World Rugby and the RFU have announced that RugbyPass TV will be the FREE and exclusive destination for fans in the UK and Ireland wishing to watch LIVE coverage of the men’s test match between Japan and England in Tokyo on 22 June.
World Rugby and the RFU have announced that RugbyPass TV will be the FREE and exclusive destination for fans in the UK and Ireland wishing to watch LIVE coverage of the men’s test match between Japan and England in Tokyo on 22 June (kick-off 06:50 BST).
The Lipovitan D Challenge Cup match will be free to view for fans via the RugbyPass TV website and app on mobile, tablet, laptop and smart TV. It is the first time that the leading rugby content platform has broadcast an England men’s test match outside of Rugby World Cup and reflects World Rugby’s ongoing strategic commitment to broaden rugby’s audience.
RugbyPass TV’s coverage will include a pre-match, half-time and full-time show and exclusive commentary, all produced by World Rugby Studios.
The match, the first of England and Japan’s July test schedule and the first to include the recently announced law changes, also marks the first time that the teams have played in an official test match on Japanese soil. England toured Japan in 1971 and 1979, playing four matches that did not hold test status, and the two nations have since faced off in a further four test matches in 1987, 2018, 2022 and at Rugby World Cup 2023.
RugbyPass TV is the number one destination for rugby fans to watch everything from live and classic matches to exclusive shows, documentaries, interviews and analysis. The platform launched prior to Rugby World Cup 2023 in France, bringing fans closer to the action with exclusive content, analysis and more, attracting more than 700,000 live views and 350,000 subscribers during the event. It is a core pillar of World Rugby’s growth strategy, partnering with unions to screen live matches, competitions and more, jointly growing new audiences.
England Rugby Marketing Director Ewan Turney said: “This is an exciting partnership with World Rugby to enable all fans in the UK and Ireland to watch this historic match for free.
“We know that younger audiences are gravitating towards streaming platforms and fans are watching matches on a multitude of devices, so we have chosen this free-to-air route.”
England U20s will also be the spotlight of RugbyPass TV’s Embedded series taking fans behind the scenes as the team competes in the World Rugby U20 Championship in South Africa from 29 June-19 July.
James Rothwell, Chief Marketing and Content Officer at World Rugby, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with the RFU to provide fans in the UK and Ireland with exclusive access on RugbyPass TV to what will be an historic match, the first official test match between Japan and England in Japan.
“Provision of world-class live content and unique storytelling is core to RugbyPass TV’s mission to broaden rugby’s accessibility and World Rugby Studios will be producing comprehensive coverage for fans on RugbyPass TV, including a pre-match, half-time and post-match show and commentary.
“Importantly, this marquee live event represents a continuation of our strategic focus on programming in both the UK and Japan. We have recently finished production on Japan U, a series following the most successful university teams in Japan and their stars which will be available in English and Japanese. We will also be producing our next series of Embedded’with the England U20s in South Africa in June.”
Ways to watch
- Watch on your laptop, mobile or tablet at rugbypass.tv
- Download RugbyPass TV App for iOS or Android for enhanced features such as Chromecast, Airplay to enable streaming in HD on your TV
The 33-man England Squad Steve Borthwick Should Select For Summer Tour
It’s been a decade since England’s last visit to New Zealand, a challenging 2014 series under Stuart Lancaster resulting in a 3-0 defeat.
The memories of the 2008 tour aren’t any sweeter, with England tasting defeat in both Tests against the All Blacks. However, a glimmer of triumph emerged in 2003, as they secured a thrilling 15-13 victory over New Zealand just before the Rugby World Cup.
In this highly anticipated tour, Borthwick’s squad will face a formidable challenge with only two tests against the All Blacks, following a clash with Japan in Tokyo.
Here is the list of our predicted squad organised by their current clubs:
RUCK’s England squad for the summer:
Harlequins
- Joe Marler
- Fin Baxter
- Chandler Cunningham-South
- Marcus Smith
Bristol Bears
- Ellis Genge
- Harry Randall
- Gabriel Ibitoye
Saracens
- Jamie George
- Theo Dan
- Maro Itoje
- Ben Earl
- Elliot Daly