The Loftus Versfeld stadium in Pretoria hosts Eddie Jones' return to the Rugby Championship
A South Africa v Australia live stream will be a hot ticket on Saturday. This article is here to help you watch the opening fixture of the 2023 Rugby Championship wherever you are.
As they head into their first match of this year’s tournament, the Springboks and the Wallabies will be aiming to get their hands back on the trophy after long waits since claiming the title. Australia last won the tournament in 2015, while South Africa claimed it in 2019, before going on to win the World Cup.
Australia come into the tournament under new coach Eddie Jones. It will be the former England boss’s first Rugby Championship since he was re-appointed as the country’s coach after his first stint from 2001-2005. He took the helm in January after being fired as England’s head coach and is looking towards the Rugby World Cup, which kicks off in September. Below we detail how to watch the first match of their campaign – including details on using ExpressVPN to watch from abroad.
The Springboks’ campaign has already been hit with a blow though as Ox Nché has been ruled out of their clash with Australia through injury. Nché’s injury will keep him out for several weeks, meaning he is unlikely to make an appearance in the Rugby Championship.
“It’s never ideal to lose a player to injury days before an important Test match, but unfortunately it’s part of the game,” said South Africa head coach Jacques Nienaber. “We are particularly sad for Ox because he’s been working very hard in the last few months and making a great contribution on and off the field. We wish him a speedy recovery.”
Experienced prop Steven Kitshoff has replaced him in the squad for the Wallabies game and Gerhard Steenekamp has been called up into the squad. The Boks also are wearing their new kit for the match.
Who will claim the spoils at the final whistle? Make sure you don’t miss a second of the action as we explain how to watch South Africa v Australia live stream.
Will Eddie Jones be smiling at the end of the match? (Getty Images)
South Africa v Australia live stream: How to watch from the UK & Ireland
Sky Sports Action is screening all six Rugby Championship matches starting with South Africa v Australia on 8 July (4:05pm BST).
If you don’t have a Sky Sports contract, don’t worry as you can stream all 11 Sky Sports channels with a NOW TV pass.
How to watch South Africa v Australia live stream from outside your country
If you are away from home and want to catch the games from another country then you can do so by using a VPN – Virtual Private Network. A VPN is a piece of software which offers both online privacy and ability to change your IP address, meaning that you can access on-demand content or live TV like you would back at home while in another country.
Our colleagues over at TechRadar have tested hundreds of VPN and recommend ExpressVPN which is easy to use, has strong security features and allows you to watch on several devices at once, including smart TVs and phones, iPads, tablets, PCs and Macs.
Plus, ExpressVPN comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. You can try it out for a month for free or sign up for an annual plan and get three months free.
We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:
- Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service)
- Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad
We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
Live stream: How to watch from Australia
Stan Sport is streaming all Rugby Championship games, including South Africa v Australia, and a seven-day free trial is available. Click here for more information.
South Africa v Australia live stream: How to watch from South Africa
SuperSport will show all Rugby Championship matches live in South Africa.
South Africa v Australia live stream: How to watch from New Zealand
In order to watch the match in New Zealand, fans should head to Sky Sports NZ.
New Zealand kick off their own Rugby Championship campaign against Argentina at 7.10am on Sunday 9 July (NZ).
South Africa v Australia live stream: How to watch from Argentina
ESPN+ is live streaming Argentina’s opening round clash with New Zealand (at 4.10pm in Argentina). They do not have broadcast rights to South Africa v Australia.
South Africa v Australia live stream: How to watch from the USA
FloRugby has the rights to stream 2023 Rugby Championship matches live for fans in the USA, including South Africa v Australia.
A FloRugby monthly subscription costs $29.99 or you can take out an annual one for $150.
South Africa v Australia live stream: How to watch from Singapore and Asia
Premier Sports Asia has the rights to broadcast Rugby Championship matches in South East Asia and will show matches in 30 territories – Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Federated States of Micronesia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Marianas, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Nepal, Northern Marianas, North Korea, Pakistan, Palau, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Tajikistan, Taiwan (Republic of China), Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam.
A monthly subscription to Premier Sports Asia is $25.99 or a rolling annual contract is $169.
- Premier Sports Asia subscription
South Africa v Australia line-ups
South Africa: Willie le Roux; Canan Moodie, Lukhanyo Am, Andre Esterhuizen, Kurt-Lee Arendse; Manie Libbok, Cobus Reinach; Steven Kitshoff, Bongi Mbonambi, Frans Malherbe, Jean Kleyn, Marvin Orie, Marco van Staden, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Duane Vermeulen (c).
Replacements: Joseph Dweba, Thomas du Toit, Vincent Koch, RG Snyman, Evan Roos, Deon Fourie, Grant Williams, Damian Willemse.
Australia: Tom Wright; Suliasi Vunivalu, Len Ikitau, Reece Hodge, Marika Koroibete; Quade Cooper, Nic White; James Slipper (cc), David Porecki, Allan Alaalatoa, Nick Frost, Will Skelton, Tom Hooper, Michael Hooper (cc), Rob Valetini.
Replacements: Jordan Uelese, Matt Gibbon, Zane Nonggorr, Richie Arnold, Pete Samu, Tate McDermott, Samu Kerevi, Carter Gordon.
We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:
- Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service)
- Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad
We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
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