The Rugby Broadcast Report Issue 8: TV Guide June 13-15
Never miss a game
Welcome to the latest issue of the Rugby Broadcast Report, covering this weekend’s fixtures and the latest rugby media rights news.
The URC Grand Final between Leinster and the Bulls takes place this Saturday, following the Premiership final at a sold-out Twickenham, where Bath – who haven’t won the Premiership since 1996 – face Michael Cheika’s Leicester side that defeated Sale 21-16 last weekend.
There’s also action coming up from across the globe. The Super Rugby Pacific semi-finals are being held, and for the first time, fans in Ireland and the UK will be able to watch the Super Rugby Americas final.
The Asia Rugby Men’s Championship kicks off on Friday morning, with more action from the Top 14, Major League Rugby, and the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup being shown across the weekend.
Kick-off times and broadcast details for all games are listed below.
Fixture of the weekend (admittedly biased)
URC final: Leinster v Bulls
Kick-off: Saturday 5:00pm / 6:00pm SAST
TV: TG4, SuperSport, Premier Sports, NOW, Flo Rugby, URC TV
Venue: Croke Park, Dublin
Referee: Andrea Piardi
ARs: Mike Adamson & Sam Grove-White
TMO: Matteo Liperini
No matter who wins the Grand Final on Saturday, the URC will have its fourth different winner in four seasons. This is the first URC final held outside South Africa and the third consecutive cross-hemisphere final. Leinster, eight-time league winners, have yet to claim a title in the URC era, last winning a trophy at home in 2018. The Bulls have beaten Leinster twice in recent URC semifinals (2022 and 2024) but have lost two finals themselves (2022 and 2024). Can Leinster overcome their European woes? Tune in on Saturday to find out.
Quote of the week
"The thing that struck me most about this was follow your passion, not a business plan. It was do something that you really enjoy and that you’re really passionate about and that you think other people are passionate about and people will find you.”
– Murray Barnett on the Unofficial Partner Podcast
Murray Barnett, formerly of World Rugby, discussed Tim Cocker's acquisition of the TV rights to the Pro D2 in an excellent episode of the Unofficial Partner podcast. It’s well worth a listen.
Rugby media rights news
Sky Sports revealed its pundit lineup for the 2025 Lions tour, which includes Ronan O’Gara, Dan Biggar, Owen Farrell, Conor Murray, and others. Sky also confirmed that all three tests will be available in UHD.
RugbyPass and the Lions have announced an agreement to provide “unrivalled” access to news, match centre, stats and exclusive video content on the RugbyPass app for the Lions Tour. The partnership will also include exclusive behind-the-scenes social content and original programming via Lions Productions in partnership with World Rugby Studios.
The Asia Rugby Men's Championship starts this weekend and all games will be available to watch for free on YouTube and RugbyPass TV.
For the first time since the competition started, Super Rugby Americas will be available to watch for free on RugbyPass TV this weekend. Kick-off details are below.
Premiership Rugby this week confirmed that average audiences across the 2024-2025 Premiership season rose 10% year-on-year compared to the 2023-24 season. Interestingly, it was also announced that Saturday afternoon fixtures airing after EPL games on TNT draw an average audience that's 47% higher than those without an EPL lead-in. Finally, according to The Telegraph Bath’s play-off victory over Bristol was the most viewed Friday-night match ever on TNT.
Sky Sports will broadcast Māori All Blacks v Scotland on Saturday 5 July 2025 (kick-off 4.35am UK & Irish time). Broadcast details for the Fiji and Samoa games are still to be confirmed. It still remains to be seen which broadcaster will show Ireland and Wales’ summer tour fixtures.
Friday 13 June
8:05am – Crusaders v Blues (Super Rugby Pacific) – Sky Sports Action / NOW
11:30am – Sri Lanka v South Korea (Asia Rugby Championship) – RugbyPass TV / YouTube
8:05pm – Bayonne v Clermont (Top 14) – Premier Sports 1 / Rugby / NOW / TV5MONDE
11:30pm – Peñarol v Dogos (Super Rugby Americas) – RugbyPass TV
Saturday 14 June
4:00am – Fiji Women v Samoa Women (Oceania Rugby) – RugbyPass TV
8:05am – Chiefs v Brumbies (Super Rugby Pacific) – Sky Sports Action / NOW
3:00pm – Bath v Leicester (Premiership) – ITV1 / TNT Sports 1 / Discovery+ / NOW
4:30pm – UAE v Hong Kong China (Asia Rugby Championship) – RugbyPass TV / YouTube
5:00pm – Leinster v Bulls (URC) – Premier Sports 1 / 2 / Rugby / TG4 / NOW / URC TV
8:05pm – Toulon v Castres (Top 14) – Premier Sports 2 / Rugby / NOW / TV5MONDE
Sunday 15 June
12:00am – Chicago v Old Glory (MLR) – Premier Sports Rugby / The Rugby Network
3:00am – Utah v Seawolves (MLR) – The Rugby Network
11:00am – Kenya Women v Uganda Women (Rugby Africa Women’s Cup) – RugbyPass TV
1:00pm – South Africa Women v Madagascar Women (Rugby Africa Women’s Cup) – RugbyPass TV
7:00pm – Free Jacks v Miami (MLR) – Premier Sports Rugby / The Rugby Network
Useful links (all free)
YouTube (Asia Rugby Men's Championship)