-finals heats up in Round 19, you don’t want to miss a day. No stress – here are all the ways you can stream the matches online and watch them on TV.
In the UK
In the UK, BT Sport broadcasts the season with five games simulcast by the free-to-air Channel 5 alongside the highlights each weekend. Also, NOW TV offers BT Sport coverage of the league without lock-in contracts.
In the U.S.
In the US, rugby fans can catch up with matches via NBC Sports, also available on DirecTV Now, FuboTV, Hulu Live TV, PlayStation Vue, and Sling TV.
International Broadcasters
Premiership Rugby is broadcast pretty much everywhere – from the Americas to the Middle East, Asia, Oceania, and Africa. Below is just a small fraction of its official broadcasters:
Rugby Pass ($14.99/mo) is available in select Asian countries, including China, Cambodia, Thailand, India, and Pakistan.
Finally, Bet365 streams the Premiership Rugby live internationally. And you don’t need to make bets – just deposit $10 and access a gazillion of sports live streams.
Why use a VPN to stream English Premiership Rugby
One of the most annoying sports streaming issues is the regional restriction providers mount when you have to travel abroad. Finding yourself unable to stream your Premiership Rugby even though you have a premium subscription is beyond aggravating. But that’s just how things work in sports broadcasting – each company can only stream in its region.
That’s why you can’t access your BT Sport streams from outside the UK or your Sling TV streams from outside the US. I’m sure many of you are looking for a quick fix to bypass the geo-block. Rest easy – a VPN has you covered.
A Virtual Private Network is an online service that runs a web of servers across the world. The location and the number of servers vary with different providers, but the gist of the service is a VPN let you anchor your Internet traffic to a specific country.
For example, you are in the US looking to stream using your NOW TV subscription. Without a VPN, NOW TV immediately identifies you’re coming from the US and locks you out. If you connect to a UK-based VPN server, however, you get an English IP address, thanks to which NOW TV identifies you as a customer connecting from England. The geo-block is mounted – you can enjoy the games live no matter where you are.
This workaround works with all broadcasters. To stream via RugbyPass.com, just connect to a server in India and head over to Rugby Pass. Rinse and repeat: to unlock Channel 5’s free streams, connect to a UK-hosted VPN server and stream.
But that’s just a fraction of perks a VPN has to offer. Since it encrypts your traffic, you get an extra layer of protection for all your online activities:
- Your sensitive data is protected against Man-in-the-Middle attacks
- Your Internet Service Provider can’t snoop on what you’re up to online
- Sites you visit – and copyright trolls – can’t see where you’re coming from, or your real identity
- You bypass your school or office firewalls
- Your bandwidth is not throttled by your ISP when you stream or play online games
How to stream Premiership Rugby live with a VPN
- Choose a VPN provider and buy a VPN subscription. If in doubt, check my recommendations below.
- Install the VPN client on your device.
- Connect to a VPN server in the country of your choice.
- Clear your browser’s cache and go to your streaming site.
- You are all set to enjoy your English Premiership live without the annoying geo-blocks.
Best VPNs for streaming the Premiership Rugby live
Although Exeter Chiefs are tantalizingly close to securing their championship, Saracens breathe down their necks, making the remaining matches all the more suspenseful. I hope this guide helps you set up your live stream just in time for the next match day.
IPVanish
- No limit on the number of devices you can connect at the same time
- SOCKS5 proxy, which its main rivals don’t have
- More VPN servers in more US cities to dodge blackouts
TorGuard
- User-friendly TorGuard app
- Plans that include a dedicated IP
- Gift card payment options
Hide.me
- Lifetime free plan available
- Port forwarding available
- Certified zero logs