Wales may have endured a challenging year but the Rugby World Cup 2023 represents an opportunity for a reset, especially as they prepare for their second match of the tournament against minnows Portugal. This is just the second time the Portuguese have qualified for the tournament finals, but the Iberians are determined to prove they deserve to be here among the elite and want to cause a shock or two. Either way, today's is a match not to be missed.
There are some thundery showers lingering around Nice for this Rugby World Cup 2023 contest, which could make handling particularly tricky on a slick surface. This one could end up being a game for the forwards.
The teams are in and they're listed below...
WALES Leigh Halfpenny; Louis Rees-Zammit, Mason Grady, Johnny Williams, Rio Dyer; Gareth Anscombe, Tomos Williams; Nicky Smith, Dewi Lake (captain), Dillon Lewis; Christ Tshiunza, Dafydd Jenkins; Dan Lydiate, Tommy Reffell, Taulupe Faletau
Replacements: Ryan Elias, Corey Domachowski, Tomas Francis, Adam Beard, Taine Basham, Gareth Davies, Sam Costelow, Josh Adams,
PORTUGAL Nuno Sousa Guedes; Vincent Pinto, José Lima, Tomás Appleton (captain), Rodrigo Marta; Jerónimo Portela, Samuel Marques; Francisco Fernandes, Mike Tadjer, Anthony Alves; José Madeira, Steevy Cerqueira; João Granate, Nicolas Martins, Rafael Simões
Replacements: David Costa, Lionel Campergue, Diogo Hasse Ferreira, Martim Belo, David Wallis, Pedro Lucas, Joris Moura, Raffaele Storti
Wales vs Portugal in the Rugby World Cup is airing for FREE in the UK today on ITV1 the ITVX streaming service. But don't worry if you're abroad while the games are playing, because you can watch the Rugby World Cup live streams on ITVX from anywhere with a VPN.
► Date: Saturday, September 16
► Time: 11.45 am ET / 8.45 am PT / 4.45 pm BST / 1.45 am AEST (Sep. 17)
US: CNBC (live TV streaming) | Peacock
UK: ITV1 | ITVX (both free with license fee)
AUS: Stan Sport
Stream anywhere: ExpressVPN
Welsh nerves were pretty much shot when Fiji roared back from 32-14 down to 32-26 in their opening fixture of Pool C last Sunday – center Semi Radradra dropped the ball with the Welsh line at his mercy in the last play of the game, too. The result earned Wales a bonus point victory, but the manner of the second-half collapse will be a worry for head coach Warren Gatland, who has also had to deal with fly-half Dan Biggar and center George North nearly coming to blows just before half-time with the former unhappy with the latter for not kicking the ball into touch. The squad, however, have been keen to stress they're embracing that confrontation and will use it as inspiration for another crack at the knockout stages following a poor Six Nations earlier in the year. Gatland is expected to rest a few big names – Biggar, Liam Williams and Adam Beard among them – with a titanic tussle against Australia on the horizon in a fortnight.
Portugal, meanwhile, will be under no illusions at the size of the task ahead of them at the Rugby World Cup 2023. This is only the second time the country – more accustomed to the round, instead of oval, ball – has reached the final after they lost four pool games out of four in 2007 and the main goal for head coach Patrice Lagisquet and his team is to leave France with a maiden World Cup victory under their collective belts. Doing so against a team with Wales' experience may be a step too far but Portugal but they'll certainly look to invoke the spirit of their team nickname los Lobos – the Wolves.
Whether you're planning to live stream just today's Wales vs Portugal or the entire Rugby World Cup or watch it on your TV, we've got you covered. Keep reading for your entire list of options wherever you are in the world. We've also included lots of useful information below so you know when the matches take place, who will play, and where this evening's drama will go down.
How to watch Wales vs Portugal in the UK for free
In the UK, ITV is the exclusive broadcaster for the 2023 Rugby World Cup, so you'll be able to watch Wales vs Portugal – and all the games – on one of the various free-to-air ITV-branded channels. This game is on ITV1, and it begins at 4:45 pm.
If you don't have a TV, then you'll be able to use ITVX on your computer, phone, tablet or smart TV, as that lets you live stream from ITV channels.
ITV1 and ITVX are free to watch for license fee payers. If you're trying to access while outside the UK, you might want to try a VPN to allow you to watch from abroad.
How to watch Wales vs Portugal in the US
Thanks to a partnership between World Rugby and NBC Sports, the broadcasting company will be the exclusive home for the Rugby World Cup games – including Wales vs Portugal, which will be streamed live on CNBC and Peacock. Kick-off is at 11:45 am ET / 8:45 am PT.
Firstly, on cable you can watch the game on CNBC, with coverage starting 15 minutes prior. Cord-cutters can use Hulu with Live TV, Fubo, Sling TV (with the News Extra add-on), DirecTV Stream or YouTube TV to get the channel, with most of the best live TV streaming services offering it.
Alternatively, you can sign in to Peacock to catch the game, which will be a cheaper option than signing up to a TV service. Peacock starts at $5.99 per month for ad-enabled streaming or $11.99 for ad-free, and it's showing all of the Rugby World Cup games too.
Remember, if you're currently outside the States but don't want to miss any of the Wales vs Portugal action, then get a VPN so you won't be geo-blocked from your regular service.
How to watch Wales vs Portugal in Australia
In Australia, you've got two options for watching the Rugby World Cup, but only one will help for this game, which kicks off at 1:45 am on Sunday, September 17. That's online streaming service Stan Sport, which will be showing every single game – including Wales vs Portugal.
Nine will be showing all of the Australian team's games (and the final, whether or not the Wallabies make it), and will also be streaming it on 9Now. That'll help for some games, but not this one.
Remember, if you're currently not in Australia but don't want to miss any of the Wales vs Portugal action, then get a VPN so you won't be geo-blocked from your regular service.
How to watch Wales vs Portugal everywhere else
Wherever you live, there's a good possibility that a national broadcaster is streaming the Rugby World Cup matches, particularly if your country has a team playing in the tournament.
However, there's a possibility that there's no easy way of watching Six Nation games. Thankfully, you can solve this issue with a Virtual Private Network (a VPN).
A VPN lets you get around the usual digital barriers by changing your IP address, meaning you can watch events like the Rugby World Cup 2023 tournament even if it is not directly broadcasting where you are. Our favorite is ExpressVPN, which is the No. 1-rated VPN in the world right now according to our sister site, TechRadar.
How to use a VPN to watch any stream
- Download the app at ExpressVPN
- Choose the location of the streaming service you want to watch.
- Navigate to the streaming service and start watching!
Rugby World Cup 2023 fixtures
Group stage
Friday, September 15
Group A: New Zealand vs Namibia
Saturday, September 16
Group B: Ireland vs Tonga
Group C: Wales vs Portugal
Group D: Samoa vs Chile
Sunday, September 17
Group B: South Africa vs Romania
Group C: Australia vs Fiji
Group D: England vs Japan
Wednesday, September 20
Group A: Italy vs Uruguay
Thursday, September 21
Group A: France vs Namibia
Friday, September 22
Group D: Argentina vs Samoa
Saturday, September 23
Group B: South Africa vs Ireland
Group C: Georgia vs Portugal
Group D: England vs Chile
Sunday, September 24
Group B: Scotland vs Tonga
Group C: Wales vs Australia
Wednesday, September 27
Group A: Uruguay vs Namibia
Thursday, September 28
Group D: Japan vs Samoa
Friday, September 29
Group A: New Zealand vs Italy
Saturday, September 30
Group B: Scotland vs Romania
Group C: Fiji vs Georgia
Group D: Argentina vs Chile
Sunday, October 1
Group B: South Africa vs Tonga
Group C: Australia vs Portugal
Thursday, October 5
Group A: New Zealand vs Uruguay
Friday, October 6
Group A: France vs Italy
Saturday, October 7
Group B: Ireland vs Scotland
Group C: Wales vs Georgia
Group D: England vs Samoa
Sunday, October 8
Group B: Tonga vs Romania
Group C: Fiji vs Portugal
Group D: Japan vs Argentina
Knockout stage
Saturday, October 14
QF1: Group C winner vs Group D runner-up
QF2: Group B winner vs Group A runner-up
Sunday, October 15
QF3: Group D winner vs Group C runner-up
QF4: Group A winner vs Group B runner-up
Friday, October 20
SF1: QF1 winner vs QF2 winner
Saturday, October 21
SF2: QF3 winner vs QF4 winner
Friday, October 27
Bronze Final: SF1 loser vs SF2 loser
Saturday, October 28
Final: SF1 winner vs SF2 winner
Rugby World Cup 2023 questions
Where does the Rugby World Cup take place?
The Rugby World Cup 2023 is being hosted by France, with nine different locations around the country hosting rugby games:
- Stade de Framce in Saint-Denis, capacity 80,698
- Stade Vélodrome in Marseille, capacity 67,394
- Stade Lyon-Décines in Décines-Charpieu, capacity 59,186
- Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, capacity 50,186
- Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux in Bordeaux, capacity 42,115
- Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Étienne, capacity 41,965
- Stade de Nice in Nice, 35,624
- Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes, capacity 35,322
- Stadium Municipa in Toulouse, capacity 33,150
Which teams are in the Rugby World Cup?
There are 20 teams partaking in the Rugby World Cup, with each split into four groups of five in the first stage of the tournament.
Chile makes its debut to the tournament this year, knocking out the United States and Canada in its successful qualification tournament.
Group A
New Zealand
France
Italy
Uruguay
Namibia
Group B
South Africa
Ireland
Scotland
Tonga
Romania
Group C
Wales
Australia
Fiji
Georgia
Portugal
Group D
England
Japan
Argentina
Samoa
Chile
