Virgin Media Television is gearing up for a major month of international rugby in November, with Ireland hosting Argentina, Fiji and world champions South Africa at the Aviva Stadium as the inaugural Nations Championship nears its conclusion.

The broadcaster will show all three Ireland games live and free-to-air, with every match in the wider tournament also available on Virgin Media and Virgin Media PLAY.

This gives them three significant home fixtures over consecutive weekends and puts international rugby at the heart of its November schedule.

Ireland open against Argentina on Friday, November 6th at 8.10 pm before facing Fiji on Saturday, November 14th, also at 8.10 pm. The home programme concludes with South Africa at 4.40 pm on Saturday, November 21st.

The three games are the second half of Ireland’s six-match Nations Championship campaign, following the opening Southern Hemisphere series in July.

Ireland emerged from that opening block with two wins from three, beating Australia 33-31 in Sydney and Japan 36-20 before losing 40-21 to New Zealand at Eden Park. That left Ireland fourth in the Northern Hemisphere standings on ten points, level with England and within two points of leaders France.

That positioning gives each November match greater significance than the autumn international series traditionally would.

Turning the Autumn Window into a Competition

The Nations Championship has been created by Six Nations Rugby and SANZAAR to connect the established July and November international windows into a single competition.

England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales form the Northern Hemisphere group, while Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, joined by Fiji and Japan, form the Southern Hemisphere group.

Teams play six cross-hemisphere matches before ranking from first to sixth in their respective groups.

That ranking determines the fixtures for Finals Weekend at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham from November 27th to 29th.

Sixth plays sixth, fifth plays fifth and so on, culminating with the leading Northern Hemisphere nation taking on the leading Southern Hemisphere side to decide the first Nations Championship winner. A separate Hemisphere Challenge is also based on results across the six Finals Weekend matches.

The traditional autumn internationals have always delivered major individual fixtures, but the Nations Championship aims to give every game consequences beyond the result itself.

A Major Broadcast Property for Virgin Media

Virgin Media Television has the exclusive Irish free-to-air rights to the competition and will carry every match as part of an international rugby portfolio that already includes the Guinness Men’s and Women’s Six Nations.

“The Nations Championship in July delivered some incredible matches and has rugby fans eagerly anticipating what the November Series will have in store,” said Brian Gleeson, Head of Sport at Virgin Media Television.

“With Ireland taking on Argentina, Fiji and South Africa, it promises to be a compelling month of international rugby.”

He added that the combination of a trophy at stake and the Finals Weekend format should build interest throughout the month.

The scale of the rights package gives Virgin Media something increasingly valuable in a fragmented sports broadcasting market: a sustained sequence of premium international fixtures available without a subscription barrier.

Virgin Media is making every Nations Championship match available free-to-air in Ireland through its television and streaming platforms.

This will also provide a significant platform for commercial partners around Irish rugby and the competition itself, particularly around the South Africa game, which could be one of the biggest Irish television sporting occasions of the autumn.

Three Big Dublin Weekends

The Aviva Stadium will stage:

Friday, November 6th – Ireland v Argentina, 8.10 pm
Saturday, November 14th – Ireland v Fiji, 8.10 pm
Saturday, November 21st – Ireland v South Africa, 4.40 pm

From there, Ireland will travel to London for Finals Weekend between November 27th and 29th, with their opponent determined by where they finish in the Northern Hemisphere table.

All 12 participating nations will be in London for six games across three double-headers, giving rugby a major end-of-year event for broadcasters, sponsors and supporters to build around.

 

 

 

 

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