Where to watch rugby union in Australia

A union of free-to-air and premium streaming services for all of your rugby union needs.

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Nathan Lawrence
Jun 23, 2023
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Okay, let’s officially admit it: there are too many varieties of football you can watch in Australia. There’s soccer, the actual football. Then there’s the abbreviations: NRL, AFL and even NFL if you fancy American football. If you’re not all footballed out, there’s one other kind of football to watch during the colder months. Rugby union.

Scroll on for a ruck-load of live rugby union options, including throw-ins from some of the best sports streaming services in Australia.

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Watch rugby union online in Australia

Stan is the not-so-new home of rugby union in Australia.

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If you want to watch a wide selection of rugby union content in Australia, then you want a subscription to Stan Sport. Like Foxtel Now, you’ll need a base Stan subscription, which costs either $12, $16 or $21 a month. The more you pay, the higher the Stan streaming fidelity and the more simultaneous streams you get: one, three or up to four streams. You also need to pay a $15 monthly fee to access Stan Sport, which grants access to the following rugby union content:

  • Super Rugby Pacific
  • Premiership Rugby
  • The Rugby Championship
  • Rugby World Cup France 2023
  • Bledisloe Cup
  • Six Nations (men’s and women’s)
  • Super W
  • Currie Cup
  • Shute Shield
  • Hospital Cup
  • Rugby WA
  • Autumn Nations Series
  • Rugby Championships (U16s and U19s)
  • Women’s Rugby
  • World Rugby
  • British & Irish Lions
  • NZ Rugby NPC
  • Tri Nations Rugby
  • NZ Rugby FPC
  • Super Rugby Aupiki
  • U20 Championship

That may read like a lot of rugby union, and it is, but clicking on the categories suggests that some of those items lower down the list are relegated to on-demand replays of older series and matches. For those fanging for free rugby, it’s limited to one Super Rugby game per round on 9Now. You can also check out Wallabies home games, plus those played against New Zealand on 9Now, as well as four select Shute Shield and Hospital Cup round games, plus one game of each of the respective state finals.

Watch the Rugby World Cup in Australia

For the Rugby World Cup, you’ll want a Stan Sport subscription to watch every game. Alternatively, all Wallabies games and the Rugby World Cup final will be streaming on 9Now. There is another free way to watch the Rugby World Cup, though, if you use a virtual private network (VPN).

Connect to a VPN server in the UK and sign up for a free ITVX account. You may need to get creative with finding a valid UK postal address to get access. Once you’re signed up, you’ll be able to stream all of the 2023 Rugby World Cup on ITVX. Try one of the VPNs below for fast streaming to UK servers:

Watch the Bledisloe Cup in Australia

Bledisloe Cup matches—the old rivalry between the Australian Wallabies and the New Zealand All Blacks—are available for streaming on Stan Sport. Alternatively, create a free 9Now account to stream Bledisloe Cup matches for free.

Watch Super Rugby in Australia

If you’re only interested in watching one Super Rugby game a week, you can sign up for a 9Now account and stream it for free. Otherwise, Stan Sport is the place to watch every Super Rugby match.

Watch Rugby Sevens in Australia

Foxtel may not be the home of rugby union anymore but it still has some content. Case in point, the Rugby Sevens. Admittedly, Kayo Sports and Foxtel Now are offering that via BeIN sports, and that agreement concludes at the end of June 2023. Assuming BeIN holds onto the Rugby Sevens rights in the future, you can pay either $19.99 a month or $179.99 a year to access rugby union and other sports.

Watch Six Nations in Australia

As you may have noted in the list above, Six Nations matches are available for streaming on Stan Sport. Sign up for a 30-day Stan trial then add Stan Sport, which offers a seven-day trial.

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Rugby union at the Olympics
Rugby union has had an on-again off-again relationship with the Summer Olympic Games. The good news is Rugby Sevens has been an Olympic event at recent Summer Games and is set to be again in the future. For match replays and highlights from previous Summer Games, check in with 7plus or search for ‘rugby’ on the official Olympics YouTube channel. Moving forward, Rugby Seven Olympic matches will stream live on 9Now.

Compare streaming services

Interested to see how the streaming services above stack up against the competition? Take a look at the table below for a comparison of your streaming options in Australia.

Service
Details
Monthly price
More info
Binge Standard plan
4K streaming
2 streams
Deal: 7-day free trial
$18/mth
Apple TV+Apple TV+ plan
4K streaming
6 streams (Family Sharing)
Deal: 7-day free trial
$12.99/mth
Disney PlusDisney+ Standard plan
HD streaming
2 streams
Deal: $139.99 for 12mths
$13.99/mth
Disney PlusDisney+ Premium plan
4K streaming
4 streams
Deal: $179.99 for 12mths
$17.99/mth
NetflixNetflix Standard + Ads
HD streaming
2 streams
$6.99/mth
StanStan Basic plan
SD streaming
1 stream
$12/mth
Kayo SportsKayo One Plan
HD streaming
1 stream
Deal: 7-day free trial
$25/mth
Foxtel Now | 2022 logo | Reviews.org AustraliaFoxtel Now Essentials
HD streaming
2 streams
Access to over 30 channels
Deal: 10-day free trial
$25/mth
ShudderShudder plan
HD streaming
1 stream
Deal: 7-day free trial
$6.99/mth
Hayu | Provider logoHayu Plan
HD streaming
1 stream
Deal: 7-day free trial
$6.99/mth
Paramount+Paramount+ plan
HD streaming
2 streams
Deal: 7-day free trial
$9.99/mth

Rugby union Australia frequently asked questions

There are two main places to watch rugby union in Australia: Stan Sport and 9Now. Stan Sport shows a range of rugby union games, while select matches are available on 9Now.
Channel 9 offers some rugby union matches, including Super Rugby games, Wallabies matches at the Rugby World Cup (and the final). 9Now also has Wallabies homes games and matches against the New Zealand All Blacks.

Yes, you’ll find plenty of rugby union on Stan Sport or select free matches on 9Now. With a VPN, you can also stream other rugby union matches, including the Six Nations Championship (via Peacock) and the Rugby World Cup (via ITV).

Nathan Lawrence
Written by
Nathan Lawrence
Nathan Lawrence has been banging out passionate tech and gaming words for more than 11 years. These days, you can find his work on outlets like IGN, STACK, Fandom, Red Bull and AusGamers. Nathan adores PC gaming and the proof of his first-person-shooter prowess is at the top of a Battlefield V scoreboard.

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