RTÉ and Virgin Media Television kick off comprehensive free-to-air coverage of the 2026 Six Nations Championship
RTÉ and Virgin Media Television kick off comprehensive free-to-air coverage of the 2026 Six Nations Championship
Rugby fans won’t miss a moment of the action this spring, with full Men’s, Women’s and Under‑20 coverage available live and free‑to‑air across RTÉ and Virgin Media Television
RTÉ and Virgin Media Television today announced details of their joint broadcast agreement for the 2026 Six Nations Championship, ensuring audiences at home can enjoy every match with expert analysis, pitch‑side insight and top‑tier commentary throughout the tournament. Coverage includes all games of the Men’s, Women’s and Under 20 tournaments available to watch live and free-to air.
The action gets underway on Thursday, 5 February 2026 at 7pm, when Virgin Media One , Virgin Media PLAY and RTÉ Radio 1 broadcast the opening fixture of the Men’s Championship as Ireland face France in Paris, in what’s sure to be a nail-biting game.
On Saturday 7 February, viewers can enjoy back-to-back rugby across both broadcasters, with Virgin Media One and Virgin Media PLAY showing Italy v Scotland, followed by RTÉ 2 and RTÉ Player’s coverage of England v Wales.
The Under‑20 Six Nations kicks off on Friday, 6 February. The Ireland Under-20s begin their campaign on Saturday, 7 February at 8pm when they take on France which will be shown live on RTÉ Player.
The Guinness Men’s Six Nations culminates on Saturday, 14 March, as Ireland take on Scotland at 2.10pm on Virgin Media One, Virgin Media PLAY and on RTÉ Radio 1, followed by Wales v Italy at 4.40pm and France v England at 8.10pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.
Rugby fans won’t have long to wait for more action, as the Women’s Six Nations kicks off on Saturday, 11 April, with France v Italy at 12.25pm on RTÉ Player, followed by Ireland v England at 2.25pm live on RTÉ 2, RTÉ Player and RTÉ Radio 1, and Wales v Scotland at 4.40pm on Virgin Media Two and Virgin Media PLAY.
RTÉ’s television coverage will be led by Jacqui Hurley, joined by a panel including Jamie Heaslip, Simon Zebo, Stephen Ferris, Fiona Coghlan, Jim Hamilton, Bernard Jackman and Donal Lenihan. Fans can follow all three Six Nations competitions across RTÉ2, RTÉ Radio 1 and RTÉ Player, with live updates, analysis, news and interviews on RTÉ.ie/Sport and @RTErugby. Against The Head returns to RTÉ2 on Monday nights with the latest insights, while The RTÉ Rugby Podcast offers deeper discussion each week. RTÉ News will keep audiences fully updated, including on the RTÉ News Now app. For the first time, RTÉ will provide Irish‑language commentary on the Six Nations, with Garry Mac Donncha and Colm de Buitléar set to cover three of the men’s games. Irish‑language coverage will also extend to the Women’s Six Nations in April, with details to be announced.
RTÉ Radio 1 has exclusive radio rights for the Six Nations Championships, with full match commentary for all Irish Men’s and Women’s games, as well as results and updates from the other fixtures across the Championship. Match commentary comes from Michael Corcoran and co-commentary, analysis and reaction from panellists including Donal Lenihan, James Downey, Fiona Coghlan, Niamh Briggs, Shane Byrne, Marcus Horan, and Tyrone Howe.
Virgin Media Television’s coverage will be led by Joe Molloy and a refreshed panel of experts including, Conor Murray, Rob Kearney, Andrew Trimble and Ian Madigan with Dave McIntyre and Alan Quinlan in the commentary box. The team will offer in depth coverage right across the Men’s Six Nations. Virgin Media News will bring viewers all the latest stories as they happen and the VMTV Rugby Pod will review all the action weekly throughout the tournaments. If you’ve missed any of the action, then our Six Nations Highlights show has you covered every Sunday and follow us on social media, simply search Virgin Media Sport.
Speaking ahead of the tournament, Declan McBennett, Head of Sport, RTÉ said: “The Six Nations remains one of the greatest annual events in Irish sport, and this year’s Championship promises to be as compelling as ever. RTÉ’s collaboration with Virgin Media ensures that audiences across the country can come together to follow all the action, from the intensity of Paris to the roar of Dublin. We are committed to delivering coverage that captures the passion, precision and personality of this team, and we look forward to bringing the nation every moment of what promises to be a thrilling campaign.”
Commenting on the coverage announcement, Brian Gleeson, Head of Sport, Virgin Media Television, said “It’s not often you get something completely new in the Six Nations, so having the tournament kick off on a Thursday night for the first time really is special and what a fixture to launch it Ireland versus France in Paris, live on Virgin Media One. With one less down week, this Championship will fly by, and our refreshed panel of rugby experts will be right there with all the analysis supporters care about. Thanks to our partnership with RTÉ, it’s brilliant that Irish viewers will continue to enjoy top class rugby, free‑to‑air, for the next four years. I can’t wait for it to get going.”
Interviews are available upon request.
ENDS
For more information:
Caoilinn Putti, Communications Lead, RTÉ, caoilinn.putti@rte.ie
Louise Zayed, Head of Communications, Virgin Media Television, Louise.Zayed@virginmedia.ie