Your guide to watching every game of this season’s United Rugby Championship
This guide explains how to watch a URC live streams during the 2025-26 season.
– Dates: 26 September 2025 – 20 June 2026
– Watch every URC fixture: Premier Sports (UK/Ireland)
– Watch FOR FREE: Select fixtures on S4C and BBC iPlayer (UK)/TG4 (Ireland)
– Watch from anywhere: Get 70% off NordVPN
Two successive defeats to South African opposition have seen Glasgow Warriors surrender top spot to the Stormers. But with just three points separating first from the third- and fourth-placed Lions and Leinster, it’s looking extremely tight with just two rounds of regular fixtures remaining before the championship play-offs.
Several games are available to watch for free in every round. The matches on offer this weekend are Glasgow Warriors v Cardiff and Connacht v Munster – find out more about how to tune in below.
Scroll down to the end of the article for a full list of round 17 fixtures.
Are there any free URC live streams?
Yes, selected games will be available for free in both the UK and Ireland:
In the UK
Free-to-air Welsh channel S4C has renewed its United Rugby Championship deal, meaning that it will show 20 live games across the 2025-26 season.
Every URC match broadcast by S4C will be available with commentary in Welsh and English via the S4C terrestrial channel, S4C Clic, BBC iPlayer and the S4C Chwaraeon YouTube channel.
BBC Wales also has the rights to occasional URC matches throughout the season.
This weekend viewers in the UK can watch:
- Glasgow Warriors v Cardif on BBC Two Wales/BBC iPlayer (kick-off: 7.45pm BST, Friday 8 May)
In Ireland
TG4 and its TG4 Player now have exclusive free-to-air rights to URC live streams in Ireland. The broadcaster will show at least 26 live games across the course of the season, including the final in June. It will also have selected access to the quarter-finals and semi-finals.
This weekend viewers in Ireland can watch:
- Connacht v Munster on TG4 (kick-off: 7.45pm BST, Saturday 9 May)
If you’re away from home but want to watch your usual free URC live stream, it’s best to check out NordVPN so you can watch from overseas. Find out more below.
Stream United Rugby Championship matches in the UK
As they did last season, Premier Sports has the rights to every game in the URC. Subscribers can also enjoy coverage of the European Champions Cup, the European Challenge Cup, the French Top 14, US Major League Rugby and Japan Rugby One.
You can get a standalone online streaming subscription to Premier Sports, which works across a variety of apps and devices. It costs £16.99 a month on a rolling basis, £11.99 a month on a year-long contract, or £120 a year (equivalent to £10 per month) if you pay up front.
You can also get Premier Sports on your TV via Sky Q, Prime Video, STV Player and Virgin Media. The rolling monthly cost is, again, £16.99 though other deals are available on certain platforms.
As previously mentioned, some matches will also be available for free on Welsh service S4C.
How to watch the URC if you’re away from home
Being abroad doesn’t have to stop you from watching the URC action this weekend. A VPN bypasses geo-blocking by changing your IP address, letting you stream all the action as if you were at home. NordVPN is our favourite and rated as the #1 VPN by our colleagues at TechRadar.
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URC live streams in South Africa
The Stormers, Bulls, Sharks and Lions are all in action in the URC, and fans in South Africa can watch them via SuperSport.
There are various SuperSport packages available, whether you want to watch via DStv or streaming.
Watch the URC in Ireland
While some games will be available for free on TG4, if you want to watch every game you’ll need to subscribe to Premier Sports.
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 URC in the USA
Rugby fans who want to follow the URC in the United States need a subscription to FloRugby, where you can also watch the European Champions Cup, the Gallagher PREM and Super Rugby.
A rolling monthly FloRugby subscription costs $29.99, with an annual subscription costing $150. This effectively works out at $12.50 per month, and gets you access to the entire FloSports network, which is handy if you’re also into cycling, motorsport and American football.
URC fixtures this weekend
This weekend’s fixtures (round 17) are below. If you want to plan ahead, check out our guide to United Rugby Championship fixtures in the 2025-26 season.
Friday 8 May
- Glasgow Warriors v Cardiff Rugby – FREE ON BBC WALES IN THE UK
Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow
Kick-off: 7.45pm BST - Ulster v Stormers
Affidea Stadium, Belfast
Kick-off: 7.45pm BST
Saturday 9 May 2026
- Bulls v Zebre Parma
Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Kick-off: 12.45pm BST - Sharks v Benetton
Kings Park, Durban
Kick-off: 3.00pm BST - Ospreys v Scarlets
Electric Brewery Field, Bridgend
Kick-off: 5.30pm BST - Leinster v Lions
Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Kick-off: 5.30pm BST - Dragons v Edinburgh
Rodney Parade, Newport
Kick-off: 7.45pm BST - Connacht v Munster – FREE ON TG4 IN IRELAND
Dexcom Stadium, Galway
Kick-off: 7.45pm BST
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