Can Gregor Townsend’s men bounce back from last weekend’s defeat to Fiji?
Watch a Samoa v Scotland live stream as Gregor Townsend’s team try to end their Pacific tour with a win.
– Date: Friday 18 July 2025
– Kick-off time: 8.35am BST / 3.35am ET / 7.35pm (local)
– FREE live stream: BBC iPlayer/BBC Sport website (UK)
– Watch from anywhere: Try NordVPN 100% risk-free
Scotland have only lost once to Samoa, back in 2013, but this fixture – at the legendary Eden Park stadium in Auckland, New Zealand – is sure to be a tricky one for Townsend’s men.
There’ll be added pressure following the side’s 29-14 defeat to Fiji last weekend. While losing to the entertaining Fijians is no disgrace (they now sit a single place behind Scotland in the world rankings), anything less than a comfortable victory on Friday will make Scotland’s trip to the southern hemisphere feel like a disappointment. Their win over the Māori All Blacks at the start of the month will provide little consolation.
Making matters more complicated, Townsend is not only missing the star players Andy Farrell selected back in May for his British & Irish Lions squad. Utility back Tom Jordan and flanker Jamie Ritchie are ruled out by injuries they picked up against Fiji, while wing Darcy Graham has already flown out to Australia to provide extra cover for the Lions. Prop Rory Sutherland and hooker Ewan Ashman will join up with the Lions after the Samoa Test is over.
Scroll down to find the line-ups for Friday’s game, along with all the information you need to watch Samoa v Scotland online, on TV and from anywhere.
Watch Samoa v Scotland for FREE in the UK
It’s good news for Scottish fans on Friday morning, because you can watch a Samoa v Scotland live stream for free on both the BBC Sport website and BBC iPlayer. You’ll need to complete a simple sign-up process to use iPlayer, and remember that you require a valid TV Licence to stream live telly in the UK.
Pre-match build-up gets underway at 8.00am BST ahead of the 8.35am kick-off.
Another Samoa v Scotland viewing option in the UK is subscription service Premier Sports, where coverage starts at 8.30am BST. The clash is available on the Premier Sports 2 channel, and to stream online via the Premier Sports website and app.
Subscriptions cost £15.99 per month or £11.99 per month if you sign up for a full year. You can also get a year’s viewing at an even lower total price of £120 (which equates to just £10 per month) if you pay for 12 months upfront.
Another option is to add Premier Sports to your existing Sky, Virgin Media or Amazon package. This will cost you £15.99 per month.
Don’t worry if you’re travelling outside the UK this weekend because you can still get your usual Premier Sports access abroad by using a VPN, such as NordVPN. Cast your eyes downwards to find out more.
Watch the game from wherever you are
Travelling overseas when Samoa v Scotland kicks off on Friday? That doesn’t mean you have to miss the big game, because a VPN (that’s the snappy name for a Virtual Private Network) can help you take your usual streaming services with you.
A VPN allows you to change your IP address, making your laptop, tablet or smartphone appear to be in a different country. This means that the geo-restrictions employed by most streaming platforms no longer stand in your way, allowing you to watch your usual platforms even when you’re away from home.
Reviewing VPNs is all in a day’s work for our colleagues at TechRadar and they reckon NordVPN is the best you can by. Even better, there’s currently an amazing deal available.
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Samoa v Scotland live streams in New Zealand
With the game being played in New Zealand, it‘s appropriate that Kiwi fans can also watch the game on their TV. Samoa v Scotland is available on Sky Sport NZ, both on the Sky Sport 3 channel and to stream. The match kicks off at 7.35pm NZST on Friday evening.
A subscription to streaming service Sky Sport Now costs $54.99 per month or $549.99 per year (equivalent to $45.83 per month). Day passes are also available for $29.99.
Watch Samoa v Scotland in Australia
There’s usually plenty of top international rugby action on subscription service Stan Sport, and the Samoa v Scotland live stream is no exception. The game gets underway at 5.35pm NZST on Friday.
You can add Stan Sport to your usual Stan plan for $15 per month.
Samoa v Scotland teams and officials
Samoa
Latrell Smiler Ah-Kiong, Tuna Tuitama, Duncan Paia’aua, Henry Taefu, Tomasi Alosio, Jacob Umaga, Melani Matavao; Aki Seiuli, Pita Anae Ah-Sue, Michael Alaalato, Benjamin Nee-Nee, Samuel Slade, Jonah Mau’u, Taleni Seu
Replacements:
Luteru Tolai, Kaynan Siteine-Tua, Marco Fepulea’i, Michael Curry, Niko Jones, Iakopo Petelo-Mapu, Connor Tupai, Rodney Iona
Scotland
Kyle Rowe, Kyle Steyn, Rory Hutchinson, Stafford McDowall, Arron Reed, Fergus Burke, Jamie Dobie; Rory Sutherland, Ewan Ashman, Elliot Millar Mills, Gregor Brown, Grant Gilchrist, Andy Onyeama-Christie, Rory Darge, Matt Fagerson
Replacements:
George Turner, Nathan McBeth, Fin Richardson, Cameron Henderson, Marshall Sykes, Ben Muncaster, George Horne, Adam Hastings
Jordan Way of Australia is the referee, assisted by fellow Aussie Nic Berry and Fiji’s Tevita Rokovereni. Marius Jonker of South Africa is in the TMO booth.
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