Wales vs Italy today, Saturday, March 16, begins the final round of Six Nations 2024 fixtures with a blood-and-thunder battle to avoid picking up the wooden spoon. The hosts have lost four out of four thus far, while the Azzurri picked up a morale-boosting first victory last weekend. Who will prop up the table?
Wales vs Italy in the Six Nations 2024 is airing for free in the U.K. today on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website. Don't worry if you're abroad right now, because you can watch Wales vs Italy live streams from anywhere with a VPN.
Wales make four changes, with George North the headline addition as he makes his final international appearance before retiring after the Six Nations. Nick Tompkins, Alex Mann and Dillon Lewis also come in, with captain Dafydd Jenkins returning to the second row. Rio Dyer and Josh Adams continue after impressing on the wing.
Italy make three changes, with Lorenzo Pani in for the injured Ange Capuozzo at full-back. Stephen Varney gets the nod at scrum-half and Lorenzo Cannone returns to the pack. Tommaso Menoncello continues at center and Paolo Garbisi at stand-off. For completists, the teams are below…
Wales: Cameron Winnett, Josh Adams, George North, Nick Tompkins, Rio Dyer, Sam Costelow, Tomos Williams; Gareth Thomas, Elliot Dee, Dillon Lewis, Dafydd Jenkins (captain), Adam Beard, Alex Mann, Tommy Reffell, Aaron Wainwright
Italy: Lorenzo Pani; Louis Lynagh, Juan Ignacio Brex, Tommaso Menoncello, Montanna Ioane, Paolo Garbisi, Stephen Varney; Danilo Fischetti, Giacomo Nicotera, Simone Ferrari, Niccolo Cannone, Federico Ruzza, Sebastian Negri, Michele Lamaro, Lorenzo Cannone
Television coverage is now underway at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff and the teams will be out shortly for the anthems. It’s a wet day but, with the roof expected to be closed, conditions should be fine. Get in front of the screen and pour a drink of your choosing.
► Date: Saturday, March 16
► Time: 2.15 pm UK / 10.15 am ET / 7.15 am PT / 1.15 am AEDT (Sunday, March 17)
US: Peacock
UK: BBC One | BBC iPlayer (free with license fee)
IRE: RTÉ 2 | RTÉ Player (free)
AUS: Stan Sport
How to use a VPN to watch any stream
Wales' 2024 Six Nations began with narrow defeats to Scotland and England but the two blowout reverses to Ireland and France have prompted significant soul-searching in Cardiff. In last weekend's 45-24 home loss to Les Bleus, Warren Gatland's side shipped eight tries and 25 unanswered points in the final quarter to extend their losing run at the Principality Stadium to six successive games, having won just once in their past 12 tournament outings. The Welsh haven't finished bottom of the table in 21 years and not even a victory guarantees they jump above Saturday's opponents, whom they trail by four points. Plenty for iconic center George North – who announced earlier this week that he is to retire from internationals after the match – to get his teeth into, then.
Italy, meanwhile, finally got the win their effervescent play has deserved in 2024. Inside center Tommaso Menoncello again impressed in the 31-29 victory over Scotland, while Louis Lynagh – son of former Australian outside half Michael – marked his Azzurri debut with a well-taken try that has only added to Gonzalo Quesada's resurgent side. If they can repeat the late 22-21 victory they earned two years ago in Cardiff, the Italians are guaranteed to finish off the foot of the table for the first time in nine years. They'd also have won two games in the same tournament for just the third time in history, and the first time in 11 years.
Who will avoid that wooden spoon? Make sure you know how to watch a Wales vs Italy live stream today. We’ve got all the information on that below, including how to watch the Six Nations 2024 from anywhere.
How to watch Wales vs Italy in the UK for free
How to watch Wales vs Italy in Ireland for free
How to watch Wales vs Italy in the US
NBC Sports is the home of the Six Nations 2024 in the US, including Wales vs Italy, which will be streamed live on Peacock. The match kicks off at 10.15 am ET / 7.15 am PT. We also anticipate the match to be shown on delay on CNBC.
If you don't have cable you can use a cable replacement service like Sling or Fubo to get CNBC.
Though you get lots of extra channels, those services can be expensive, so signing up to Peacock, NBC's streaming service, could be a cheaper option. Prices starts at $5.99 per month for ad-enabled streaming or $11.99 for ad-free, and it's showing all of the Six Nations games, plus selected Premier League 2023/24 matches and a host of top series.
Remember, if you're away from the US at the moment, you'll need a VPN to ensure you can still watch the Wales vs Italy live stream without being geo-blocked. Keep reading on to find out how to get yourself set up.
How to watch Wales vs Italy in Australia
In Australia, online streaming service Stan Sport, is the exclusive broadcaster of the Six Nations 2024, including Scotland vs Italy. The match kicks off on Sunday, March 17 at 1.15 am AEDT, so make sure the coffee is brewing.
A subscription costs $15 per month (on top of a $12 Stan sub). Stan Sport is also the place to watch Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League football, and Formula E.
Not in Australia right now? Make sure you get yourself a VPN to ensure you don't miss a second of the Wales vs Italy live stream.
How to watch Wales vs Italy everywhere else
Wherever you live, there's a good possibility that a national broadcaster is streaming the Six Nations 2024, particularly if your country has a team playing in the tournament.
However, in some places there is a possibility that there's no easy way of watching the rugby. Thankfully, you can solve this issue with a Virtual Private Network (a VPN).
A VPN lets you get around the usual digital barriers by changing your IP address, meaning you can watch events like the Six Nations Championship even if it is not directly broadcasting where you are. Our favorite is NordVPN, which is the No. 1-rated VPN in the world right now according to our sister site, TechRadar.
How to use a VPN to watch any stream
- Download the app at NordVPN
- Choose the location of the streaming service you want to watch (UK, US, etc)
- Navigate to the streaming service and start watching!
Six Nations 2024 fixtures
Here are the remaining round 5 fixtures in this year's Six Nations championship:
Round 5
- March 16: Wales vs Italy — 10.15 am ET / 2.15 pm UK
- March 16: Ireland vs Scotland — 12.45 pm ET / 4.45 pm UK
- March 16: France vs England— 4.00 pm ET / 8.00 pm UK
