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Hosts look to build on impressive autumn internationals as they take on the struggling Dragons.
Kevin Lynch is a London-born, Dublin-based writer and journalist. The author of Steve Jobs: A Biographic Portrait, Kevin is a regular feature writer for a number of tech sites and the former Technology Editor for the Daily Mirror. He has also served as editor of GuinnessWorldRecords.com and has been a member of the judging panel for the BAFTA British Academy Video Game Awards.
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The 2025 Six Nations kicks off at the Stade de France with an intriguing opening fixture between pretournament favorites France and out-of-form Wales.Â
The French have inspirational captain Antoine Dupont back among the ranks and will be aiming to build on their autumn international wins over New Zealand and Australia.Â
The Welsh, meanwhile, can only improve, having lost all five matches during their 2024 Six Nations campaign. Currently on a dire 12-match losing streak, there’s little expectation that Warren Gatland’s side will end that run in Paris today.
Below, we’ll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to stream this Six Nations 2025 match, no matter where you are in the world.Â
Scrum-half Antoine Dupont has returned as France captain after missing the 2024 Six Nations to concentrate on representing France in the Rugby Sevens event at last year’s Paris Olympic Games.
Giampiero Sposito/Getty ImagesFrance vs. Wales: When and where?
France hosts Wales at the Stade de France in Paris on Friday, Jan. 31. Kickoff is set for 9:15 p.m. CET local time in France, which makes it an 8:15 p.m. GMT start in the UK, a 3:15 p.m. ET or 12:15 p.m. PT kickoff in the US and Canada, and a 7:15 a.m. AEDT start on Saturday, Feb. 1 in Australia.Â
How to watch France vs. Wales online from anywhere using a VPNIf you can’t view this year’s Six Nations locally, you may need a different way to watch this match; this is where a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic. It’s also a great idea if you’re traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network and want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.
With a VPN, you can virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. Most VPNs, like our Editors’ Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.
Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Australia, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you’re streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.
Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now.Â
James Martin/CNET Latest Tests DNS leaks detected, 25% speed loss in 2024 testsNetwork 3,000 plus servers in 105 countriesJurisdiction British Virgin Islands
ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It’s normally $13 a month, but if you sign up for an annual subscription for $100 you’ll get three months free and save 49%. That’s the equivalent of $6.67 a month.
Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Livestream France vs. Wales in the US Select Six Nations matches this season are being broadcast in the US on NBC; however this tournament opening match isn’t one of them. The good news is that streaming service Peacock is showing every match of the tournament live in the US. You’ll need a Peacock Premium or Premium Plus account to catch games live.
NBC’s streaming service, Peacock, offers access to all the matches of the 2025 Six Nations. Peacock offers two Premium plans, and after the recent price increases, the ad-supported Premium plan costs $8 a month and the ad-free Premium Plus plan is $14 a month.
Watch France vs. Wales for free in the UK Rugby fans in the UK are once again among the luckiest in the world, with all matches of the 2025 Six Nations set to be shown live on free-to-air networks BBC and ITV. This means viewers in the UK will be able to stream every game for free on ITVX. and BBC iPlayer. This opening match of the tournament will be shown live on ITV1, with coverage starting at 7:30 p.m. GMT.Â
ITV ITV’s streaming online streaming service is free to viewers in the UK, with dedicated apps available for Apple and Android devices, as well as most smart TVs.
Watch France vs. Wales for free in Ireland Live coverage is split between free-to-air terrestrial broadcasters RTE and Virgin Media in Ireland. That means you’ll be able to stream games for free on their streaming platforms Virgin Media Player and RTE Player. This opening fixture will be shown on Virgin Media One, with coverage starting at 7:30 p.m. GMT.Â
You can live stream 2025 Six Nations games for free using Virgin Media Player or via the network’s TV Anywhere app, which is available for nearly all devices, including smartphones, tablets, computers and more.
Stream France vs. Wales in Australia Rugby fans Down Under can watch Six Nations matches on streaming service Stan Sport, which has exclusive rights to show games live in Australia this season.
Stan Sport will set you back AU$15 a month (on top of a standard Stan subscription which starts at AU$12 per month for the service’s Basic tier.
A subscription will also give you access to Uefa Champions League Europa League and Europa Conference League soccer action, as well as international rugby and Formula E.
Stream France vs. Wales in Canada If you want to stream Six Nations games live in Canada, subscribe to DAZN Canada. The service has exclusive broadcast rights to the tournament this season.
A DAZN subscription costs CA$35 a month or CA$250 a year. It will also give you access to Champions League, Europa League and EFL Championship soccer and WTA tennis.
As well as dedicated apps for iOS and Android, there’s a wide range of support for set-top boxes and smart TVs.
Stream France vs. Wales in New Zealand Pay TV broadcaster Sky Sport has broadcast rights to show every 2025 Six Nations game live in New Zealand.
Pay-TV broadcaster Sky Sport will be showing every 2025 Six Nations game in New Zealand. That also means you can also watch every game online using the network’s Sky Go streaming service.
Quick tips for streaming the 2025 Six Nations using a VPN
With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — your experience and success when streaming Six Nations Rugby action live may vary.If you don’t see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the “search for city or country” option.If you’re having trouble getting the game after you’ve turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs — like Roku — don’t have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you’ll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you’re using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network’s sports app, you’ll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help since both devices will appear to be in the correct location. And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you’re using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.
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