Premier Sports to broadcast Ireland XV v England A
The broadcaster has also launched in Canada
At a glance
Premier Sports to broadcast Ireland XV v England A in Ireland and the UK
New partnership with IRFU follows Premier Sports’ coverage of two England A games in November 2025 in the UK
Broadcaster also launches in Canada with DTC service
Premier Sports will provide exclusive live coverage of Ireland XV v England A on Friday, February 6th. The fixture is being held at Thomond Park, with kick-off at 7:15pm.
This week’s announcement adds to Premier Sports’ live coverage of the Men’s Six Nations in the UK. The broadcaster has secured the live broadcast rights to five Six Nations fixtures, beginning with Italy v Scotland on Saturday, February 7th (KO: 2:10pm Irish and UK time).
The coverage of Ireland XV v England A will include a full match presentation, with pre-match build-up and post-match analysis.
Canada launch
Premier Sports has also launched its streaming service in Canada after announcing that it has secured the rights to a number of high profile tournaments in that market. From 2026 Premier Sports will broadcast the Men’s Six Nations, the U20 Six Nations, the Nations Championship live and on-demand in Canada on the broadcaster’s streaming service.
Premier Sports subscribers in Canada will also have access to live SANZAAR international tour matches and Super Rugby Pacific.
Premier Sports is already available in Ireland across two linear TV channels, while in the UK the service is available across three channels and online via its streaming platform. In Asia, the Premier Sports is available online on the broadcaster’s own streaming platform.
The Rugby Broadcast take
This week’s announcement is yet another sign that Premier Sports is focusing on growing its reputation as the home of rugby not only in Ireland and the UK, but further afield as well. The coverage of Ireland XV v England A also complements the broadcaster’s Six Nations coverage in the UK.
Securing the rights to Ireland XV v England A also gives its England based subscribers, who may have only signed up to the service for access to Champions Cup fixtures, yet another reason not to cancel their subscription while the EPCR competitions pause for the international window.