The Six Nations is one of the biggest events in the rugby calendar, with fans across the world following every match. In the UK, coverage is shared between BBC and ITV, making it easy to watch at home.
When you are abroad, however, BBC iPlayer and ITVX are blocked, even if you normally watch from the UK. This often leads to confusion, especially for travellers, expats, and seasonal residents.
This guide explains how to watch the Six Nations rugby abroad reliably, why VPN apps often fail, and how to set things up properly on a TV rather than relying on a laptop or phone.
In the UK, Six Nations matches are broadcast across:
Coverage includes live matches, highlights, and catch-up. No paid sports subscription is required in the UK.
Both services are strictly geo-blocked outside the UK.
When you try to stream Six Nations matches from outside the UK, BBC iPlayer and ITVX check your IP address. If it does not appear to be UK-based, access is blocked automatically.
This applies whether you are:
Live sport is when VPN apps perform worst. Common issues include:
This happens because most VPN apps use shared or commercial IP addresses that broadcasters quickly detect.
The most reliable solution is to use a VPN router with a UK residential IP address.
A VPN router handles the connection at network level, making every connected device appear to be in the UK. A residential IP behaves like a normal UK household broadband connection and is far less likely to be blocked.
This setup works reliably for watching the Six Nations from countries such as:
A VPN router allows you to watch Six Nations rugby on:
Once connected, BBC iPlayer and ITVX behave exactly as they do in the UK.
Freely is a new way to watch free-to-air UK television entirely over the internet, without the need for an aerial or satellite dish. It brings together live BBC and ITV channels in one place, along with full catch-up and on-demand services.
For the Six Nations, this works particularly well because coverage is shared between BBC and ITV. Freely allows you to switch between broadcasters easily, without juggling separate apps or inputs. Live matches, highlights and replays are all available through the same interface.
Freely is now built into a growing number of new UK televisions. For existing TVs, the Netgem PLEIO Freely TV box provides the same experience via HDMI, making it easy to add Freely to any setup. When used with a VPN router and a UK residential IP, Freely works abroad just as it does in the UK, providing a stable and simple way to watch the Six Nations on a proper TV.
The Six Nations is one of the most watched rugby tournaments of the year, and it is also a time when streaming blocks are most frustrating.
If you want to watch the Six Nations abroad without interruptions, a VPN router using a UK residential IP provides the most stable solution, especially when combined with a TV-based setup.
At Stream UK TV Abroad, we supply pre-configured VPN routers and Netgem PLEIO Freely TV boxes designed to work together, giving you a simple way to watch Six Nations rugby abroad without missing a match.
