The arrival of the inaugural Autumn Nations Cup this month 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 places!
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.
Watch an Autumn Nations Cup live stream
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.
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
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How to watch an Autumn Nations Cup live stream FREE in the UK this weekend
Try Amazon Prime FREE for 30-days
Amazon has the rights to broadcast 14 of the 16 Autumn Nations Cup fixtures in the UK, so Amazon Prime members can live stream all of the action at no additional cost.
An Amazon Prime membership costs £79 per year or £7.99 per month, which can be cancelled at any time, but new users can sign up for a FREE 30-day Amazon Prime trial with full access to live sports coverage, Amazon’s library of TV shows and films as well as free one-day delivery on purchases from Amazon’s online store during that time.
Prime covers matches like England vs Georgia, but other huge clashes like Ireland vs Wales and England vs Ireland – the biggest of them all – will also be on FREE-TO-AIR UK TV as mentioned above. This means you all you need to do is head to Channel 4 and its All 4 streaming service – or S4C, which is available to stream in Wales via BBC iPlayer – and you can watch Autumn Nations Cup rugby free for all the biggest matches, as these are 100% free to use for anyone in the UK (with a valid TV license, of course).
Not in the UK but still want to watch the rugby on your Prime account or tune in to the same streaming services you normally use (and pay for) at home? Your best option is to download and install a VPN and then log in to a UK IP address.
How to watch Autumn Nations Cup free online and live stream rugby in the US today
FloSports is the exclusive broadcaster for the Autumn Nations Cup in the US, and you can live stream all 16 games of the tournament via Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast, Apple TV and select Smart TVs, as well as on the FloSports iOS and Android apps.
But of course you’ll need to sign up for the service’s membership to tune in, with prices starting at $12.50 per month – pretty reasonable for an entire tournament’s worth of world class rugby action. Learn more about FloSports here.
If you find yourself out of the US but still want to watch FloSports’ rugby coverage, downloading a VPN could be the ideal solution.
Nations Cup live stream: how to watch the Autumn Nations Cup rugby in Australia
If you don’t mind the late nights/early mornings, then subscription service beIN Sports is showing every game of the 2020 Autumn Nations Cup 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.
How to get a 2020 Autumn Nations Cup live stream in New Zealand
The official broadcaster for the Autumn Nations Cup in New Zealand is Sky Sports. Anyone with Sky Sport as part of their pay TV package can use the BeIN Sport Connect app to stream coverage either online or via the app on most modern mobile devices, but the service isn’t available on a standalone basis.
However, Sky Sport Now exists as an option for Kiwis who want access to Sky Sport channels on a contract-free basis.
Away from New Zealand right now? Use a VPN and you’ll be streaming the rugger in no time at all.
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 TV, streaming and fixtures schedule: round 2
- Saturday 21 Nov, Italy v Fiji – cancelled, result TBC
- Saturday 21 Nov, England v Ireland, 3pm, Twickenham, FREE on Amazon Prime, Channel 4 & RTE
- Saturday 21 Nov, Wales v Georgia, 5.15pm, Parc y Scarlets, on Amazon Prime (UK), Premier Sports (Republic of Ireland) & S4C
- Sunday 22 Nov, Scotland v France, 3.15pm, BT Murrayfield, on Amazon Prime (UK) & Premier Sports (Republic of Ireland)
Nations Cup TV, streaming and fixtures schedule: round 3
- Saturday 28 Nov, Scotland v Fiji, 1.45pm, BT Murrayfield on Amazon Prime (UK) & Premier Sports (Republic of Ireland)
- Saturday 28 Nov, Wales v England, 4pm, Parc y Scarlets on Amazon Prime (UK), Premier Sports (Republic of Ireland) & S4C
- Saturday 28 Nov, France v Italy, 8.10pm, Stade de France on Amazon Prime (UK) & Premier Sports (Republic of Ireland)
- Sunday 29 Nov, Ireland v Georgia, 2pm, Aviva Stadium FREE on Channel 4 & RTE
Nations Cup TV, streaming and fixtures schedule: finals week (round 4)
- Saturday 5 Dec, Georgia v TBD, midday, BT Murrayfield on Amazon Prime (UK) & Premier Sports (Republic of Ireland)
- Saturday 5 Dec, Ireland v TBD, 2.15pm, Aviva Stadium on Amazon Prime & RTE
- Saturday 5 Dec, Wales v TBD, 4.45pm, Parc y Scarlets on Amazon Prime (UK), Premier Sports (Republic of Ireland) & S4C
- Sunday 6 Dec, England v TBD, 2pm, Twickenham on Amazon Prime (UK) & Premier Sports (Republic of Ireland)