Six Nations 2023 Round 3 Preview | Watch Free Live Streaming on BBC and ITV

SIX NATIONS 2023 ROUND 3 PREVIEW

The Six Nations 2023 is shaping up for an intriguing conclusion. The ever popular Rugby Union Tournament will once again be shown with comprehensive free live streaming on BBC Sport and ITV.

After the players had last weekend off to rest and recover from the intense action of the second round, the Six Nations returns this weekend and promises to once again deliver some special action.

Our SIX NATIONS 2023 ROUND 3 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.

Let’s jump straight in.

Six Nations 2023 Round 2 Preview | Italy vs Ireland

📅 Saturday 25 February 2022
⏰ 1415 UK Kick-Off

The opening game of the weekend should be straightforward, given Italy are one of the two worst teams in the competition and Ireland are the number one team in World Rugby but the games are played for a reason, and anything can happen out on that pitch.

Italy have lost both games so far, having been done very few favours by the schedulers who lined them up to face France, England and Ireland in successive games. They haven’t been overwhelmed or heavily beaten in either of their games and have really given both France and England problems in the second halves of both games.

The Italians have made three changes to the team that lost to England, with Tommaso Menoncello moving from the left wing to inside centre, and Pierre Bruno coming into the team to replace Luca Morisi. Tomasso Allan drops out to be replaced by Pierre Garbisi at fly-half and finally, Simone Ferrari replaces Marco Riccioni at tighthead prop.

Riccioni, Morisi and Allan all drop to the bench, which sees one final change as Giovanni Pettinelli replaces Manuel Zuliani.

Ireland have looked dominant so far, dispatching Wales and France in impressive fashion. Against the French, they proved that they are World number one for a reason mixing pace, power and aggression in equal amounts to break down a stubborn defensive line. Some inspired performances off the bench showed that Ireland also have the strength in depth to maintain their impressive level.

Ireland have made six changes ahead of this game. There are three changes to the backline, with Bundee Aki coming in at inside centre for Stuart McCloskey, Ross Byrne replacing Johnny Sexton at fly-half, and Craig Casey taking over for Conor Murray at scrum-half. The three changes in the pack are actually four changes, as Jack Conan replaces Peter O’Mahony causing a back-row reshuffle. Caelan Doris moves to the blindside while Conan takes over at number eight. In the second row, Tadhg Beirne misses out with Iain Henderson slotting in next to James Ryan, and finally, in the front row, Rob Herring is replaced by Ronan Kelleher.

McCloskey, Murray and O’Mahony take spots on the bench, while Sexton, Herring and Beirne are absent through injury. Dan Sheehan returns to the squad as the reserve hooker while the young duo of Jack Crowley and Ryan Baird step in for Sexton and Beirne.

Six Nations 2023 Round 2 Preview | Wales vs England

📅 Saturday 25 February 2022
⏰ 1645 UK Kick-Off

If ever a team needed a win, it’s Wales. They have been soundly beaten in both games and look like potential wooden spoon winners. With their greatest rivals coming to Cardiff on Saturday, Warren Gatland will be demanding improvement. He won’t be alone in that though, because Steve Borthwick will also need to see a lot more from his England team.

The Welsh were demolished by Scotland, a defeat that will sting a lot more than the previous weeks trouncing by Ireland. They collapsed in the second half, allowing 22 unanswered points and that will be of enormous concern to Gatland. It wasn’t quite as bad as the 27 points Ireland hung on them in the first half the previous week but losing to Scotland will always hurt the Welsh more.

Gatland has, unsurprisingly, made mass changes to his starting 15. Nine in total. There are also seven changes to the bench. It’s easier to name those who retain their positions than the myriad of changes. Josh Adams, Joe Hawkins, Tomos Williams, Christ Tshiunza, Adam Beard and Ken Owens are the only surviving starters, with Rhys Carrie the only person who began on the bench last week still on it. Gatland is demanding improvement.

England showed flashes of improvement last time out, rebounding from their defeat by Scotland to claim the win over the Italians, but it wasn’t all smooth sailing. There was a notable drop in their intensity in the second half which allowed the Italians to gain a strong foothold in the game. Borthwick will be wanting an 80-minute performance this weekend.

Unlike Gatland, he has kept faith with the majority of his players. He’s made one change to the starting 15, and it’s in the back line as Ollie Hassell-Collins drops out to be replaced by Anthony Watson on the left wing. On the bench, there are two further changes with Courtney Lawes and Ben Curry replacing Nick Isiekwe and Ben Earl. Continuity is key for Borthwick as he looks to build momentum and confidence.

Six Nations 2023 Round 2 Preview | France vs Scotland

📅 Sunday 26 February 2022
⏰ 1500 UK Kick-Off

The final game of the weekend is the biggest game of the weekend as World number two France plays host to World number five Scotland in a game that could have a big impact on the Six Nations title.

France are looking to retain the title they finally claimed last season but suffered a big setback with defeat in Dublin last time out. That defeat doesn’t end their hopes of winning the competition, but they will now need Ireland to lose and this weekend’s opponents are the team most likely to beat the Irish. For a Scotland win to potentially hand the title to France, France need to beat Scotland comprehensively and then run through England and Wales and lift their points differential.

There’s just one change for France this week in the starting 15 with Uini Antonio missing out due to suspension and Mohamed Haouas coming in at tight head prop. That’s actually the only change in the entire squad as the bench remains the same as last weekend. Fabian Galthie has great faith in his players, and for good reason.

Scotland have ambitions of winning the competition themselves and are finally starting to deliver on the promise they have shown in recent years. In prior seasons, having beaten England, they would have let themselves down against Wales. At half-time, it looked like they might allow that to happen, but they upped their level in the second half and produced an outstanding performance.

Unsurprisingly, Gregor Townsend hasn’t made too many changes. The backline remains the same with the only change in the first 15 coming in the pack as Hamish Watson comes in on the openside for Luke Crosbie. There are a couple of changes on the bench, with Sam Skinner and Ali Price replacing Chris Harris and George Horne.

No matter where you are, you can use your Liberty Shield VPN to find a way to watch the Six Nations 2023 Round 3. 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.

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