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Tom’s Guide
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Sam Rider

Ireland vs England live stream: how to watch the 2025 Six Nations online, Prendergast gets the nod

Two Ireland and two England players run towards the ball during a Six Nations game in 2024.

Wrapping up the opening weekend's action, Ireland and England meet for a titanic clash in Dublin this afternoon with the hosts chasing an unprecedented three in a row.

And no matter where you are, fans can tune into all the action and watch Ireland vs England live streams anywhere in the world with a VPN, and potentially for free.

Ireland vs England 2025 Six Nations live stream details, dates, times and TV channels

Ireland vs England kick-off is scheduled for 4.45 p.m GMT on Saturday, February 1. That's 8.45 a.m PT / 11.45 a.m ET / 3.45 a.m AEDT (Sunday).

• FREE — ITVX (U.K.) / Virgin Media Play (Ireland)
• AUS —
Stan
• U.S. — Peacock
Watch anywhere Try NordVPN 100% risk free

While Ireland are chasing a hat-trick of titles, England are without a Six Nations championship victory in five years. And yet Steve Borthwick's side have recent history on their side.

Last year they denied Ireland a historic back-to-back Grand Slam with a last gasp 23-22 victory at Twickenham – their 2024 highlight in a year of near misses.

Nearly 12 months on, the men in green will be desperate for revenge and with a largely settled side, the headline news for today's home nation is the selection of Leinster youngster Sam Prendergast in the No10 jersey with Munster flyhalf Jack Crowley on the bench.

Caelan Doris captains the side from the back of the scrum, while Cian Healey (134 caps) and Conor Murray (120 caps) will bring considerable experience and Test match IQ off the bench.

No nation has ever won three in a row – but Ireland will have to do it the hard way without their talismanic head coach Andy Farrell. The Englishman is out of the picture, preparing for this summer's British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, with assistant coach Simon Easterby keeping his seat warm as interim head coach.

For England, Tom and Ben Curry will become the first twins to play for the England men's side when they line up at blindside and openside flanker. The identical twins and club teammates are bolstered by a 6-2 split of forwards to backs among the replacements, offering dynamic firepower off the bench.

Elsewhere, lightning quick back Cadan Murley makes his debut on the left wing and the vastly experienced lock Maro Itoje has the honour of captaining his nation's senior side for the first time.

As an extra subplot, Doris and Itoje are early frontrunners for the Lions' captaincy. Whoever ends on the winning side will have put themselves in the box seat to lead the home nations on the tour Down Under.

Read on to discover how to watch Ireland vs England live streams, and watch the 2025 Six Nations championship wherever you are in the world – including our guide to free options.

FREE Ireland vs England live streams

Where to watch Ireland vs England live streams for FREE

If you're in the U.K., you can catch all 15 matches of the 2025 Six Nations Championship, including Ireland vs England, via free-to-air live streams.

Every game will be shown on BBC or ITV, as well as via their streaming services BBC iPlayer and ITVX. Just make sure you have a valid U.K. TV license. Ireland vs England is on ITV and ITVX.

The tournament is also free to watch in Ireland, with RTÉ Player and Virgin Media Play sharing the matches. Ireland vs England will be on the Virgin Media channel and Virgin Media Play.

But what if you're caught short overseas during the tournament? Rest at ease, you can watch every kick, pass, tackle and try via a VPN instead.

NordVPN is the gold standard, but we've also highlighted other options in our best VPN services list. Scroll on to see how it works.

How to watch Ireland vs England live streams from anywhere

Overseas and blocked from streaming Ireland vs England like you would at home? We've got a hack for that. You can still catch all the action thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network).

This clever software makes your device appear to be back in your home country, even if you're soaking up the rays on the other side of the world. Simply set it up, then sit back and tune into the rugby like you usually would.

Right now, NordVPN is our number one choice for best VPN – find out more in our NordVPN review.

Using a VPN is incredibly simple, just follow these steps.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you're away from the U.K., but still want to watch on ITVX, you'd select U.K. from the list.

3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to your streaming service of choice and watch the rugby as usual.

How to watch Ireland vs England live streams in the U.S.

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Peacock, NBC's streaming service, has the rights to show every game of the 2025 Six Nations championship in the U.S., including Ireland vs England.

Subscriptions start from just $7.99 per month (or $79.99 for the year). Select matches also scheduled to be shown on the network's CNBC channel, but check local listings for the matches and times as they aren't all live.

Already subscribed to Peacock but outside the U.S. right now? That's when a VPN like NordVPN will help make sure you don't miss a minute of the 2025 Six Nations.

How to watch Ireland vs England live streams for FREE in the U.K.

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

As in previous years, coverage of the 2025 Six Nations championship will be shared between the BBC and ITV in the U.K.

ITV has the rights to Ireland vs England – they will be showing all of Ireland's home matches during the tournament.

That means you can watch Saturday's match live on ITV1 on TV, and also live and on-demand via the ITVX streaming service, which are both free with a valid TV license.

Away from home? You can still catch all the action using a VPN, such as our top pick: NordVPN.

How to watch Ireland vs England live streams in Australia

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Soaking up the sun Down Under? Rugby fans in Australia can watch Ireland vs England on Stan Sport, with plans starting from $12 per month for the sport add-on (on top of a regular Stan subscription at $15 a month).

Traveling overseas? We've got you. You can watch all the 2025 Six Nations via a VPN. Our number one VPN service right now is NordVPN, but you can take your pick from our best VPN services list.

How to watch Ireland vs England live streams in New Zealand

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Watching from the rugby heartland of New Zealand? You can catch Ireland vs England via Sky Sport NZ. A monthly subscription costs $42, or it's $499.99 for a whole year.

Kick-off will be at 5.45 a.m NZDT on Sunday.

Not home right now? You can still tune into the 2025 Six Nations live streams by using one of the best VPN services around, such as NordVPN.

Other 2025 Six Nations fixtures

All times GMT

Round 1
Friday, January 31
France v Wales, Stade de France at 8.15 p.m.
Saturday, February 1
Scotland v Italy, Scottish Gas Murrayfield at 2.15 p.m.
Ireland v England, Aviva Stadium at 4.45 p.m.

Round 2
Saturday, February 8
Italy v Wales, Stadio Olimpico at 2.15 p.m.
England v France, Allianz Stadium Twickenham at 4.45 p.m.
Sunday, February 9
Scotland v Ireland, Scottish Gas Murrayfield at 3 p.m.

Round 3
Saturday, February 22
Wales v Ireland, Principality Stadium at 2.15 p.m.
England v Scotland, Allianz Stadium Twickenham at 4.45 p.m.
Sunday, February 23
Italy v France, Stadio Olimpico at 3 p.m.

Round 4
Saturday, March 8
Ireland v France, Aviva Stadium at 2.15 p.m.
Scotland v Wales, Scottish Gas Murrayfield at 4.45 p.m.
Sunday, March 9
England v Italy, Allianz Stadium Twickenham at 3 p.m.

Round 5
Saturday, March 15
Italy v Ireland, Stadio Olimpico at 2.15 p.m.
Wales v England, Principality Stadium at 4.45 p.m.
France v Scotland, Stade de France at 8 p.m.

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