Do you like to watch sports in the middle of the night? Then do we have an event for you. The 2019 Rugby World Cup has been underway since late September, and the tournament is heating up this weekend with the quarterfinals. The catch? The host country this year is Japan, meaning Americans who want to watch the games live will have to wake up extra early (or stay up extra late) to enjoy them.
But look, if you really, really love the sport of rugby, it might be worth it. Here’s the weekend lineup:
- Saturday, October 19, 3:15 a.m. ET: England versus Australia
- Saturday, October 19, 6:15 a.m. ET: New Zealand versus Ireland
- Sunday, October 20, 3:15 a.m. ET: Wales versus France
- Sunday, October 20, 6:15 a.m. ET: Japan versus South Africa
The matches continue with the semifinals next week and culminate with the final game on November 2.
For cord cutters in the United States who want to stream all the games live on your computers or smartphones, you’ll need access to a Rugby World Cup Pass from NBC Sports Gold, which costs $100. The good news is, you can also buy individual games for $35 and watch them live and on demand. You can find more info on that service here.
NBC Sports will air select games on NBC and NBCSN. You can stream those live with pay-TV credentials on the NBC Sports website or through the following streaming services:
But keep in mind there are only a few games left that aren’t locked behind the Gold service, so it’s probably not worth it to sign up for a standalone service at this point.
Now go enjoy your late-night rugby, but try to keep it down. I’ll be sleeping!
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