US star Ilona Maher’s arrival at Bristol Bears Women is set to draw more eyeballs to UK women’s rugby’s top flight – here’s how to watch Premiership Women’s Rugby online, on TV, and from anywhere.
Ilona Maher’s blockbuster transfer to Bristol Bears Women has been met with a flurry of global excitement and is bound to see a spike in interest in how to watch Premiership Women’s Rugby, in the US especially.
The 28-year-old is a star of rugby sevens in the USA but from January 2025 will ply her trade in 15-a-side Rugby Union in the UK, as she eyes a spot in Team USA’s squad for the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025.
Watch Premiership Women’s Rugby: TNT Sports (UK/Ireland), Discovery+
Maher could make her debut in Bristol Bears’ clash with local rivals Gloucester-Hartpury on January 5. Such has been the demand for tickets since the transfer announcement, the fixture has been moved from the Bear’s usual home of Shaftesbury Park to Ashton Gate, the 27,000-seater stadium where the Bears’ men’s side play their games.
What it will do is get more people from around the world watching the PWR, arguably the best women’s rugby league in the world.
The demand for live tickets is expected to be matched by demand for television and live stream options. Read on for our guide on how to watch Premiership Women’s Rugby online, on TV, and from anywhere with a VPN.
Watch Premiership Women’s Rugby in the UK
In the UK, you can watch Premiership Women’s Rugby on TNT Sports and Discovery+, with one match per round selected for broadcast.
Both brands are controlled by Warner Bros. Discovery, with TNT being the television option and Discovery+ the online streaming platform for TNT Sports and Eurosport as well.
The rights are exclusive, so this is the only place you can watch Premiership Women’s Rugby not only in the UK but worldwide.
A subscription to Discovery+ Premium (which also gets you all matches from the men’s Premiership as well as a host of other sports) is priced at £30.99 per month. If you want to watch on TV, you can add TNT Sports to your existing TV package with the likes of Sky, BT, EE or Virgin Media TV package – costs vary by platform.
Watch Premiership Women’s Rugby from anywhere
You can still watch Premiership Women’s Rugby, even if you’re away from the UK, but you will need to use a VPN.
That’s because Discovery+ is geo-restricted, meaning you can’t ordinarily watch it from outside the UK, but a Virtual Private Network – to give it its full name – is a handy way around this. It can set your IP address to make your device appear as if it’s in any location, so you can watch your usual streaming services even when you’re travelling – perfect for rugby fans on the move. It also comes with a host of internet security benefits, so it’s a winner all round.
We’re fortunate enough to share an office with technology experts TechRadar, and they reckon that NordVPN is the best VPN provider on the market right now.
Can I watch Premiership Women’s Rugby in the US?
Unfortunately there is no US broadcaster for Premiership Women’s Rugby for the 2024/25 season. Although The Rugby Channel had rights last season, that deal was not renewed, and the competition is not part of FloRugby’s offering.
The only way to watch Premiership Women’s Rugby in the US would be to access your Discovery+ UK subscription using a VPN.
Where to watch Ilona Maher in Premiership Women’s Rugby
Bristol Bears vs Gloucester-Hartpury on January 5 is currently not the televised fixture from Round 12 of the competition, so fans may have to wait to see Ilona Maher in action on their screens.
However, TNT / Discovery+ have selected the Bears’ visit to Exeter Chiefs for broadcast in Round 13 on January 12 at 3pm GMT / 10am ET.
With Bristol Bears boss Dave Ward pleading patience in terms of integrating Maher into UK rugby, it may well be that this match ends up being her debut after all.
Premiership Women’s Rugby Schedule: Round 9
Sat 7 Dec Leicester Tigers v Saracens (12.30pm)
Sat 7 Dec Trailfinders v Sale Sharks (3pm)
Sat 7 Dec Bristol Bears v Exeter Chiefs (3.05pm) Live on TNT Sports / Discovery+
Sun 8 Dec Loughborough Lightning v Gloucester-Hartpury (3pm)
Bye week Harlequins
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