Ahead of their month-long South African tour which begins next Saturday, the British & Irish Lions will play a warm-up game against Japan today and we have all the details on how you can watch it on TV or online for free.
In addition to being the first Lions game to be broadcast over-the-air in 28 years, there will be over 16,000 fans in attendance at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh which hasn't happened since March of last year. This will also be the Lions' first game on home soil in 15 years which has rugby fans in the UK and Ireland excited for the match.
Today's warm-up game against the Cherry Blossoms will give the Lions a chance to prepare for their upcoming tour. However, once the team arrives in South Africa, they'll play five more warm-up games before facing off against the Springboks in three Test matches.
Lions head coach Warren Gatland, who took on the position back in 2019, is anticipating a tough game against Japan as the team likes to play at a high tempo and shift the ball. Based on observations from throughout the World Cup, Gatland said that Japan has "attacking threats across the park and a solid defense and set piece". Will the Lions be able to defeat the Cherry Blossoms to start their latest South African tour off on a good start?
Whether you're a big rugby fan that's been following the Lions since the beginning of the season or just want to see the team play on home soil, we'll show you exactly how to watch the British & Irish Lions vs Japan from anywhere in the world.
British & Irish Lions vs Japan - When and where?
The Lions will take on Japan this Saturday, June 25 at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh before their upcoming South Africa tour which begins next weekend. The match will be broadcast for free over-the-air on Channel 4 in the UK beginning at 2:15pm BST (9am ET / 6am PT).
How to watch the British & Irish Lions vs Japan in the UK for free
Rugby fans in the UK will be able to watch the Lions take on the Cherry Blossoms for free on Channel 4 beginning at 2:15pm BST on Saturday. In addition to being free, this is the first Lions game to be broadcast on over-the-air TV in 28 years. It's also worth noting that while the network's coverage begins at 2:15pm BST, kick-off is actually set for 45 minutes later at 3pm BST.
If you have a TV license you'll be able to watch the game for free on Channel 4 but you can also stream the match online via the network's All4 streaming service.
Stream Channel4's coverage of the British & Irish Lions vs Japan match for free online with BBC iPlayer.
Get a British & Irish Lions vs Japan live stream in the U.S.
Although rugby fans in the U.S. will be able to watch the entirety of the Lions' South Africa tour on Peacock next week, it looks like the service and NBC won't be showing today's Lions vs Japan game. This means you'll need to grab a VPN and follow the instructions below to watch it in the U.S.
Live stream the British & Irish Lions vs Japan in Australia
Australian fans will be able to catch all of the action during the Lions' South Africa tour next week on Stan Sport but just like in the U.S., no local broadcasters or streaming services are showing today's Lions vs Japan game. Once again, you'll need to grab a VPN and follow the instructions below if you want to watch the match in Australia.
How to watch the British & Irish Lions vs Japan from anywhere
We have all the details on how you can watch the British & Irish Lions vs Japan in the U.S., the UK and Australia further up in this guide. However, if you want to watch today's match when you're away from home, then you'll run into problems as your domestic coverage online from abroad will likely be geo-blocked.
That's where a VPN (Virtual Private Network) can really come in handy. They allow you to virtually change the IP address of your laptop, tablet or mobile to one that's back in your home country which will let you watch as if you were back there.
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