The best club sides in Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa and Wales compete for the United Rugby Championship title. Here’s how to follow the action…
Watch URC live streams as the annual contest between Irish, Italian, Scottish, South African and Welsh sides gets underway.
– Dates: 25 September 2026 – 19 June 2026
– United Rugby Championship broadcasters: Premier Sports (UK/Ireland), FloRugby (US), SuperSport (South Africa), URC TV (rest of the world)
– Watch selected fixtures for free: S4C Clic/BBC iPlayer (UK), TG4 (Ireland)
– Watch from anywhere: Get up to 75% off with NordVPN
Leinster are out to win a hat-trick of titles in long-serving head coach Leo Cullen’s final season in charge, but regular contenders Glasgow Warriors, the Bulls and the Stormers are unlikely to let them walk to a three-peat. Whoever lifts the trophy in June’s grand final will have put in the air miles in the sky, and the hard yards on the pitch.
Below you’ll find details of where to watch United Rugby Championship live streams around the world, including options to watch Scarlets v Cardiff, Connacht v Stormers and Lions v Leinster for free. . We also explain how you can use a VPN to watch your usual service from wherever you are on the planet.
You’ll find all of this weekend’s fixtures at the bottom of the page.
Free URC live streams this weekend
Most United Rugby Championship matches are only available on subscription services. In the UK and Ireland, however, selected games are available for free on most matchday weekends.
United Kingdom
In the UK, Welsh language service S4C will show one live match per round free-to-air. Games will come with both Welsh and English commentary, and are available on S4C’s terrestrial TV channel, as well as the S4C Clic and BBC iPlayer streaming services.
This weekend you can watch the following URC live stream:
- Saturday 26 September Scarlets v Cardiff (kick-off: 7.45pm BST)
Ireland
Free-to-air Irish language broadcaster TG4 will show at least 26 URC live streams this season, and will also have coverage of the grand final in June.
This weekend there are a pair of Ireland v South Africa fixtures on offer:
- Friday 25 September Connacht v Stormers (kick-off: 12.30pm BST)
- Saturday 26 September Lions v Leinster (kick-off: 7.45pm BST)
This weekend’s other five URC matches are available on subscription service Premier Sports in both the UK and Ireland – more on that below.
Travelling overseas this weekend? That doesn’t mean you have to miss out on your usual free United Rugby Championship live streams. Read on for details of how you can use a VPN to watch your usual service from abroad.
Watch URC live streams from overseas
Being away from home doesn’t have to stop you from watching any of the URC action this season. A VPN bypasses geo-blocking by changing your IP address, allowing you to stream all the action as if you were at home. NordVPN is our favourite and rated top of the VPN league by our colleagues at TechRadar.
United Rugby Championship live streams in the UK
Premier Sports has the UK rights to every URC game across the 2026-27 season.
You can buy a standalone online subscription to Premier Sports, which works across a variety of apps and devices. It costs £18.99 a month on a rolling basis, £13.99 a month on a year-long contract, or £130 a year (less than £11 per month) if you pay up front.
Another option is to watch Premier Sports on your TV via Sky Q, Prime Video, STV Player and Virgin Media. The rolling monthly cost is, again, £18.99 though other deals are available on certain platforms.
Premier Sports subscribers can also enjoy coverage of the European Champions Cup, the European Challenge Cup and the French Top 14. You can also watch Scottish Premiership and La Liga football.
How to watch URC matches in Ireland
Premier Sports is also the place to go to watch URC live streams in Ireland.
If you’re an existing Sky Sports customer, you can add Premier Sports to your subscription as part of the Sports Extra pack (which also includes TNT Sports). This costs €10 per month for the first six months, before rising to €25 per month for the next six months.
Premier Sports is also available with a Now Sports Extra membership (day and month memberships are available from €11.99 per month), and through Virgin Media – check their website for details.
Stream the United Rugby Championship in South Africa
Fans of the Bulls, the Lions, the Sharks and the Stormers can watch their team in action via SuperSport in South Africa.
There are several SuperSport packages available, whether you want to watch via DStv or streaming.
Watch URC live streams in the US
As with the Gallagher PREM, European Champions Cup and Top 14, FloRugby is the destination for viewers who want to watch URC live streams in the US.
A FloRugby subscription gets you access to all of the FloSports network, meaning you can also watch cycling, motorsport, American football and more.
It’ll cost you $39.99 per month to subscribe, though you can save loads if you sign up for an entire year – that’ll cost you $155.88, which works out at a mere $12.99 per month.
Stream the URC around the world
If you live in a country where the URC has no specific rights deal in place (essentially, anywhere outside the UK, the US and South Africa), you’ll need to watch on URC TV. A season pass will cost you €59.99. (Some games may be available on URC TV in Ireland and Italy.)
United Rugby Championship fixtures: Round 1
Planning ahead? Check out our guide to every URC fixture of the 2026-27 season.
Friday 25 September 2026
- Benetton v Dragons
Stadio Monigo, Treviso
Kick-off: 7.45pm BST - Connacht v Stormers – FREE ON TG4 IN IRELAND
Dexcom Stadium, Galway
Kick-off: 7.45pm BST - Ulster v Edinburgh
Affidea Stadium, Belfast
Kick-off: 7.45pm BST
Saturday 26 September 2026
- Lions v Leinster – FREE ON TG4 IN IRELAND
10Bet Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Kick-off: 12.30pm BST - Sharks v Ospreys
Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban
Kick-off: 3.00pm BST - Munster v Glasgow Warriors
Thomond Park, Limerick
Kick-off: 5.30pm BST - Zebre Parma v Bulls
Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma
Kick-off: 5.30pm BST - Scarlets v Cardiff – FREE ON S4C IN THE UK
Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli
Kick-off: 7.45pm BST
Download the digital edition of Rugby World straight to your tablet or subscribe to the print edition to get the magazine delivered to your door.
Follow Rugby World on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
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.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: rugbyworld.com
