How to watch Japan v Ireland online for free (Rugby World Cup)

The Japan v Ireland Rugby World Cup match will take place on 28 September at 8:15 AM BST (3:15 AM EST and 16:15 JST local time) at Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa. We’ll show you how to live stream Japan v Ireland online for free by using a VPN. This way, you’ll even be able to watch this Rugby World Cup match abroad.

We’re only recommending official sources for watching Japan v Ireland. While there will likely be unauthorized streams available, we strongly advise against their use. The problem with unlicensed streams is that they’re frequently taken offline for copyright infringement, making you miss out on the action. Worse, many are of poor quality with low resolution and lots of buffering and lag. The good news is you don’t need to use an unofficial stream as there are plenty of official sources for this Rugby World Cup match.

Japan v Ireland is only available to watch on region-locked platforms. While you can live stream the match for free, you’ll need a VPN in order to watch from abroad.

How to watch Japan v Ireland live online free

Here we’ll guide you through what you need to do to watch Japan v Ireland online free. Don’t worry, it’s quick and easy and only takes a few minutes.

If you’re still having trouble unblocking ITV Hub or RTÉ abroad, we recommend you clear your browser’s cache and cookies. This ensures your previous IP address and location are forgotten by the website in question. It may also be worth connecting to another server in case the IP address you’re using has been blacklisted.

How to live stream Japan v Ireland online free on UK TV

ITV hold the broadcasting rights for the Rugby World Cup in the UK. This means ITV will be showing all 48 matches, including Japan v Ireland. In order to watch online, you’ll need to go to ITV Hub and register for a free account. This should only take a few seconds.

ITV Hub is a geo-blocked platform which means you’ll need a UK IP address in order to unblock content. If you’re outside the UK, this means connecting to a server in the UK via a VPN. The good news is that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee which means you can test it with ITV Hub risk-free and receive a full refund, no questions asked.

Where else can I watch Japan v Ireland live online?

While it’s very easy to unblock ITV Hub and live stream Japan v Ireland abroad, you may be interested to know that a number of other broadcasters are airing the game (some free and some paid). If your country isn’t listed, take a look at the official list of Rugby World Cup broadcasters.

Ireland

All of Ireland’s Rugby World Cup matches will be broadcast live on RTÉ for free (the knockout stages will also be shown). The games can be lived streamed via RTÉ Player which is free to use and doesn’t require any kind of registration. However, like ITV Hub, this platform’s content is geo-restricted. As such, you’ll have to connect to a server in Ireland to obtain an Irish IP address to watch from abroad.

To watch Rugby World Cup matches involving teams other than Ireland, Eir Sport may be worth considering. This platform is showing all 48 games via the Eir Sport app. Eir Sport broadband customers can access the Eir Sport channels for free. The only other option is the Eir Sport subscription for Sky TV customers at a cost of €29.99 monthly or €299 annually.

USA

There’s no free way to watch Japan v Ireland online in the US. However, the match will be available on NBC Sports Gold. In order to watch, you’ll need to purchase a Rugby World Cup Pass for $199 USD (this provides you access to all 48 games) or you can buy the individual game for $29.99. Either way, a VPN and US IP address is required to access NBC Sports Gold outside the US due to the geographic restrictions in place.

Australia

The only Australian broadcaster showing the Japan v Ireland game is Fox Sports. If you already have a Foxtel TV subscription, you can watch online via the Foxtel Go app. If not, Foxtel Now is a streaming-only alternative that doesn’t require a cable TV subscription (the base subscription costs $25 AUD monthly but the sports package costs a further $29 per month). The good news is that the service comes with a 10-day free trial. Note that Foxtel is only available in Australia. If you’re wanting to watch from abroad, you’ll need an Australian IP address which you can obtain via a VPN.

Can I use a free VPN to watch Japan v Ireland online?

While it may be tempting to use a free VPN to watch Japan v Ireland, it’s rarely worth it. There’s no guarantee the free VPN you choose will be able to unblock geo-restricted platforms such as ITV Hub and RTÉ Player. Even if they do, the slow speeds and interruptions of lag and buffering make live streaming a challenge. As such, there’s a real risk you’ll miss much of the match with a free VPN.

As if poor performance wasn’t enough, free VPNs lack the security you need to maintain your privacy online. In using such a service, you should know that your data may not be secured with encryption. You may also be vulnerable to data leaks. Furthermore, some free VPN services make money by selling your personal data, including your browsing history. For this reason, we recommend only the best VPNs that offer strict no-logs policies.

What should I know about the Japan v Ireland Rugby World Cup match?

Japan and Ireland have met on a total of seven occasions with Ireland winning all seven matches. The last time the two teams met was in June 2017 when Ireland won 13-35 in the 2017 Ireland Tour. Ireland are ranked 2nd in the world while Japan are ranked 9th.

Needless to say, Ireland are the heavy favorites to win this World Cup match, having comfortably dispatched Scotland 27-3 in their opening fixture. However, Japan cannot be ruled out from causing an upset. The host nation should head into the match full of confidence having comfortably defeated Russia 30-10 in their Rugby World Cup game.