France aim to make it a clean sweep in the pool stages heading into the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals

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France are marching towards the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals and will be aiming to do so with a clean sweep of wins. Will they do it? You can find out by tuning in to watch a France v Italy live stream tonight and kick off is soon!

This article will give you all the details you need, including how to watch for FREE on ITV1 and ITVX in the UK. If you’re watching from outside your country, you can use a VPN to watch France v Italy FOR FREE from abroad via ExpressVPN.

OL Stadium in Lyon is hosting this all-European Rugby World Cup meeting with kick-off coming at 8:00pm tonight (BST). France will of course have home support but Italy will be looking to spring a shock.

Maxime Lucu starts in place of injured captain Antoine Dupont, Grégory Alldritt is in for François Cros, and Louis Bielle-Biarrey is selected ahead of Gabin Villiere on the left wing. Charles Ollivon skippers the tournament’s host nation.

Italy have made five personnel changes and three positional switches to his starting XV from the team who lost 96-17 last time out. Simone Ferrari, in his 50th test, Epalahame Faiva and Pietro Ceccarelli form a new-look front row, while Niccolò Cannone returns to the second row to partner Federico Ruzza.

You can make sure you don’t miss out on a France v Italy live stream by following the information below. We have details of all the Rugby World Cup fixtures and how to watch them right here, and if you scroll down to the end of the article you can find the kick-off time where you are.

Watch France v Italy

Thibaud Flament scores against Italy in their 2023 Six Nations encounter (Getty Images)


Watch France v Italy: live stream for FREE in the UK

ITV have the exclusive rights to show the Rugby World Cup to UK audiences – including the Pool A meeting of France and Italy tonight.  Coverage gets underway at 7:30pm (BST) on ITV1, ahead of the 8:00pm kick-off.

You can also stream for free on ITVX via your computer or smart device. ITVX has an amazing app that works on almost all your smart devices, so just search for the app on any device, phone or console you have.

If you’re outside of the UK, but want your usual coverage, it’s best to check out ExpressVPN (which comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee) and follow the instructions below. As well as a VPN, you’ll need a valid TV licence to watch ITVX when abroad.


How to watch a France v Italy live stream from outside your country

If you want to watch the Rugby World Cup action from your country’s national broadcaster, but are abroad, you can do so by using a VPN – Virtual Private Network.

Our fine colleagues at TechRadar have tested hundreds of VPNs and recommend ExpressVPN, which is easy to use, has strong security features and lets you to watch on several devices at once, including smart TVs and phones, iPads, tablets, PCs and Macs.

Plus, ExpressVPN comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. You can try it out for a month for free or sign up for an annual plan and get three months free.

We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:

  1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service)
  2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad

We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.


Watch France v Italy: live stream from South Africa

There’s a strong chance France will be the Springboks’ opponents in the quarter-finals. If you want to watch the Rugby World Cup from South Africa, SuperSport is the place to go. Build up is underway, and the match kicks off at 9:00pm (South Africa Standard Time).

There are various SuperSport packages available, whether you want to watch via DStv or stream.


Watch France v Italy: live stream for FREE from Ireland

In Ireland, coverage of World Cup matches is being shared between RTÉ and Virgin Media Television.

France v Italy will be available FOR FREE on RTÉ2 and its RTÉ Player. Coverage starts at 7:35pm (Irish Standard Time) ahead of the 8:00pm kick-off.

If you’re going to be away from home, you can use ExpressVPN to watch France v Italy FOR FREE from abroad.


Watch France v Italy: live stream from the USA

France v  Italy kicks off at 3:00pm (ET), 12:00pm (PT). The match will be streamed on Peacock Premium, which is available for $5.99 a month. You can find subscription information here:


Watch France v Italy: live stream from Australia

Aussie rugby fans wanting to catch this clash should tune in to Stan Sport, as the streaming platform will be showing all 48 matches, ad-free, live and on demand.

Rugby lovers in Australia can watch coverage from 5:45am on this morning with kick off coming at 6:00am (AEST).

It costs $15 a month to add Stan Sport to your general Stan plan. There is also a 30-day free trial available so you can give it a run out first – though this does not apply to Stan Sport.


Watch France v Italy: live stream from New Zealand

This match features in the All Blacks’ pool so could still determine who they play in the quarter-finals. To catch this match, rugby fans in New Zealand will need to be up in time for an 8:00am this morning, and tune into Sky Sport NZ.

A Rugby World Cup 2023 Pass is available for $89.99, giving you access to all 48 matches live and on demand.


Watch France v Italy live stream for FREE from Europe

World Rugby’s RugbyPass TV streaming service is providing English language Rugby World Cup live streams FOR FREE in Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Malta, Slovakia and Ukraine.

TF1 have the broadcast rights in France – however, they have also agreed a sub-licensing deal for 28 of the 48 matches with commercial broadcaster M6 and public-service broadcaster France Télévisions as well. Kick off is at 9:00pm French time.

In Italy, Rai and Sky Italia are sharing the rights to show the World Cup. France v Italy kicks off at 9:00pm in Italy.


Watch France v Italy: live stream for FREE from Asia

World Rugby’s RugbyPass TV streaming service is providing Rugby World Cup live streams FOR FREE in China, Mongolia, Myanmar, South Korea, Turkmenistan and Vietnam.

beIN Sports is the place to go to watch a France v Italy live stream in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Philippines, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. All 48 matches of the tournament will be available on the beIN Sports Connect app, and on dedicated pop-up channel beIN Sports Rugby.

In some countries (including Hong Kong, Singapore and Philippines), Rugby World Cup matches are not included as part of your usual BeIN Sports subscription. To watch the tournament, you’ll need to pay for an additional RWC Pass, which will give you access to all the matches. (Prices vary by country.)


France v Italy: kick-off times

UK: 8:00pm
South Africa: 9:00pm
Ireland:
8:00pm
USA:
3:00pm (ET), 12:00pm (PT)
Australia:
6:00am (AEST)
New Zealand:
8:00am
France:
9:00pm


France v Italy: team line-ups

FRANCE: Thomas Ramos; Damian Penaud, Gael Fickou, Jonathan Danty, Louis Bielle-Biarrey; Matthieu Jalibert, Maxime Lucu; Cyril Baille, Peato Mauvaka, Uini Atonio; Cameron Woki, Thibaud Flament; Anthony Jelonch, Charles Ollivon (captain), Grégory Alldritt 

Replacements: Pierre Bourgarit, Reda Wardi, Dorian Aldegheri, Romain Taofifenua, François Cros, Baptiste Couilloud, Yoram Moefana, Melvyn Jaminet

ITALY:Ange Capuozzo; Pierre Bruno, Juan Ignacio Brex, Paolo Garbisi, Montanna Ioane; Tommaso Allan, Stephen Varney; Simone Ferrari, Hame Faiva, Pietro Ceccarelli; Niccolò Cannone, Federico Ruzza; Sebastian Negri, Michele Lamaro (captain), Lorenzo Cannone

Replacements: Marco Manfredi, Federico Zani, Marco Riccioni, David Sisi, Manuel Zuliani, Alessandro Fusco, Luca Morisi, Lorenzo Pani


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