The Rugby Union Internationals is a series of warm-up games played by international rugby union teams to prepare for the world cup. The series, aka Summer Rugby Internationals, will be played at different locations worldwide.
Top rugby teams, such as current Rugby World Cup Champions South Africa, and Six Nations Series champion, Ireland, will practice to fine-tune their skills. The tournament spans five weeks, from July to August.
Irish rugby fans will enjoy three Irish games against Italy, England, and Samoa. You can watch Rugby Union Internationals in Ireland on RTE for free. Other official broadcasters are TF1, Amazon Prime, SuperSports, etc.
RTE will only stream Irish games, so you need other sports services to enjoy the tournament fully. All the streaming services are geo-restricted to their licenced regions. You must use a premium VPN (i.e., ExpressVPN) to unblock them.
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When & Where Are 2023 Rugby Union Internationals Happening?
The Rugby Union’s Summer International games are warm-up games before the teams battle each other on the big ground. The following is everything you need to know before the tournament:
- Date: 22 July 2023 – 27 August 2023
- Location: Ireland, United Kingdom, France, Scotland, Italy, Spain, etc.
- No. of Teams: 17
- Where to watch: RTE, TF1, Prime Video, Stan Sports, Sky Sports NZ, etc.
How to Watch Rugby Union Internationals in Ireland for Free
You can watch Rugby Union International games for free on RTE Player. The streaming service will offer all the Rugby International games of Ireland.
Follow the steps to watch Rugby Union Internationals in Ireland:
Step 1: Go to the RTE Player and click on login
Step 2: Click Sign in
Step 3: Click Don’t have RTE Account?
Step 4: Enter your credentials
Step 5: Enter your birth year and gender
Step 6: Verify your account
Step 7: Search for Summer Nations
Step 8: Click on the Play icon
Step 9: Enjoy streaming
3 Ways to Watch Rugby Union Internationals in Ireland
There are several free and premium ways to watch Rugby Union Internationals. The free services don’t require any subscription and stream region-based games. You can watch several games on the premium service with a subscription.
Below are the three ways to watch Rugby Union Internationals in Ireland:
1. RTE (Free)
The official way to watch Rugby Union Internationals in Ireland is through RTE2 and its streaming service, RTE Player.
It is a free-to-air sports channel where you can watch many sports, including Golf, GAA, Soccer, Women’s FIFA World Cup, etc.
Irish rugby fans can watch Ireland’s upcoming Rugby International games against Samoa, Italy, and England on RTEPlayer without paying anything.
2. My TF1 (Free)
My TF1 or TF1 is a free way to watch France’s team’s Rugby Union International games. Tf1 is a free-to-air channel where you can watch sports and entertainment.
You can watch France’s game against Scotland, Australia, and Fiji. However, the channel is geo-restricted and unavailable outside France due to licensing agreements.
We recommend using a premium VPN, such as ExpressVPN, and connecting to the French server to watch the games.
Read More: Watch Tf1 in Ireland
3. Amazon Prime (Premium)
The premium way to watch Rugby Internationals 2023 is through Amazon Prime. Amazon Prime is a subscription-based streaming service in several countries, including Ireland.
However, Rugby International games are only available on Prime Video in the UK. From July to August, you can watch Rugby International games of Ireland, England, France, Italy, Scotland, and Wales on Prime.
You must subscribe to a premium VPN, such as ExpressVPN, to watch Summer Internationals on Prime outside the UK and in Ireland.
Read More: Watch Amazon Prime in Ireland
Who is Playing in the Rugby Union Internationals 2023?
The following international teams are playing in the Rugby Union Internationals 2023 to warm up before the World Cup:
- Japan
- Samoa
- Tonga
- Scotland
- New Zealand
- Australia
- Fiji
- Wales
- England
- Ireland
- Italy
- Argentina
- South Africa
- France
- Romania
- Spain
- Georgia
List of Official Rugby Union Internationals Broadcasters
The following are the official broadcasting partners of Rugby Union Internationals in Ireland:
| Country | Broadcaster |
| United Kingdom | Amazon Prime |
| Ireland | RTE 2 and RTE Player |
| Australia | Stan Sport |
| New Zealand | Sky Sports NZ |
| South Africa | SuperSport |
| Asia | Premier Sports |
| United States and Canada | FloRugby |
| France | MyTF1 |
Schedule of Rugby Union Internationals
The following is the schedule of the upcoming Rugby International matches:
| Date | Time | Match | Location |
| Sat, 12 August 2023 | 17:30 IST | England vs Wales | Twickenham |
| Sun, 13 August 2023 | 20:05 IST | France vs Scotland | Stade Geoffery-Guichard |
| Sat, 19 August 2023 | 15:15 IST | Wales vs South Africa | Principality Stadium |
| Sat, 19 August 2023 | 17:30 IST | Italy vs Romania | Stadio Riviera delle Palme |
| Sat, 19 August 2023 | 17:30 IST | Ireland vs England | Aviva Stadium |
| Sun, 20 August 2023 | 20:05 IST | France vs Fiji | Stade de la Beaujoire |
| Fri, 25 August 2023 | 19:30 IST | New Zealand vs South Africa | Twickenham |
| Sat, 26 August 2023 | 01:00 IST | Spain vs Argentina | Civitas Metropolitano |
| Sat, 26 August 2023 | 15:15 IST | England vs Fiji | Twickenham |
| Sat, 26 August 2023 | 17:30 IST | Italy vs Japan | Stadio Comunale di Mongio |
| Sat, 26 August 2023 | 17:30 IST | Scotland vs Georgia | Scottish Gas Murrayfield |
| Sat, 26 August 2023 | 19:45 IST | Ireland vs Samoa | Stade Jean Dauger |
| Sun, 27 August 2023 | 16:45 IST | France vs Australia | Stade de France |
How to Watch Rugby Union Internationals in Ireland on Mobile Phones
We recommend using free sports streaming services, such as TF1, to watch the Rugby Union International games in Ireland. The official app is available only on the Google Play Store in France due to geo-restrictions.
But you can get the APK version of the app from your web browser. You also need a subscription to a premium VPN since TF1 is geo-restricted.
Step 1: Download the ExpressVPN app and open the app to connect to the French server
Step 2: Download MyTF1 from APK
Step 3: Install the app
Step 4: Open the app and click Tout Accepter
Step 5: Select the search icon
Step 6: Choose Sports and select Rugby matches
Step 7: Click Play
Step 8: Choose Se connector
Step 9: Choose your Google account
Step 10: Enter your credentials
Step 11: Enjoy streaming
Other Sports to Watch in Ireland
You can watch the following sports live in Ireland:
- Watch American Rugby in Ireland
- Watch National Rugby League in Ireland
- Watch Rugby League World Cup in Ireland
- Watch Women’s FIFA World Cup in Ireland
- Watch Betfred World Matchplay in Ireland
- Watch Table Tennis in Ireland
- Watch Ice Hockey in Ireland
FAQs – Rugby Union Internationals
What is Rugby Summer Internationals?
Rugby Summer Internationals, Rugby Union Internationals, and Rugby Summer Nation Series are all the names for the warm-up matches to prepare for the Rugby World Cup.
When is the Rugby World Cup 2023?
Rugby World Cup 2023 is from 8 Sept 2023 to 28 October 2023.
Where is the Rugby World Cup 2023 happening?
France is hosting the Rugby World Cup 2023 at different locations.
Conclusion
Rugby Union Internationals or Summer Internationals series is the warm-up game for the rugby union teams to test their skills and flaws before the big face-off in the Rugby World Cup 2023.
17 teams, including the current World Cup Champion, South Africa, will play in a five-week tournament from July to August.
You can watch Rugby Union Internationals in Ireland on RTE, TF1, Amazon Prime Video, etc. RTE will broadcast Irish games only. But you can get other sports streaming services to watch the rest of the tournament.
However, TF1 and Prime Video will broadcast the games in France and the UK, respectively, due to geo-restrictions. That’s why you must use ExpressVPN to unblock them in Ireland.
