Welsh interim head coach Matt Sherratt kicks off a new era against a powerful Irish team
Watch Wales v Ireland as the Principality Stadium clash kicks off the third weekend of Six Nations 2025 action this afternoon. Read on for all the information you need to follow game live, whether you’re watching on TV or online.
It’s the start of a new era for Wales, as interim head coach Matt Sherratt takes charge of the team for the first time since Warren Gatland’s abrupt departure earlier this month. But with the side on a record-breaking 14-game losing streak, the last thing they need is a visit from Simon Easterby’s impressive Ireland, the only team still in the hunt for a Grand Slam.
Today’s Cardiff encounter gets underway at 2.15pm GMT / 3.15pm CET, and you can watch Wales v Ireland for free in the UK, Ireland and France. Wherever you’re planning on tuning in, this guide will tell you everything you need to know.
Read more: Six Nations trophies: All the prizes up for grabs in the 2025 tournament
Key information
– Wales v Ireland date: Saturday 22 February 2025
– Wales v Ireland kick-off time: 2.15pm local (GMT) / 9.15am ET / 4.15pm SAST / 1.15am AEDT (Sunday)
– Wales v Ireland venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Wales
– Wales v Ireland on TV: BBC One, Virgin Media One, France 2
– Wales v Ireland streams: BBC iPlayer (free), Virgin Media Play (free), FranceTV (free)
– Watch from anywhere: Try NordVPN 100% risk-free
How to watch Wales v Ireland live stream for free in the UK
All of Wales’ home Six Nations matches are available for free on BBC in the UK, and Wales v Ireland is no exception.
Terrestrial viewers can tune into the game on BBC One, while a Wales v Ireland live stream is also available on the BBC iPlayer streaming service. The platform is free to use on your computer, through iPlayer smartphone/tablet app and on your smart TV. You just need to complete a simple registration, though remember that you need a TV Licence to stream live TV in the UK.
Build-up to Wales v Ireland starts at 1.15pm GMT ahead of the 2.15pm GMT kick-off.
Six Nations TV coverage for this weekend’s other games – England v Scotland and Italy v France – is available via ITV in the UK.
How to watch Wales v Ireland from abroad
Overseas this weekend and worried about missing Matt Sherratt’s first game at the Wales helm? Fear not, because help is at hand in the form of a VPN.
Although many streaming services are geo-restricted, preventing you from logging in from abroad, a VPN (or Virtual Private Network) can make your computer, smartphone or tablet appear to be in a different country by changing your device’s IP address. This allows you to unblock geo-blocked streams, and enjoy your usual streaming service as if you were sitting in front of the TV in your sitting room. As an extra bonus, VPNs are also great news for your internet security and privacy.
Our expert office-mates at TechRadar have tested hundreds of VPNs, and they reckon the best is NordVPN. Better still, it’s available for a massive discount during the Six Nations.
How to watch Wales v Ireland in Ireland
In Ireland, you can watch Simon Easterby’s Ireland team in action against Wales through Virgin Media.
If you’re watching on terrestrial TV you can catch Wales v Ireland for free on Virgin Media One, while streamers can log in to Virgin Media Play. The service is also free to use and available as a streaming app or as an in-browser player. No sign-up is required.
This weekend’s other Six Nations fixtures are also available for free this weekend: England v Scotland is on RTÉ and Italy v France is on Virgin Media.
Coverage starts at 1.00pm ahead of the 2.15pm kick-off.
How to watch Wales v Ireland in France
En France? Free-to-air public broadcaster France Télévisions has the rights to every Six Nations game.
Terrestrial viewers can point their remote control at France 2, while a Wales v Ireland live stream is available on the FranceTV platform, which is also free to use. Et voilà…
Coverage starts at 3.00pm CET ahead of the 3.15pm CET kick-off.
Wales v Ireland: other global streams
USA: Rugby fans in the US need the Peacock streaming platform to watch Wales v Ireland. It costs $7.99 per month to subscribe.
Australia: Stan Sport is the home of the Six Nations down under. The service will cost you $15 per month on top of the base Stan subscription of $12 per month.
New Zealand: Kiwis can watch Wales v Ireland on Sky Sport. A streaming sub will set you back $49.99 a month. It’s also available through satellite TV.
South Africa: SuperSport is, as ever, the destination for rugby lovers in South Africa to watch Wales v Ireland.
Italy: Fans in Italy don’t get Wales v Ireland for free but it is available on Sky Sports Italia.
Wales v Ireland: match preview
A fortnight ago this fixture would have been regarded very differently. But, if a week is a long time in politics it’s an eternity in rugby, and since Wales’ dismal loss to Italy in their last Six Nations fixture – a defeat that probably consigns them to a second consecutive Wooden Spoon – a lot has changed to shift the mood.
Within days of that forgettable afternoon in Rome, head coach Warren Gatland had made an abrupt departure, and the Welsh Rugby Union had announced the appointment of Cardiff’s Matt Sherratt as interim head coach. The new man will take charge of the national side until the end of the championship. His mission? To end a record-breaking run of 14 defeats in a row, and – failing that – restore some pride to the famous red shirt.
Sherratt’s been in charge for less than a week but has already made some big changes. The Gloucester duo of fly-half Gareth Anscombe and outside centre Max Llewellyn were surprise omissions from Gatland’s original Six Nations squad, but the new head coach was quick to bring them back into the fold. He’s also recalled Harlequins stand-off Jarrod Evans, and all three are part of today’s matchday 23.
The Gloucester axis of Anscombe, Llewellyn and scrum-half Tomos Williams will be crucial to Sherratt’s plans, as he looks for combinations who’ve shared the field at club level – Williams, Llewellyn and inside centre Ben Thomas (who started Wales’ first two matches at fly-half) have all worked with Sherratt at Cardiff.
“It’s not a team I’ve picked thinking, ‘This is the team that’s going to beat Ireland,’” Sherratt said in the build-up to the match. “I just thought it was a team that would be cohesive. We’ve got some combinations who play together for their clubs. They’ve got familiarity with how I want to play.
“Max has been excellent this season and Gareth has played in some of the biggest games you can imagine at World Cups. These are players who could give the rest of the team the best chance to perform.”
Before the crowd under the Principality Stadium roof gets too carried away, however, there’s another important factor to consider. Ireland may not be playing in their traditional green this year but even with head coach Andy Farrell away on British & Irish Lions duty, they’ve been in formidable form this year. England and Scotland have both been beaten relatively comfortably, and they’re the only side in the Six Nations still in with a shot of winning a Grand Slam.
Most intimidating of all, interim boss Simon Easterby has made seven changes to the starting XV that humbled Scotland at Murrayfield, yet his side is still overflowing with talent and experience in every position. It’s the sort of strength of depth that has propelled the Irish to second in the world rankings, and Wales will be praying for a collective off-day if they’re going to pull off the biggest championship upset in years.
One other interesting thing to note… Wales may be in the doldrums and the Irish overwhelming favourites to win, but should the Welsh pull off an unexpected victory, they’ll still be in with a shout of a Triple Crown. A nation can dream…
Wales v Ireland: teams and officials
Matt Sherratt has been quick to make changes for his first game in charge, giving starts to Max Llewellyn and Gareth Anscombe after bringing them into the squad, and awarding Ellis Mee his first international cap on the last wing. He’s also opted to play his two openside superstars, Jac Morgan and Tommy Reffell, in the same starting line-up.
Ireland have also made significant changes to the side that defeated Scotland, though there’s little perceivable drop in quality. The most notable absentee is captain Caelan Doris. British & Irish Lion Test starter Jack Conan takes his spot in the back row, with hooker Dan Sheehan wearing the armband for the first time.
WALES
15. Blair Murray
14. Tom Rogers
13. Max Llewellyn
12. Ben Thomas
11. Ellis Mee
10. Gareth Anscombe
9. Tomos Williams
1. Nicky Smith
2. Elliot Dee
3. WillGriff John
4. Will Rowlands
5. Dafydd Jenkins
6. Jac Morgan (captain)
7. Tommy Reffell
8. Taulupe Faletau
Replacements:
16. Evan Lloyd
17. Gareth Thomas
18. Henry Thomas
19. Teddy Williams
20. Aaron Wainwright
21. Rhodri Williams
22. Jarrod Evans
23. Joe Roberts
IRELAND
15. Jamie Osborne
14. Mack Hansen
13. Garry Ringrose
12. Robbie Henshaw
11. James Lowe
10. Sam Prendergast
9. Jamison Gibson-Park
1. Andrew Porter
2. Dan Sheehan (captain)
3. Thomas Clarkson
4. Joe McCarthy
5. Tadhg Beirne
6. Peter O’Mahony
7. Josh van der Flier
8. Jack Conan
Replacements:
16. Gus McCarthy
17. Jack Boyle
18. Finlay Bealham
19. James Ryan
20. Cian Prendergast
21. Conor Murray
22. Jack Crowley
23. Bundee Aki
Christophe Ridley of England is the referee for Wales v Ireland, with Georgia’s Nika Amashukeli and Italy’s Gianluca Gnecchi as assistants. Another Englishman, Ian Tempest, is the TMO.
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