The two best sides in Europe face off in a match that will have a major bearing on the destination of the championship
Watch Ireland v France to see which of the northern hemisphere’s two best sides comes out on top at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday. This guide will give you all the information you need to watch a game that’s widely tipped to decide the Six Nations 2025.
Triple Crown winners Ireland remain on course for the Grand Slam following victories over England, Scotland and Ireland in their first three games. Despite a surprise defeat to England, however, the visitors thrashed Italy 73-24 last time out, and will surely be fired up as they look to win their first title since 2022. This game isn’t quite winner takes all, but it’s sure to have a major bearing on the destination of the championship trophy.
The match kicks off at 2.15pm GMT on Saturday afternoon. You can watch Ireland v France live streams for free in the UK, Ireland and France – read on to find out how to tune in wherever you are in the world.
Key information
– Ireland v France date: Saturday 8 March 2025
– Ireland v France kick-off time: 2.15pm local (GMT) / 3.15pm CET / 9.15am ET / 4.15pm SAST / 1.15am AEDT (Sunday)
– Ireland v France venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
– Ireland v France on TV: ITV1, RTÉ 2, France 2
– Ireland v France streams: ITVX (free), RTÉ Player (free), FranceTV (free)
– Watch from anywhere: Try NordVPN 100% risk-free
How to watch Ireland v France in the UK – live stream the Six Nations for free
For UK viewers, ITV has the rights to the biggest match of the championship so far. You can watch Ireland v France for free on both terrestrial channel ITV1 and streaming service ITVX. Coverage starts at 1.25pm GMT ahead of the 2.15pm GMT kick-off.
Rugby fans in the UK can watch every Six Nations match for free on either the BBC or ITV, with every Ireland home game available on ITV. ITV also has the rights to England v Italy on Sunday afternoon, though you’ll need to switch over to the Beeb for Saturday’s Scotland v Wales clash.
ITVX is free to view, but you will need to complete a simple sign-up process to access the platform. You also need an up-to-date TV Licence to stream live TV in the UK.
How to watch Ireland v France from abroad
Being away from home when this weekend’s Six Nations fixtures kick-off doesn’t have to mean you miss out on the action.
A VPN (Virtual Personal Network) can help rugby fans on the move avoid geo-blocking issues by allowing you to change your IP address. The result? Making your laptop, smartphone or tablet appear to be in a different country, making it possible for you to log on to your streaming platform of choice as if you were back at home. VPNs also have the added benefit of improving your internet security when you’re online.
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How to watch Ireland v France in Ireland
You can also watch Ireland continue their bid for Grand Slam glory for free in Ireland, where RTÉ has the rights to the big match against France.
Coverage of Ireland v France kicks off at 1.15pm ahead of the 2.15pm kick-off.
Terrestrial viewers can tune into live coverage on RTÉ 2, while streamers can watch the action via the RTÉ Player platform. Just head to the website or app – it’s so easy that you don’t even need to sign up to use the service.
Coverage of every Six Nations 2025 fixture is available free-to-air on either RTÉ or Virgin Media. You’ll have to switch over to Virgin Media One for Saturday afternoon’s other match, Scotland v Wales.
How to watch Ireland v France in France
French viewers can also watch every Six Nations game for free courtesy of France Télévisions – including Ireland v France.
You can catch Ireland v France on both terrestrial channel France 2 and the FranceTV streaming platform. Both options are free.
Coverage starts at 3.05pm CET ahead of the 3.15pm CET kick-off.
French fans who are away from home but want to tune in with their usual French language commentary can still access their France Télévisions coverage from abroad by using a VPN, such as NordVPN.
Other global streams
United States: A $7.99 per month subscription is all you need to watch every game of this year’s Six Nations through NBC’s Peacock streaming service.
Australia: You can watch Ireland v France on Stan Sport down under. You’ll need a base Stan subscription plus $15 per month to watch Stan Sport – and to stay up late to watch the 1.15am kick-off.
New Zealand: In New Zealand, Ireland v France is on Sky Sport, which costs $49.99 per month for a streaming subscription.
South Africa: In South Africa? Head to SuperSport to watch Ireland v France.
Italy: Ireland v France is available on subscription service Sky Sports Italia in Italy.
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