Rugby Europe Championship: how to watch the matches

The Rugby Europe Championship is an important event in the rugby calendar for ‘the best of the rest’. While the elite European teams face off in the Six Nations, six more fight for glory in the Rugby Europe Championship.

In 2022, the two teams who finish highest in this tournament will automatically qualify for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France, while third place enters another qualifying event. Therefore, the championship this year is of paramount importance for preparation ahead of next year’s crucial campaign.

The tournament usually involves six teams, although there are currently only five as a play-off fixture is yet to decided the final side. Trophy winners the Netherlands and Belgium, who finished bottom of Rugby Europe Championship in 2020, will play their play-off match later in the spring to determine the sixth team. Currently competing in the tournament are Georgia, Spain, Russia, Romania and Portugal.

With Belgium and the Netherlands’ play off fixture later in the spring, the confirmed five nations will play the first block of fixtures between March 6 and March 27, before the remaining games are complete.

Three time reigning champions Georgia are the favourites to win the tournament. Ranked 12th in the world, they are also the highest ranked nation in the championship, and also two places above Six Nations competitor Italy.

They kick off their tournament with a trip to Lisbon at 12pm GMT (3pm local time) on Saturday 6 March. Russia will host Romania in Sochi on the same day, also at the same time.

All games in the 2021 Rugby Europe Championship are shown on Rugby Europe TV. Each game will have English commentaries, with a full list of the scheduled matches below. The same site will also host replays of the games.

Rugby Europe Championship Fixtures

Sat 6 Mar Russia v Romania (12pm)

Sat 6 Mar Portugal v Georgia (12pm)

Sat 13 Mar Portugal v Romania (1pm)

Sun 14 Mar Spain v Georgia (11:45am)

Sat 20 Mar Russia v Georgia (11am)

Sat 20 Mar Romania v Spain (1pm)

Georgia v Romania TBC

Portugal v Spain TBC

Spain v Russia TBC

Russia v Portugal TBC

Georgia v Belgium/Netherlands TBC

Belgium/Netherlands v Portugal TBC

Romania v Belgium/Netherlands TBC

Belgium/Netherlands v Spain TBC

Belgium/Netherlands  v Russia TBC

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