After weeks of warm-up games and debates about squad selections, the Rugby World Cup 2019 is finally here, kicking off with this opening match in Tokyo. We’ll give you the low down on how to live stream Japan vs Russia below.
The hosts go into the game on something of a high having won the recent Pacific Nations Cup. Russia on the other hand sneaked into this year’s tournament after Romania and Spain were disqualified. They won’t be in Japan to make up the numbers and could spring a surprise as they go in search of their first ever World Cup win.
Live stream Japan vs Russia – where and when
The 2019 Rugby World Cup curtain raiser takes place at the 49,970 capacity Ajinomoto Stadium in Tokyo.
The game kicks off at 7.45pm JST local time – that’s an 11.45am BST start for folk tuning in from the UK and a 1.45pm start for Russia fans looking to cheer on their boys from home.
As with any host, Japan will want to get off to a good start and should be strong enough to get a positive result in here. With a kind draw, they’ll be hoping to battle it out with Scotland for second place in Pool A, with Ireland clear favourites to top the group.
Russia’s recent form doesn’t make pretty reading, with Italy putting 85 past them in a stinging warm-up defeat last month. In 34-year-old fly-half Yuri Kushnarev and athletic prop Kiril Gotovtsev they at least have two game-changing players worthy of the world stage.
You can watch all the action from pretty much anywhere on Earth by following our Japan vs Russia live stream guide from the Rugby World Cup.
How to watch the 2019 Rugby World Cup from outside your country
If you’re abroad for any of the Rugby World Cup and don’t want to miss out on catching the coverage from your home country, you’ll inevitably find it geo-blocked when you try to stream online. But don’t sweat. With the option of a VPN, you can tune into those fixtures no matter where you are in the world without resorting to some dodgy feed on Reddit. And best of all, it’s really easy to do (or read on for details on how to stream coverage from the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA).
We’ve tested hundreds of VPNs and can recommend these as the best VPN services currently available:
1. Express VPN (comes with a 30 day money back guarantee) This is the #1 rated best VPN in the world right now, with those previously mentioned levels of security, speed and compatibility putting it to the top of the list. You can try it out for a month for free or sign up for an annual plan to get 49% off and 3 months extra absolutely FREE.
2. NordVPN SmartPlay tech makes NordVPN a great choice for streaming. It’s really affordable, too
3. IPVanish supports up to 10 devices, so great on the go
Setting things up is super simple. Once you’ve chosen you’re VPN provider and installed their software, you simply open the VPN app, hit ‘choose location’ and select the appropriate location. Choose any country showing the Rugby World Cup and watch as if you were in that part of the world.
How to stream Japan vs Russia live in the UK
The great news for Rugby fans in the UK is that ITV has the live broadcast rights to the 2019 Rugby World Cup and will be showing all 48 matches free-to-air across various ITV platforms.
Today’s opening match of the tournament will be shown live on ITV 1 and will be preceded with coverage of the opening ceremony at 10.25am BST on Friday morning, followed by the match itself from 11.30am BST.
if you’re not in the UK but want to catch up with ITV’s World Cup coverage, then you’ll need a VPN to relocate your IP to the UK and get around the region restrictions. Just follow those instructions above.
How to watch Japan vs Russia: live stream in Australia
Great news! The opening game of this year’s Rugby World Cup will be shown on Network Ten’s free-to-air 10 Bold channel.
Additionally, every game of the tournament is also being shown on paid-for service Fox Sports and the dedicated sports streaming service Kayo Sports.
If you’re looking to watch the coverage from abroad you’ll need a VPN.
How to watch Japan vs Russia live in New Zealand for free
Today’s opening game is one of seven 2019 Rugby World Cup matches being shown live and free-to-air in New Zealand via TVNZ, with coverage starting at 9.30pm NZST.
Additionally, streaming service Spark Sport has snagged the rights to show all matches of the 2019 Rugby World Cup live. Spark will cost $89.99 for a Tournament Pass to cover every match, or you can hand over $24.99 per match.
Spark Sport is available via web browsers on your PC, plus Apple and Android phones and tablets. You can also watch on Chromecast and selected Samsung TVs, with plans to make the app available on Apple TV and Smart TVs later in the year.
If you’re outside New Zealand and want to watch the coverage from TVNZ or Spark Sport, you can use one of our favorite VPNs above and watch the coverage from another nation.
How to live stream Japan vs Russia in the US
In the US, NBC Sports is the official broadcaster for the Rugby World Cup 2019 so you’ll need to sign-up if you’re not already receiving this channel. Kick off for today’s match is an early 3.45am PT, 6.45am ET.
For the most extensive coverage NBC has to offer, you can subscribe to NBC Sports Gold, which is offering a Rugby World Cup Pass for $199.99, delivering live, on-demand and commercial free coverage of the tournament. Single matches can also be purchased for $29.99
Cable cutter, but still want to watch the Rugby World Cup? You can also watch via one of the below TV streaming services. They’re fast becoming the best way to watch otherwise cable-only shows and sports – and they pretty much all have a free trial, too:
- Hulu with Live TV $40 per month – Hulu with Live TV includes CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN.
- FuboTV $35 for the first month – FuboTV gives you the first month at a discounted rate but after that the price increases to $45 a month. The service includes CBS, Fox, NBC and the NFL Network but does not come with ESPN.
- DirecTV Now $50 per month – DirecTV Now includes CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN and for $5 extra you can add the NFL Network.
- YouTubeTV $40 per month – YouTubeTV gives you access to CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN.
Live stream Rugby World Cup 2019 match in Canada
In Canada the rights to show the Rugby World Cup 2019 are owned by TSN So that means you can access coverage of today’s opening match via your TV, online or on the TSN app. Kick-off is 6.45am ET.
If you want to catch it but are out of the country, you can use a VPN to access the rugby coverage.
