Two fierce local rivals compete for a place in this year’s Premiership final
Watch a Bath v Bristol live stream to find out which of these West Country rivals makes it through to this year’s Premiership Rugby final at Twickenham.
This guide explains how to watch Bath Rugby v Bristol Bears online, on TV and from anywhere this Friday.
Bath Rugby v Bristol Bears: Key information
– Bath Rugby v Bristol Bears date: Friday 6 June 2025
– Bath Rugby v Bristol Bears kick-off time: 7.45pm BST / 8.45pm SAST / 2.45pm ET / 4.45am AEST (Saturday)
– Bath Rugby v Bristol Bears TV channels: TNT Sports (UK/Ireland), TRN+ (US), SuperSport (South Africa), Stan Sport (Australia)
– Watch from anywhere: Try NordVPN 100% risk-free
Watch Bath v Bristol live streams in the UK
In the UK and Ireland, a Bath Rugby v Bristol Bears live stream is available through Warner Bros Discovery’s TNT Sports network (formerly BT Sport).
Pre-match coverage on TNT Sports 1 starts at 7.00pm BST on Friday evening ahead of the 7.45pm kick-off at the Rec.
A subscription to Discovery+ Premium will cost you £30.99 per month in the UK. Alternatively, TNT Sports can be added to your Sky, BT, EE or Virgin Media TV package – costs vary by platform.
If you don’t have a subscription to TNT Sports and want to watch the highlights, Gallagher Premiership Unleashed airs on ITV4 and ITVX at 5.55pm BST on Wednesday evening. A shorter ITV1 version goes out at 11.40pm.
In Ireland, you can watch TNT Sports through Now, with packages currently starting at €27 per month.
If you’re going to be away from home, don’t forget that you can use a VPN to watch your usual Bath Rugby v Bristol Bears live stream from abroad. You’ll find more details below.
Watch Bath Rugby v Bristol Bears if you’re travelling overseas
Being away from home on Friday night doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the first of this year’s Premiership semi-finals. A handy piece of kit called a VPN can help you navigate the geo-restrictions you might otherwise encounter when using your usual streaming services abroad.
A VPN (Virtual Personal Network) allows you to change your IP address. This means that your laptop, smartphone or tablet can appear to be in a completely different country, allowing you to log on to your streaming platform of choice as if you were back at home. As an extra bonus point, VPNs also improve your internet security when you’re online.
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How to watch Bath Rugby v Bristol Bears live streams in the USA
In the United States, Major League Rugby’s The Rugby Network platform has coverage of every Premiership match this season, including this eagerly anticipated Bath Rugby v Bristol Bears local derby. Kick off is at 2.45pm ET / 11.45am PT on Friday.
You’ll need to subscribe to TRN+ to watch Premiership Rugby live streams in the US. It’s available on mobile or tablet (for iOS or Android) and via your web browser, and will cost you $6.99 per month or $59.99 per year. A free trial is available in case you want to try before you buy.
Live stream Bath Rugby v Bristol Bears in South Africa
Subscription service SuperSport should be your destination to watch Bath Rugby v Bristol Bears live streams in South Africa. This play-off semi-final kicks off at 8.45pm SAST on Friday night.
There are various SuperSport packages available, whether you want to watch the play-offs via DStv or stream.
Watch Bath Rugby v Bristol Bears in Australia
In Australia, Bath Rugby v Bristol Bears can be streamed live on Stan Sport but you’ll have to get up very early to watch the action unfold. Kick-off is at 4.45am AEST in the small hours of Saturday morning.
It costs $15 a month to add Stan Sport to your general Stan plan.
Bath Rugby v Bristol Bears preview
On paper this Premiership semi-final should be easy to call. Bath were so far ahead in the table that they could rest their entire first team for last weekend’s final league game against Saracens. They finished a whopping 14 points ahead of fourth-placed Bristol Bears, who claimed the last play-off spot ahead of Gloucester. Bath also have home advantage, which tends to be a big deal in Premiership semis.
But nobody in Bath will be taking anything for granted in this local derby – in fact, of all the play-off contenders, the Bears are probably the team they fear most. Bristol have won both previous Premiership encounters this season, and have had the upper hand in this fixture over recent years. “We’ve played [Bath] 14 times since we’ve been back in the Premiership and won 11,” Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam pointed out last weekend. “We know how to do it.”
That said, the visitors face a Bath team who have been utterly dominant in the Premiership this year, powered by the best pack in England, allied with the genius of British & Irish Lions fly-half Finn Russell conducting the backs. They’ve also won a couple of titles already this season, with the Premiership Cup and European Challenge Cup both sitting in the trophy cabinet at the Rec.
Even with one of the most scintillating attacks in the game (no team in the Premiership has won more try-scoring bonus points this season), Bristol Bears will have their work cut out if they’re going to win under the Friday night lights in Bath. If they are to pull off a surprise victory, they’ll have to put in one of their best performances of the season.
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