Last year was undoubtedly the strangest season in the history of Europe’s Pro14 rugby union competition, but one constant that remained was Leinster winning it all – for the third straight season and seventh time overall. Is there anyone out there who can challenge the Dublin-based club’s dominance? With the 2020/21 campaign now well under way, we’re in the process of finding out. Read on for details of how to get a Pro14 live stream so you can watch every fixture from the elite rugby union competition online – including for free where possible.
Unfortunately, the disruption isn’t quite over yet, with the current Pro14 season actually more of a Pro12 – the participation of last year’s two South African teams ruled out due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Pro14 rugby live stream 2020/21
The 2020/21 Pro14 season started in October 2020 and runs through March 2021. Full streaming and TV viewing details are listed below. This includes how to watch Pro14 rugby free online in Ireland – if you’re the patient type who can wait an hour or two for a delayed broadcast. But however you live stream Pro14 rugby, you can access your preferred coverage for every game by using a world-class VPN.
That leaves Irish, Welsh, Scottish and Italian sides competing in a shortened 2020/21 league that will end in March this year, with the top-placed side in each conference progressing to a one-off final.
The abbreviated format will allow for the creation of a new 16-team international club rugby tournament in 2021, the Rainbow Cup. It is slated to feature all of Europe’s Pro14 teams as well as four South African clubs – but obviously the everchanging global coronavirus situation means it’s all subject to change.
For now, rugby fans get to see if the likes of Ulster, Munster, or Connacht can upset Leinster’s bid for a fourth straight title this season – Connacht knocked the defending champs down a peg or two in their thrilling 35-24 win earlier this year, but Leinster are still the team to beat at top of Group A ahead of traditional rivals Ulster.
So how can you watch all the gripping action this season? We’ve laid out exactly what you need to do to get a Pro14 rugby live stream below, so you can simply click and watch rugby online in a matter of seconds. You can even watch FREE Pro14 rugby online if you’re in Ireland for many of the biggest fixtures – provided you can suffer a minor caveat or two.
How to watch a Pro14 rugby live stream from outside your country
We’ve recommended some of the best places to live stream Pro14 rugby below. But you might run into a problem trying to access them if you’re outside of your country – even if you’re fully registered and in all likelihood paying a subscription fee.
This is because of something called geo-blocking – best thought of as a kind of digital border. But it’s not nearly as scary as it sounds and we can help you get back to your preferred Pro14 rugby live stream in no time at all.
Simply follow our VPN advice below and you’ll soon be up and running with a great bit of software that allows you to relocate your device back to your country of residence – thereby regaining access to all the streaming services you normally enjoy at home.
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Throw in its robust set of security features and ExpressVPN is the best all-round VPN for streaming – and perhaps best of all, it has a 30-day money back guarantee plus 3 months FREE when you subscribe for a year.
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How to watch Pro14 rugby free online in Ireland – or live stream every fixture
Irish public broadcaster TG4 is showing Pro14 fixtures featuring the island’s clubs this season – and you can watch them online 100% FREE!
Anyone in Ireland can access a free TG4 stream here, with the channel hosting regular coverage of the biggest Pro14 matches featuring Leinster, Ulster, Connacht and Munster.
There’s a pretty big catch, though, in that coverage is usually delayed by a couple of hours – and depending on your linguistic skills, the fact that coverage is in Gaelic. Still, free rugby is free rugby and you’ve been meaning to learn the language during lockdown anyways, right?
The option for those who want to watch all this year’s Pro14 rugby fixtures live including those featuring non-Irish teams – or just prefer English language commentary – is eir Sport. The premium Irish TV channel is available on a number of devices and platforms, including Sky, that costs from €19.99 a month. A fair whack for the Queen’s English?
Outside of Ireland? Watch Pro14 rugby online just like you would at home with the help of a quality VPN.
Pro14 live stream: how to watch rugby union online in the UK
Premier Sports has the broadcasting rights for Pro14 rugby in the UK, and is showing every game from every round of the action on Premier Sports 1 and 2, as well as sister channel FreeSports.
You’ll find them available on TV from £9.99 a month through both Sky and Virgin Media – and there’s also a streaming-only option available, Premier Player, costing £9.99 for the full works including LaLiga TV and BoxNation.
In Wales, S4C is showing the four Welsh teams’ games either live or as full-match replays. S4C is available to stream for FREE in Wales via BBC iPlayer.
If you’re outside the UK and want to watch Pro14 rugby, don’t worry about geo-blocks on your account – simply grab a VPN and follow the instructions above to live stream the action just as you would if you were at home.
How to watch Pro14: live stream rugby union online in Australia
Australia doesn’t have a national TV broadcaster invested in Pro14 rugby – so every game is available to stream live and on-demand with a RugbyPass subscription.
This is one of the best value ways to watch Pro14 rugby in the world, as it costs just $9.99 a month for an HD live stream of every game in the competition.
It’s only available in a select few countries like Australia, though, as elsewhere broadcast deals means it gets geo-blocked. That’s not necessarily a problem for Aussie subscribers, though – just pick up a top-notch VPN and follow our guide above to watch your preferred Pro14 rugby live stream wherever you are in the world.
How to live stream Pro14 rugby in New Zealand
The place to watch Pro14 rugby in New Zealand is Sky Sport, which is available in New Zealand as part of a range of pay TV packages.
Anyone with Sky Sport as part of their package can use the BeIN Sport Connect app to stream coverage either online or via the app on most modern mobile devices.
And, Sky Sport Now exists as an option for Kiwis who want access to Sky Sport channels on a contract-free basis, with a week pass costing $19.99.
Anyone from the UK or Ireland in New Zealand can use the VPN route described above to tune in to their service of choice just like they would at home – and Kiwis abroad can use the same method to take their digital selves back home for rugby coverage.
Rugby union live stream: how to watch Pro14 rugby in the US
ESPN and its ESPN+ streaming service have the rights to show Pro14 rugby in the US.
The ESPN + service is great value at just $5.99 a month. In addition being the US home of the Pro14, ESPN+ also features loads of games from the NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS FA Cup, plus college sports, tennis, golf, cricket, other rugby competitions, Top Rank boxing, and UFC.
Most Pro14 rugby fixtures will be shown exclusive on the digital platform – though some games may occasionally also come to ESPN itself.
Where that’s the case, going for an over-the-top service like Sling TV‘ is also a really good option. It costs $30 a month for the Orange package deal that includes ESPN for those select few games that make it to linear TV in the US.
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