Managed to catch your breath yet? No, us neither. The Rugby World Cup 2023 semi-finals have plenty to live up to. Four battle-hardened teams remain, who share seven world crowns between them. The first semi-final between Argentina vs New Zealand was on Friday, October 20. The second, England vs South Africa, is on Saturday, October 21.
We're now halfway through the semis with New Zealand at its ruthless, occasionally free-flowing best following a 44-6 defeat of Argentina on Friday night. The Pumas started brightly enough but from the moment Will Jordan scored the All Blacks' opening try, the result was never really in doubt as Ian Foster's side crossed the whitewash on seven occasions.
Next up is England vs South Africa, with the atmosphere building in the Parisian suburbs for this repeat of the final four years ago. Freddie Steward has come in for Englalnd, who also recall Joe Marler and George Martin to beef up the pack. South Africa are unchanged, meanwhile.
It's the countdown to kick-off now at the Stade de France in Paris. It's been raining most of the day in the French capital for this one and the wet weather is set to continue for this game, which should make for intriguing game of rugby. Get ready yourself set in front of the screen of your choosing, with the atmosphere now building. The teams are listed below...
ENGLAND Freddie Steward; Jonny May, Joe Marchant, Manu Tuilagi, Elliot Daly; Owen Farrell (captain), Alex Mitchell; Joe Marler, Jamie George, Dan Cole; Maro Itoje, George Martin; Courtney Lawes, Tom Curry, Ben Earl
Replacements: Theo Dan, Ellis Genge, Kyle Sinckler, Ollie Chessum, Billy Vunipola, Danny Care, George Ford, Ollie Lawrence
SOUTH AFRICA Damian Willemse; Kurt-Lee Arendse, Jesse Kriel, Damian de Allende, Cheslin Kolbe; Manie Libbok, Cobus Reinach; Steven Kitshoff, Mbongeni Mbonambi, Frans Malherbe; Eben Etzebeth, Franco Mostert; Siya Kolisi (captain), Pieter-Steph Du Toit, Duane Vermeulen
Replacements: Deon Fourie, Ox Nche, Vincent Koch, RG Snyman, Kwagga Smith, Faf de Klerk, Handré Pollard, Willie le Roux
The Rugby World Cup 2023 semi-finals is airing for FREE in the U.K. on the ITVX streaming service and in Ireland on the RTE Player and Virgin Media Player. But don't worry if you're on holiday while it's on — because you can watch Rugby World Cup 2023 semi-finals from anywhere with a VPN.
► Times: 8 pm UK / 3pm ET / 12 pm PT / 6 am AEDT (Oct. 21 & 22)
U.S.: Peacock / NBC
U.K.: ITV1 | ITVX (free with license fee)
IRE: RTE 2 / RTE Player or Virgin Media 1 / Virgin Media Player (free)
AUS: Stan Sport
How to use a VPN to watch any stream
Argentina knows exactly what it must do to beat New Zealand in the first semi-final. "It's very simple," smiled Emiliano Boffelli following last weekend's last-four defeat of Wales. "We need to be perfect. That's it." The winger, and the rest of his team-mates, know the Pumas are massive underdogs against the All Blacks but they'll draw on fond memories of the 25-18 defeat in the Kiwis' backyard in August 2022 as hit-anything-that-moves mantra necessary to beat the three-time world champions. The the All Blacks, meanwhile, looked back to their best in knocking out favorites Ireland a week ago. Ian Foster's side still have memories of their 2019 semi-final defeat to England on its mind and want no repeat. Sam Whitelock is back at lock to add to a formidable side.
England will use its own recollections of four years ago as inspiration against South Africa in Sunday's semi-final. The Red Rose produced arguably its greatest ever performance to beat the All Blacks in the last four, only to be overpowered and outgunned by the Springboks in the final. "There's going to be beef," said Handre Pollard, who scored 22 points in the 2019 final to beat England, this week. South Africa was magnificent in defense and at the breakdown to beat hosts France, while England had to overcome a second-half wobble to beat Fiji. The Springboks monstrous pack again holds the key.
If you're a keen rugger fan, or just someone who likes to be prepared, you'll want to know how to watch all the Rugby World Cup 2023 matches – including how to watch for free. We've got all the latest info below, plus a guide to the squads and some loose predictions for how the knockout stage might unfold.
Watch Rugby World Cup 2023 semi-finals for free in the UK
How to watch Rugby World Cup 2023 semi-finals in Ireland for free
If you're fortunate enough to live in Ireland then you can enjoy every single minute of the Rugby World Cup 2023 semi-final live streams for FREE.
The last four will be broadcast on the free-to-air channel RTE 2 for the Friday, 15th October game (Argentina vs New Zealand, 8 pm IST) and Virgin Media 1 for the Saturday, 21st October fixture (England vs South Africa, 8 pm IST) .
If you don't have a TV, you can also access the live streams via the RTE Player on Friday and the Virgin Media Player for Saturday if you live within the broadcaster's coverage area.
If you're going to be abroad for the Rugby World Cup 2023 semi-final live streams and want to carry on watching your regular service because you'll need a VPN. We'll show you how to do that below from a site such as ExpressVPN.
How to watch Rugby World Cup 2023 in the US
Thanks to a partnership between World Rugby and NBC Sports, the broadcaster is the exclusive home for all the Rugby World Cup 2023 semi-finals games, each of which will be streamed live on Peacock.
Kick-offs for the games on Friday, 20th October (Argentina vs New Zealand) and Saturday 21st October (England vs South Africa) will be 3 pm ET / 12 pm PT. Unlike some games this tournament, neither match will also be shown on NBC.
You can sign in to Peacock, which starts at $5.99 per month for ad-enabled streaming or $11.99 for ad-free, and it's showing all of the Rugby World Cup games.
Remember, if you're away from the U.S. at the minute, you'll need a VPN to ensure you can still watch the Rugby World Cup 2023 semi-final live streams without being geo-blocked. Keep reading on to find out how to get yourself set up.
Watch Rugby World Cup 2023 semi-finals in Australia
In Australia, you've got two options for watching the Rugby World Cup 2023. Firstly, online streaming service Stan Sport is showing every single semi-final exclusively live. But, remember, you'll have to set your alarm clocks pretty early to catch the action.
Kick-offs for games on Saturday, 20th October (Argentina vs New Zealand) and Sunday, October 21st (England vs South Africa) will be 6 am AEDT.
Beyond these fixtures, Channel Nine will be showing the semi-finals and final of the World Cup and they'll also be streaming the action live on 9Now.
Not in Australia right now? Make sure you get yourself a VPN to ensure you don't miss a second of the Rugby World Cup 2023 semi-final live streams.
How to watch Rugby World Cup 2023 semi-finals everywhere else
Wherever you live, there's a good possibility that a national broadcaster is streaming the Rugby World Cup, particularly if your country has a team playing in the tournament.
However, in some places there is a possibility that there's no easy way of watching the rugby. Thankfully, you can solve this issue with a Virtual Private Network (a VPN).
A VPN lets you get around the usual digital barriers by changing your IP address, meaning you can watch events like the Rugby World Cup 2023 semi-finals even if it is not directly broadcasting where you are. Our favorite is ExpressVPN, which is the No. 1-rated VPN in the world right now according to our sister site, TechRadar.
How to use a VPN to watch any stream
- Download the app at ExpressVPN
- Choose the location of the streaming service you want to watch.
- Navigate to the streaming service and start watching!
Rugby World Cup 2023 fixtures
SEMI-FINALS
Friday 20th October
Argentina vs New Zealand: 8 pm UK & IST / 3 pm ET / 12 pm PT / 6 am AEDT (Oct. 21st)
Saturday 21st October
England vs South Africa: 8 pm UK & IST / 3 pm ET / 12 pm PT / 6 am AEDT (Oct. 22nd)
THIRD-PLACE PLAY-OFF
Saturday 27th October
Loser SF1 vs Loser SF 2: 8 pm UK & IST / 3 pm ET / 12 pm PT / 6 am AEDT (Oct. 28th)
FINAL
Sunday 28th October
Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2: 8 pm UK & IST / 3 pm ET / 12 pm PT / 6 am AEDT (Oct. 29th)
Rugby World Cup 2023 squads
Argentina
Backs: Gonzalo Bertranou, Lautaro Bazan Velez, Tomas Cubelli, Santiago Carreras, Nicolas Sanchez, Santiago Chocobares, Lucio Cinti, Jeronimo de la Fuente, Matias Moroni, Emiliano Boffelli, Juan Cruz Mallia, Mateo Carreras, Juan Imhoff, Rodrigo Isgro, Martin Bogado.
Forwards: Mayco Vivaso (injury replacement for Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro), Francisco Gomez Kodela, Joel Sclavi, Thomas Gallo, Eduardo Bello, Julian Montoya, Agustin Creevy, Ignacio Ruiz, Matias Alemanno, Tomas Lavanini, Guido Petti, Facundo Isa, Lucas Paulos (injury replacement for Pablo Matera), Juan Martin Gonzalez, Marcos Kremer, Rodrigo Bruni, Pedro Rubiolo, Joaquin Oviedo (injury replacement for Santiago Grondona).
New Zealand
Backs: Finlay Christie, Cam Roigard, Aaron Smith, Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie, Richie Mo'unga, Jordie Barrett, David Havili, Rieko Ioane, Anton Lienert-Brown, Caleb Clarke, Leicester Fainga'anuku, Will Jordan, Mark Telea
Forwards: Dane Coles, Samisoni Taukei’aho, Codie Taylor, Ethan de Groot, Tyrel Lomax, Nepo Laulala, Fletcher Newell, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Tamaiti Williams, Scott Barrett, Brodie Retallick, Tupou Vaa'i, Sam Whitelock, Sam Cane (c), Shannon Frizell, Luke Jacobson, Dalton Papali’i, Ardie Savea, Ethan Blackadder (injury replacement for Emoni Narawa)
England
Backs: Henry Arundell, Danny Care, Elliot Daly, Owen Farrell, George Ford, Ollie Lawrence, Max Malins, Jonny May (injury replacement for Antony Watson), Joe Marchant, Alex Mitchell, Marcus Smith, Freddie Steward, Manu Tuilagi, Ben Youngs
Forwards: Ollie Chessum, Dan Cole, Tom Curry, Theo Dan, Ben Earl, Jamie George, Ellis Genge, Maro Itoje, Courtney Lawes, Lewis Ludlam, Joe Marler, George Martin, David Ribbans, Bevan Rodd, Kyle Sinckler, Will Stuart, Sam Underhill (injury replacement for Jack Willis), Billy Vunipola, Jack Walker
South Africa
Backs: Damian de Allende, Lukhanyo Am (injury replacement for Makazole Mapimpi), Kurt-Lee Arendse, Faf de Klerk, Andre Esterhuizen, Jaden Hendrikse, Cheslin Kolbe, Jesse Kriel, Willie le Roux, Manie Libbok, Canan Moodie, Handre Pollard (injury replacement for Malcolm Marx), Cobus Reinach, Damian Willemse, Grant Williams.
Forwards: Pieter-Steph du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Deon Fourie, Steven Kitshoff, Jean Kleyn, Vincent Koch, Siya Kolisi, Frans Malherbe, Bongi Mbonambi, Franco Mostert, Ox Nche, Trevor Nyakane, Marvin Orie, Kwagga Smith, RG Snyman, Marco van Staden, Duane Vermeulen, Jasper Wiese .
Rugby World Cup 2023 odds / predictions
Where do you start after four quarter-finals of such prediction-defying drama? The world's two top-ranked sides (Ireland and France) both fell, so all bets are off when it comes to trying to call the outcome of the tournament. But we fancy a challenge, so let's do it anyway.
After their stunning wins over the erstwhile top two, South Africa and New Zealand now occupy first and second in the world rankings and start the semi-finals as significant favorites to to reach the showpiece a week on Sunday. The Springboks' brawn and ruthless plan have already shone this tournament, while the All Blacks have grown into the tournament. Both three-time winners, they were beaten in the pool phase (by Ireland and France respectively) but those defeats have only served to harden both sides' resolve. Defending champions South Africa, you fancy, have the edge.
England and Argentina remain in the outsider category. The former beat the latter in both sides' opening pool fixture and, though there are obvious weaknesses to each, the grit and determination shown to reach the last four is proof neither can be ruled out. A third-place play-off seems most likely but, if last week taught us anything, it's that nothing is for certain in knockout rugby.
