England face about as tough a test as there is today, against South Africa in leaden, energy-sapping conditions, in the second Rugby World Cup semi-final. The Springboks crushed England in the final four years ago, and few would deny that they’re an even more fearsome unit now.
England team: Freddie Steward; Jonny May, Joe Marchant, Manu Tuilagi, Elliot Daly; Owen Farrell (c), Alex Mitchell; Joe Marler, Jamie George, Dan Cole; Maro Itoje, George Martin; Courtney Lawes, Tom Curry, Ben Earl
Replacements: Theo Dan, Ellis Genge, Kyle Sinckler, Ollie Chessum, Billy Vunipola, Danny Care, George Ford, Ollie Lawrence
South Africa team: Damian Willemse; Kurt-Lee Arendse, Jesse Kriel, Damian de Allende, Cheslin Kolbe; Manie Libbok, Cobus Reinach; Steven Kitshoff, Mbongeni Mbonambi, Frans Malherbe; Eben Etzebeth, Franco Mostert; Siya Kolisi (c), Pieter-Steph Du Toit, Duane Vermeulen
Replacements: Deon Fourie, Ox Nche, Vincent Koch, RG Snyman, Kwagga Smith, Faf de Klerk, Handré Pollard, Willie le Roux
The England vs South Africa live stream is free on ITVX in the UK and Virgin Media Player in Ireland. Don't worry if you're abroad right now, because you can watch England vs South Africa live streams from anywhere with a VPN.
► Time: 8 pm UK / 3 pm ET / 12 pm PT / 6 am AEDT (Oct 22)
US: Peacock
UK: ITV1 | ITVX (free with license fee)
IRE: Virgin Media 1 | Virgin Media Player (free)
AU: Stan
How to use a VPN to watch any stream
The Springboks’ monumental 29-28 victory over hosts France was hands-down the performance of the tournament, one that’s taken them to the top of the world rankings and made them the outright favorites for the Webb Ellis Cup.
While kicking has been a pet peeve for some viewers over the past six weeks, South Africa put on a clinic, establishing early on that it was an area of weakness – perhaps the only weakness – for an otherwise outstanding France team.
It was as complete a team display as you’ll ever see, but the exploits of the fleet-footed Cheslin Kolbe, who’ll be painfully familiar to English viewers, and the colossal Eben Etzebeth, who held off five players to score the match-winning try, were particularly memorable.
Despite the reputation of their opponents, Steve Borthwick’s men may just be relieved to return to the pitch, having come in for a seemingly never-ending barrage of criticism in recent weeks. They’re not the most progressive team in the world and the draw was kind in the extreme, but they put in their strongest display of the tournament against Fiji last weekend, and are the last northern hemisphere team standing.
They also have the opportunity to learn from others’ mistakes and successes. While France’s superb ball-carrying game was ultimately not quite effective enough to topple the reigning champions, Ireland were able to reap the rewards of an ultra-physical approach earlier in the tournament.
If you're a keen rugby union fan, you'll want to know how to watch England vs South Africa. We've got all the information on that below, including how to watch the Rugby World Cup 2023 from anywhere.
How to watch England vs South Africa in Ireland for free
How to watch England vs South Africa in the UK for free
How to watch England vs South Africa in the US
Thanks to a partnership between World Rugby and NBC Sports, the broadcaster is the exclusive home for the Rugby World Cup games. England vs South Africa will be streamed live on Peacock. The match kicks off at 3 pm ET / 12 pm PT.
You can sign up to Peacock for $5.99 per month for ad-supported streaming or $11.99 per month ad-free, and it's showing all of the Rugby World Cup games.
Remember, if you're away from the US at the minute, you'll need a VPN to ensure you can still watch the England vs South Africa live stream without being geo-blocked. Keep reading on to find out how to get yourself set up.
How to watch England vs South Africa in Australia
In Australia, you've got two options for watching England vs South Africa, which kicks off at 6 am AEDT on Sunday morning.
Your first stop should be streaming service Stan Sport, which has been showing every game of the Rugby World Cup ad-free, and will continue to do so.
Happy with highlights? Streaming service 9Now will no doubt be screening plenty of them via the Wide World of Sports magazine show.
Not in Australia right now? Make sure you get yourself a VPN to ensure you don't miss a second of the England vs South Africa live stream at Rugby World Cup 2023.
How to watch England vs South Africa everywhere else
Wherever you live, there's a good possibility that a national broadcaster is streaming the Rugby World Cup, particularly if your country has a team playing in the tournament.
However, in some places there is a possibility that there's no easy way of watching the rugby. 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
Knockout stage
Friday, October 20
SF1: Argentina vs New Zealand
Saturday, October 21
SF2: England vs South Africa
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 France 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?
20 teams started out in the 2023 Rugby World Cup, with each split into four groups of five in the first stage of the tournament. That has now been whittled down to just four teams: England, South Africa, Argentina and New Zealand.
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
