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The Six Nations is a tournament which never fails to deliver and every year there are upsets as well as closely contested fixtures played out in front of sell-out crowds. Most rugby fans would give up many of their worldly possessions to go and watch a game at the stadium and experience the second-to-none atmosphere, but the next best option is undoubtedly to watch the Six Nations on TV. You don’t have to go far in the UK to find someone of every nationality competing in the tournament and, as a result, finding a venue with someone cheering for every team is never too much of a struggle. Wherever you watch a game, you are sure to enjoy the action of the six nations 2023 live.
Home v Pub
So, you’ve got over the initial disappointment of missing out on tickets at Twickenham, the Millenium Stadium, Stadio Olimpico, Stade de France, Murrayfield or the Aviva Stadium, the only question is: where to watch the Six Nations today – at home or down the pub? Let’s look at the benefits of both.
Watching the Six Nations 2023 live at home will undoubtedly be a more peaceful experience. Firstly, you’re guaranteed to get a seat and you can even turn the volume down, or switch the channel, if your team starts to take a thrashing! Other benefits include no queues for the loo, a minimising of the risk of someone throwing their pint over you whilst celebrating a try, and you’ll probably also save yourself some money on food and drink. Furthermore, if you do have to quickly nip out or answer the door, you can always pause the action of the Six Nations on TV / Live stream and not miss any of the action.
But can you really beat the atmosphere of a packed out pub during the Six Nations? With the cold weather in the UK during the months of February and March, the pub is sure to be a warm environment full to the brim of rugby loving people. Many general sports fans are drawn to the pub for the Six Nations and the ambience can even make non-rugby lovers get passionate about the sport. If you don’t book a table many weeks in advance, you may struggle to see the screen at times but the loud cheers and the non-stop banter between the fans make the pub a cracking destination to watch the Six Nations 2023 live.
The Channels
BBC and ITV signed a joint deal in 2015 to keep the Six Nations on terrestrial TV and the two channels share the live coverage each year.
BBC
Gabby Logan hosts the coverage on BBC1 across the tournament with former Six Nations heroes Martin Johnson, Sam Warburton, Tommy Bowe and John Barclay offering their expert analysis before the games, at half-time and after the match. BBC have the rights to all of Scotland and Wales home games throughout the tournament and the noise from Edinburgh and Cardiff will come through brilliantly across the coverage.
As the Six Nations often pulls in some new fans of the sport, the BBC has the services of former international rugby referee Nigel Owens also on hand. He is perfect for pointing out some of the nuances of the game and explaining some of the stranger rules and regulations. With the sport using the TMO (Television Match Official) to check decisions, there will be plenty of times when you will be pleased that an expert like Owens is on hand.
And if you do miss any of the action, you can always catch up on highlights of the competition via BBC Two’s Rugby Special which is shown on Sundays and hosted by former England international Ugo Monye.
ITV
ITV show all of the other games which aren’t taking place at the Millenium Stadium or Murrayfield and they also have an excellent team bringing the action to you. Mark Pougatch and Jill Douglas present the coverage with former England World Cup Winners, Jonny Wilkinson and Laurence Dallaglio, providing the expert analysis.
But it’s not just former England players who will be having their say on ITV. Former England Head Coach, Sir Clive Woodward and former Scotland and Lions Coach Sir Ian McGeechan will be giving their thoughts from the perspective of the coaching staff. Other captains such as Rory Best, Gareth Thomas and Brian O’Driscoll make it a heavyweight of expert panellists.
And in the commentary box, you will be hearing from the likes of Danielle Waterman, Scott Hastings, Gordon D’Arcy and Shane Williams throughout the Six Nations.
Streaming
Both ITV and BBC have excellent streaming platforms which means you won’t miss any of the action if you are on the move across a Six Nations weekend. ITVX and the iPlayer both show the action live whilst also having some other rugby content to climb into if you are still looking for more of a rugby fix when the game has finished!
Radio
There is always the option of listening to the game if you are driving or have your attention elsewhere. BBC has all the action which you can stream across your mobile device or on your traditional radio. Every home nation game will be available to listen to live.
So there really is no excuse for not having your eyes and ears tuned in to the entire Six Nations 2023 competition! Make sure you check the six nations tv schedule in advance and plan your trips to the pub. It is one of the most exciting annual tournaments in world sport and, even if you are not a rugby supporter before the start of the 2023 Six Nations, you will find it very hard to not be a huge fan by the end!
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