Watch South Africa vs Wales as the world champions look to make it three wins from three in the Nations Championship Southern Series.
Having already dispatched England and Scotland, the Springboks will be confident that they can complete a Great British treble in Durban after inflicting a humiliating 73-0 defeat on Wales in Cardiff last November. That result outlines the scale of the challenge for Steve Tandy’s side, who were overpowered by Argentina last Saturday after beating Fiji in their opening game.
– Date: Saturday 18 July, 2026
– Kick-off time: 4.40pm BST / 5.40pm CET / 5.40pm SAST (local) / 1.40am AEST (Sunday) / 3.40am NZST (Sunday) / 11.40am EDT / 8.40am PDT
– Venue: Kings Park, Durban
– FREE STREAMS: ITVX (UK), Virgin Media Play (Ireland), TF1+ (France)
– Watch from anywhere: Try NordVPN 100% risk-free
You can watch South Africa vs Wales live streams for free in the UK, Ireland and France. Read on to find out how to watch the game, wherever you are in the world this weekend – including details of how you can use a VPN to watch your usual streams if you’re abroad right now.
How to watch South Africa vs Wales for free
Here are just some of the free options available to you today to watch South Africa vs Wales:
- United Kingdom: South Africa vs Wales is available on both terrestrial channel ITV1 and the ITVX streaming service. Both options are free to use but remember that you need a current TV Licence to watch/stream live television in the UK. ITV’s coverage starts at 4.15pm BST, with kick-off at 4.40pm.
- Ireland: Rugby fans in Ireland can watch South Africa vs Wales for free on Virgin Media Play. The pre-match build-up starts at 4.25pm, before the game gets underway at 4.40pm.
- France: South Africa vs Wales live streams are available for free on the TF1+ streaming service. Coverage gets underway at 5.30pm CET, with kick-off at 5.40pm.
- United States: In the US you can watch South Africa vs Wales on RugbyPass TV. It’s free to use, though you do need to register before you can start streaming the action. The game kicks off at 11.40am EDT/8.40am PDT today.
Abroad for South Africa vs Wales? Get a VPN and stream the action from anywhere — find out more below.
Stream South Africa vs Wales from anywhere
Overseas right now? That doesn’t mean you have to miss the Nations Championship. By using a VPN you can avoid the geo-blocking restrictions that might otherwise prevent you from tuning in to South Africa vs Wales when you’re overseas. There are plenty of good VPNs you can buy, but the tech experts at TechRadar reckon NordVPN is currently world number one.
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More ways to watch South Africa vs Wales
- Australia: Stan Sport is the place to go for South Africa vs Wales live streams down under. You’ll need a $20 per month Stan Sport plan and the base Stan subscription to tune in. Kick-off is at 1.40am AEST on Sunday.
- New Zealand: In New Zealand, South Africa vs Wales is on Sky Sport, which costs $54.99 per month for a streaming subscription ($29.99 day options are also available). Kick-off is 3.40am NZST on Sunday.
- South Africa: SuperSport will be your destination for South Africa vs Wales live streams in South Africa, and is available via DStv and streaming. The match gets underway at 5.40pm SAST today.
South Africa vs Wales match preview
It is no surprise to see South Africa leading the Nations Championship 2026 Southern Hemisphere table, but the manner of their victories continue to impress. Head coach Rassie Erasmus made 10 changes for last Saturday’s clash with Scotland and the Springboks still ran out 42-28 winners, underlining their incredible strength in depth. That triumph followed a 45-21 victory over England in their opening fixture and it would be reasonable to expect more of the same here, despite Erasmus making another 10 changes – including handing debuts to wing Jaco Williams, fly-half Vusi Moyo, lock Ruben van Heerden and prop Carlu Sadie.
You could forgive Steve Tandy and his Wales players for dreading this trip to Durban. Welsh rugby endured one of the worst days in its history when these teams last met just eight months ago, as the Springboks inflicted a record 73-0 home defeat on their hosts. Both teams were missing several stars that day and Tandy will hope his side can be more competitive here, with captain Dewi Lake fit to start after hobbling off during the 35-21 defeat by Argentina last Saturday and wing Louis Rees-Zammit one of six players to come into the XV.
South Africa vs Wales: Team News
South Africa: Fassi; Williams, Kriel, de Allende, Arendse; Moyo, Reinach; Steenekamp, Marx, Sadie, C Wiese, van Heerden, de Villiers, PS du Toit (capt), J Wiese
Replacements: Venter, Wessels, Louw, Dixon, van Staden, Jantjies, Libbok, Willemse.
Wales: Murray; Rees-Zammit, Llewellyn, B Thomas, Adams; Edwards, Tomos Williams; Carre, Lake (capt), D Lewis, Teddy Williams, Beard, Mann, J Morgan, Wainwright
Replacements: Elias, N Smith, Warren, F Thomas, Reffell, Botham, Morgan-Williams, Hawkins.
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