SIX NATIONS 2023 ROUND 1 PREVIEW
It’s time for the Six Nations 2023 as Rugby fans prepare for a feast of action. The ever popular Rugby Union Tournament will once again be shown with comprehensive free live streaming on BBC Sport and ITV.
It’s that time of year again, the Six Nations is back! One of the greatest competitions in all of world sport kicks off this weekend and promises to give us plenty of action between now and March 18th.
Our SIX NATIONS 2023 ROUND 1 preview is brought to you in partnership with EPL Index, and Dave Hendrick – host of the Two Footed Podcast, offering FREE podcasts to football fans.
Last season saw France crowned champions for the first time since 2010 as they finally realised their talent and showed the mental toughness that had been lacking in previous years. Can they repeat? We will soon know. Let’s jump straight in and preview the three games on this weekend’s slate.
Six Nations 2023 Round 1 Preview | Wales vs Ireland
📅 Saturday 4 February 2022
⏰ 1415 UK Kick-Off
Ireland are currently ranked number 1 in the world and they’re on a fantastic run under head coach Andy Farrell. Last season they finished second in the competition, four points behind France. They will feel slightly aggrieved at having finished second given they had the best attack and the best defense in the competition. Defeat in Paris in round two proved to be the difference between a first title in 12 years for France and what would have been a first title in 4 years for Ireland.
Because of the nature of the Six Nations, Ireland will host France in Dublin this year in round two, looking for revenge. The men from the land of saints and scholars will travel to Wales this weekend to take on the side that finished second from bottom last year and ended the competition losing at home to Italy.
While the Italians have improved greatly in recent years, that was an embarrassing result for the team who won the Six Nations the season before.
This game will be a good early test for both teams and their credentials. For Ireland, it’s a chance to show they are deserving world number one, and for the Welsh, it’s a chance to restore pride after last season’s disappointment.
The first match week really does set a marker for the four games to follow and neither side will want to come away with a loss. Last season they also met in round one and Ireland ran out comfortable winners by a score of 28-7. It was a very comfortable afternoon’s work for the Irish, and if not for a late lapse in concentration they would have shut out the Welsh at the Aviva Stadium. That defeat set the tone for a very disappointing campaign for Wales, who will be keen to avoid a repeat.
The Welsh have been boosted by the return of Warren Gatland as Head Coach. Gatland oversaw four Six Nations titles during his previous 12-year stint in charge and will be hoping for similar success, if not longevity, this time around.
Six Nations 2023 Round 1 Preview | England vs Scotland
📅 Saturday 4 February 2022
⏰ 1645 UK Kick-Off
Next up we had to Twickenham where England will play host to Scotland. The reverse of this fixture is always one of my favourites because there’s nothing better than Flower of Scotland belting out around Murrayfield with the English in attendance, but this should also turn out to be quite the spectacle.
Scotland, as they usually do, started last season very very well by beating England in the opening game before remembering that they are Scotland, who disappoint annually, as they found ways to lose Wales. They would then get hammered by France and Ireland with a victory over Italy sandwiched in between. This left them 4th in the table and disappointed once again. Gregor Townsend has introduced an exciting brand of Rugby, one that he himself would have thrived in during his playing days, but he is yet to find consistency in results. He holds a good record of 3-1-1 from his five games against England and will be hoping to add to that this weekend.
England were probably the most disappointing team in last year’s competition, they themselves manage only two wins against three defeats those wins came against Wales and Italy, the two bottom teams, And they barely threatened the top 2 of France and Ireland with their Six Nations campaign becoming something of a damp squib.
Head coach Eddie Jones was dismissed after the Autumn Internationals and has been replaced by Steve Borthwick, who previously spent 5 years as the forwards’ coach for England between 2015 and 2020. He left to embark on a two-year stint as head coach of the Leicester Tigers. Borthwick experienced good success with the Tigers winning the Premiership title in the 2021/22 season. Capped 57 times by England, he knows what it takes to succeed in the famous white jersey.
Six Nations 2023 Round 1 Preview | Italy vs France
📅 Sunday 5 February 2022
⏰ 1600 UK Kick-Off
The Stadio Olimpico in Rome will play host to the final game of this weekend with Italy playing host to defending Six Nations champions France in what, on paper, looks to be the most one-sided fixture of this round.
Italy are the perennial whipping boys of the Six Nations and once again finished bottom last season. However, they did show signs of improvement and ended their campaign with a historic victory in Cardiff over Wales on the final day. A last-gasp Edoardo Padovani try was converted by Paolo Garbisi to give them a 22-21 victory and lift the mood around Italian rugby.
Not only was that their first-ever win in Cardiff, but it was also their first win in the Six Nations since they defeated Scotland at Murrayfield in February of 2015. No matter how optimistic their fans might have been, a seven-year wait for victory must have felt like a lifetime, especially considering It was only the second Six Nations win since the 2013 season. Two wins in nine campaigns, or 45 games, would turn even the most optimistic of fan into a doubter.
This season marks the 10-year anniversary of their best-ever Six Nations campaign when they won two matches in 2013 defeating both France and Ireland. At the time, Italy must have thought they closed the gap on the elite, who could have known that such tough times were ahead.
France will be heavy favourites to win this game and as defending champions, anything other than a comprehensive win will be seen as a disappointment. France are currently ranked number 2 in the world, behind Ireland, and it’s worth remembering that they will also host the Rugby World Cup later this year. this is is the most high-pressure season in the history of the French national rugby team. Their fans will expect them to not only retain the Six Nations but also to win the World Cup on home soil.
No matter where you are, you can use your Liberty Shield VPN to find a way to watch the Six Nations 2023 Round 1. Don’t have a Liberty Shield VPN? You’re missing out! Click right here to check out what we can offer you, and use the code EPL25 to get a 25% OFF your VPN or VPN Router at check-out.
How to watch the Six Nations 2023 from anywhere…
The Six Nations 2023 will be streamed live on BBC and ITV as well as their respective BBC Sport, BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, Smart TV, Now TV, FireTV etc.
But these streaming services are not available to everyone, for example when you load Sky Sport in the USA, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, France, Spain, Portugal, Australia, Dubai, Canada etc. you will get an error message.
BBC IPLAYER ONLY WORKS IN THE UK. SORRY, IT’S DUE TO RIGHTS ISSUES.
This is basically because their streaming services are geoblocked based on the IP address being used to access it. You must be a UK domestic web user to access BBC Sport and ITV live tv streaming.
- Get a UK IP address for Six Nations 2023 Round 1
- If you want to watch on your Windows PC, Mac, FireTV, iPhone, iPad or Android then you can get a UK Proxy or VPN Apps from Liberty Shield, FREE for 48 hours and then from only £8.99 per month.
- Prefer to watch on supported media streaming devices like Now TV, Smart TVs, Apple TV, Xbox, PS4, Roku etc? You’ll need a UK configured VPN Router setup as British, available from only £22.99 with Worldwide Shipping available.
What channels are streaming Six Nations Rugby?
A new TV deal has been struck in the UK which confirms BBC and ITV will bring every moment of every tournament between 2023 and 2025. BBC will show all Scotland and Wales home fixtures, while ITV will broadcast each England, France, Ireland and Italy home games.
Check out the full schedule below for the full fixture list, kick-off times and channel details.
Six Nations 2023 TV schedule
Round 1
Saturday 5th February
Ireland v Wales (2:15pm) ITV / S4C
Scotland v England (4:45pm) BBC One
Sunday 6th February
France v Italy (3pm) ITV
Round 2
Saturday 12th February
Wales v Scotland (2:15pm) BBC One / S4C
France v Ireland (4:45pm) ITV
Sunday 13th February
Italy v England (3pm) ITV
Round 3
Saturday 26th February
Scotland v France (2:15pm) BBC One
England v Wales (4:45pm) ITV / S4C
Sunday 27th February
Ireland v Italy (3pm) ITV
Round 4
Saturday 11th March
Wales v France (8pm) BBC One
Sunday 12th March
Italy v Scotland (2:15pm) ITV
England v Ireland (4:45pm) ITV
Round 5
Saturday 19th February
Wales v Italy (2:15pm) BBC One / S4C
Ireland v Scotland (4:45pm) ITV
France v England (8pm) ITV
Furthermore; BBC Sport and ITV aren’t the only geographically-censored streaming services a VPN or Proxy will allow you to access. Other UK services like Sky Sports, All 4, Now TV, BT Sport, Amazon Prime and BritBox are available. Plus with the option to switch to our USA service whenever you like, you can access Hulu, HBO GO, Netflix and Pandora. Essentially you can access international content from virtually anywhere!
