Can the Red Roses reach the final of their home World Cup or will France spoil the party?
Watch France v England as the two dominant sides in the Six Nations clash in the second of this weekend’s Women’s Rugby World Cup semi-finals.
Read on to find out how to watch the game online, on TV and from anywhere, including options to tune in for free if you’re in the UK and Ireland – as well as details of how you can use a VPN to watch your usual streaming service if you’re away from home. You’ll find a match preview, team line-ups and officials at the end of the article.
How to watch France v England: At a glance
– Date: Saturday 20 September, 2025
– Venue: Ashton Gate, Bristol
– Kick-off time: 3.30pm BST (local) / 4.30pm CET / 10.30am ET / 12.30am AEST (Sunday)
– FREE STREAM: BBC iPlayer (UK), TG4 (Ireland)
– Other TV channels: Paramount+ (US), Stan Sport (Australia), SuperSport (South Africa)
– Watch from anywhere: Try NordVPN 100% risk-free
Watch France v England for FREE in the UK
BBC iPlayer is the place to go for a France v England live stream the UK. The game will also be live on terrestrial channel BBC One, with coverage starting at 2.45pm BST ahead of the 3.30pm kick-off.
BBC iPlayer is free to use but you do require an up-to-date TV Licence to stream live TV in the UK. You also need to complete a simple registration to access the service.
Travelling overseas this weekend? There’s no need to worry about missing the big match because a VPN can help you watch your usual streaming services from anywhere in the world. More information below the line…
Stream France v England from anywhere
You’ve probably encountered geo-blocking when you’ve been abroad. Most streamers prevent you from accessing your subscriptions when you’re in another country, which can be particularly annoying when you’re paying for a service you can’t use.
There is a way to watch Women’s Rugby World Cup fixtures as you would back home, however. A VPN (or Virtual Private Network) can come to the rescue by allowing you to change the IP address on your laptop, smartphone or tablet. This means that your device can appear to be back in your home country, allowing you to tune into the big game as you would in your front room. Good VPNs can also improve your online security, which is good to know when you’re logging on via an unfamiliar internet connection.
There are plenty of VPNs on the market but the tech experts at TechRadar and Tom’s Guide think NordVPN is currently number one in the world.
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FREE France v England streams in Ireland
Selected Women’s Rugby World Cup games have been available for FREE on TG4 throughout the tournament, and the France v England live stream is one of them. Kick-off is at 3.30pm IST on Saturday afternoon.
Stream France v England in the United States
In the US? You’ll need a subscription to Paramount+ to watch France v England live streams in the USA. Prices start at $7.99 per month ($59.99 per year) for the Essential package, $12.99 per month ($119.99 per year) for Premium. New subscribers can also enjoy a week-long free trial.
Kick-off is at 10.30am ET / 7.30am PT on Saturday morning.
How to watch in South Africa
SuperSport has the South African rights to the Women’s Rugby World Cup. France v England gets underway at 4.30pm SAST on Saturday evening, and there are various SuperSport packages available, whether you want to watch via DStv or streaming.
Watch France v England in Australia
Stan Sport is streaming France v England ad-free in Australia. It costs $20 per month to add Stan Sport to your base Stan plan.
You’ll be staying up late on Saturday night, though, because the game kicks off at half past midnight (AEST).
Stream France v England in New Zealand
Kiwi rugby fans can watch France v England live streams on Sky Sport NZ. Kick-off time is a very antisocial 2.30am on Sunday morning.
You can subscribe to Sky Sport Now from $54.99 per month or $549.99 per year (equivalent to $45.83 per month). Day passes are also available for $29.99.
France v England match preview
Both teams had to come from behind in their quarter-finals but the two games couldn’t have played out more differently. After going 3-0 down to an early Scotland penalty, England cruised to a 40-8 victory in the pouring rain. In similarly unpleasant conditions, France were 13-0 down at half-time against an impressive Ireland side. Even though they’d fought back to lead 18-13 by the final whistle, the match was still in the balance up to the very end.
France have made five personnel changes to last weekend’s starting line-up, two of them enforced by the suspensions of Axelle Berthoumieu and captain Manaé Feleu – both were cited after the Ireland game. Teani Feleu and Hina Ikahehegi take their places in the XV. In the backs, Nassira Konde comes in at centre, Marine Menager (who also captains) is selected on the wing, and Carla Arbez gets the nod at fly-half.
The Red Roses, meanwhile, welcome back prop Hannah Botterman and full-back Ellie Kildunne, who missed the Scotland game due to injury and concussion, respectively. Abbie Ward comes into the second row, and Zoe Harrison is selected ahead of Holly Aitchison at stand-off.
History is on England’s side in this one. They’re on a record-breaking 31-match winning run, haven’t lost to today’s opponents since 2018, and have reached the last six World Cup finals. France are perennial semi-finalists in the competition but will be hanging on to the fact that in a knockout game, anything can happen.
France v England line-ups and officials
France
Morgane Bourgeois, Joanna Grisez, Nassira Konde, Gaby Vernier, Marine Menager (captain), Carla Arbez, Pauline Bourdon Sansus; Yllana Brosseau, Agathe Gerin, Rose Bernadou, Madoussou Fall Raclot, Hina Ikahehegi, Charlotte Escudero, Lea Champon, Teani Feleu
Replacements:
Elisa Riffonneau, Annaelle Deshaye, Assia Khalfaoui, Taina Maka, Seraphine Okemba, Alexandra Chambon, Lina Tuy, Kelly Arbey
England
Ellie Kildunne, Abby Dow, Megan Jones, Tatyana Heard, Jess Breach, Zoe Harrison, Natasha Hunt; Hannah Botterman, Amy Cokayne, Maud Muir, Morwenna Talling, Abbie Ward, Zoe Aldcroft (captain), Sadia Kabeya, Alex Matthews
Replacements:
Lark Atkin-Davies, Kelsey Clifford, Sarah Bern, Rosie Galligan, Maddie Feaunati, Lucy Packer, Holly Aitchison, Helena Rowland
New Zealand’s Maggie Cogger-Orr is the referee for France v England, and she’ll be assisted by Clara Munarini (Italy) and Kat Roche (United States). Rachel Horton (Australia) is the TMO.
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