All the details on broadcasters and streams for the final 2025 Six Nations match of the weekend
Watch Ireland v England as the reigning champions kick off their 2025 Six Nations against the only side to beat them last season, with all the information here on how to tune into TV broadcasts and live streams wherever you are today.
This is arguably the hardest match to call in this opening round of fixtures. Ireland may have won two Six Nations titles in a row, but after last season’s surprise victory at Twickenham, England travel to Dublin knowing they have what it takes to beat the hosts.
Ireland v England kicks off at 4.45pm GMT today on a mild evening at the Aviva Stadium, and is available to watch for free in many countries, including the UK, Ireland and France. Read on for Rugby World’s complete guide on how to watch Ireland v England online, on TV and from anywhere in the world.
Key information
– Ireland v England date: Saturday 1 February 2025
– Ireland v England kick-off time: 4.45pm local (GMT) / 5.45pm CET / 11.45am ET / 6.45pm SAST / 3.45am AEDT (Sunday)
– Ireland v England venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
– Ireland v England on TV: ITV1, Virgin Media One, France 2
– Ireland v England streams: ITVX (free), Virgin Media Play (free), FranceTV (free)
– Watch from anywhere: Try NordVPN 100% risk-free
How to watch Ireland v England in the UK – Six Nations free live stream
Fans in the UK can watch England’s trip to Ireland in their first game of the 2025 Six Nations on ITV1 and ITVX.
Six Nations TV coverage in the UK is shared by two public, free-to-air broadcasters – ITV and the BBC – and it’s ITV who show the games when Ireland are at home. Ireland v England will be shown on terrestrial channel ITV1, and online on the ITVX streaming platform. ITVX is free to use – you just need to register with an email address, though don’t forget you need a valid TV Licence when it comes to streaming live TV.
Coverage starts at 4.00pm GMT ahead of the 4.45pm GMT kick-off.
How to watch Ireland v England from abroad
Out of your home country when Ireland v England is on? You’ll probably find that your streaming services are geo-restricted, but not when you use a VPN.
A Virtual Private Network is a piece of software that can make your device appear to be in a different country, so you can connect as if you were back home in your living room. It’s a must-have for watching rugby while travelling, and the bonus is that VPNs are great for your general internet security, too.
The experts at TechRadar have tested hundreds of VPNs and NordVPN comes out on top, especially for unblocking streaming services. There’s a nice discount for the Six Nations, too.
How to watch Ireland v England in Ireland
As in the UK, fans in Ireland can watch their team’s Six Nations opener against England for free on Virgin Media.
Virgin Media are splitting the Six Nations rights with RTÉ but have the honour of showing Ireland’s first game, in Dublin’s Aviva Stadium. Ireland v England will be shown on on Virgin Media One, which is available on free terrestrial TV in Ireland. You can also stream Ireland v England online for free with Virgin Media Play, either by downloading their app or simply by pressing play on their website with no sign-up required.
Coverage starts at 4.00pm ahead of the 4.45pm kick-off.
How to watch Ireland v England in France
In France, all Six Nations games are free to watch with public broadcaster France Télévisions, including Ireland v England this afternoon. The game will go out live on terrestrial channel France 2, with an Ireland v England live stream available on the FranceTV streaming platform, which is also free to view.
Coverage starts at 5.35pm CET ahead of the 5.45pm CET kick-off.
Ireland v England: Other global streams
USA: Fans in the USA can watch Ireland v England on Peacock, which costs $7.99 a month.
Australia: Stan Sport will show Ireland v England in Australia – you’ll need a base Stan subscription plus $15 per month for Stan Sport.
New Zealand: In New Zealand, Ireland v England is on Sky Sport, which is $49.99 per month if you’re after a streaming subscription. |
South Africa: SuperSport is the port of call for fans South Africa to watch Ireland v England – TV and streaming packages are available.
Italy: Fans in Italy don’t get England v Ireland for free but it is available on Sky Sports Italia.
- For a full list of global broadcasters, check out our full guide to how to watch Six Nations 2025.
Ireland v England preview
The last of this weekend’s Six Nations 2025 fixtures is arguably the hardest to call.
Ireland come into the match second in the world rankings and aiming for a record-breaking third-consecutive championship. But they looked uncharacteristically vulnerable in the Autumn Nations Series, and are under temporary new management, with Andy Farrell away on British & Irish Lions coaching duty.
Assistant coach Simon Easterby takes charge of the side for the Six Nations, and his squad selection suggests he’s sticking with the tried and tested. Built around a Leinster spine, the team has an enviable mix of talent and experience (prop Cian Healy has just overtaken the legendary Brian O’Driscoll to become the most capped Irish player of all time), and the men in green are expected to be the dominant contingent on this summer’s Lions tour to Australia. Indeed, Easterby has several “nice problems” to solve, such as which pair of Garry Ringrose, Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw to pick in the centres. He also has to choose between the talented Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley at fly-half, as Ireland continue their hunt for a successor to the talismanic Johnny Sexton.
This preview would have looked very different in 2023, however, when Ireland cruised to a spectacular Grand Slam. Having spent months at the top of the world rankings, they subsequently went out of the 2023 World Cup at the quarter-final stage, and weren’t quite as imperious in the 2024 Six Nations – they lost their penultimate game to England. Last November, the All Blacks ended Ireland’s 19-match unbeaten run in Dublin, before Farrell’s side scraped narrow victories over Argentina (nearly letting a 22-9 halftime lead slip) and Australia. In other words, Ireland are favourites but not as locked on as they would have been in previous years.
Steve Borthwick’s England, meanwhile, are trying to live up to the potential of a talented squad. Their Autumn Nations Series was a story of near misses, as they ran New Zealand, Australia and South Africa close but lost all three games. The team’s Six Nations record has also disappointed in recent years, with third place their highest finish since they were last Six Nations champions, in 2020. That said, they have reached a World Cup semi-final in the meantime.
One massive factor in England’s favour, however, is their surprise victory 23-22 over Ireland at Twickenham last season. In fact, they’re the only side to beat Ireland in their previous 13 Six Nations games, and know they have what it takes to beat their more fancied opponents.
They also have consistency of selection. Most of Borthwick’s first choice XV seems to pick itself, with familiar combinations in key positions, such as Ollie Lawrence and Henry Slade in the centres, and Maro Itoje and George Martin in the second row. The head coach also has a “nice problem to have” of his own, as he picks between Marcus Smith, Fin Smith and George Ford at fly-half. He also has some very promising newcomers in the squad, in the form of Harlequins’ Cadan Murley, Saracens’ Tom Willis and Northampton Saints’ Henry Pollock.
Itoje, long seen as an England rugby captain in waiting, takes over the armband from Jamie George for this tournament, and you can expect the lock to lead by example on the field. There’s no question England have the players to make a mark on this year’s tournament. It’s just a question of whether they can deliver when it matters.
Ireland v England teams
There are few surprises in Simon Easterby’s first Ireland team. The biggest headlines are Garry Ringrose and Bundee Aki getting the nod over Robbie Henshaw, and Sam Prendergast being selected ahead of Jack Crowley at fly-half. With Tadhg Furlong and Joe McCarthy injured, Finlay Bealham and Tadhg Beirne start at tighthead and lock, respectively. Caelan Doris continues as captain.
England’s big stories, meanwhile, are a debut for Harlequins winger Cadan Murley, and Sale brothers Tom Curry and Ben Curry starting a Test match together for the first time. The flankers will be the first twins ever to share the field for the England men’s team. Luke Cowan-Dickie starts at hooker, in the absence of the injured Jamie George.
IRELAND
15. Hugo Keenan
14. Mack Hansen
13. Garry Ringrose
12. Bundee Aki
11. James Lowe
10. Sam Prendergast
9. Jamison Gibson-Park
1. Andrew Porter
2. Rónan Kelleher
3. Finlay Bealham
4. James Ryan
5. Tadhg Beirne
6. Ryan Baird
7. Josh van der Flier
8. Caelan Doris (captain)
Replacements:
16. Dan Sheehan
17. Cian Healy
18. Thomas Clarkson
19. Iain Henderson
20. Jack Conan
21. Conor Murray
22. Jack Crowley
23. Robbie Henshaw
ENGLAND
15. Freddie Steward
14. Tommy Freeman
13. Ollie Lawrence
12. Henry Slade
11. Cadan Murley
10. Marcus Smith
9. Alex Mitchell
1. Ellis Genge (vice-captain)
2. Luke Cowan-Dickie
3. Will Stuart
4. Maro Itoje (captain)
5. George Martin
6. Tom Curry
7. Ben Curry
8. Ben Earl
Replacements:
16. Theo Dan
17. Fin Baxter
18. Joe Heyes
19. Ollie Chessum
20. Chandler Cunningham-South
21. Tom Willis
22. Harry Randall
23. Fin Smith
The Six Nations referee for Ireland v England is Ben O’Keeffe of New Zealand. His assistants are fellow New Zealander James Doleman and Hollie Davidson of Scotland. Another Kiwi, Glenn Newman, is the TMO.
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