Watch Italy v Scotland as Gregor Townsend takes his side to Rome today for the first game of their 2026 Six Nations campaign.
– Date: Saturday 7 February, 2026
– Kick-off time: 2.10pm GMT / 3.10pm CET (local) / 9.10am ET / 4.10pm SAST / 1.10am AEDT (Sunday)
– FREE STREAMS: BBC iPlayer (UK), Virgin Media Play (Ireland), FranceTV (France)
– Watch from anywhere: Try Surfshark VPN with 3 months free
The match kicks off at 2.10pm GMT/3.10pm CET on what’s looking set to be a mild and wet afternoon at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. You can watch Italy v Scotland live streams for free in the UK, Ireland and France. Read on to find out how to tune in to the big match, wherever you are on planet Earth. Scroll down for a match preview and the teams.
Today’s second game, England v Wales (kick-off 4.40pm GMT) is on ITVX (UK), RTÉ Player (Ireland) and TF1+ (France).
Are there any free Italy v Scotland live streams?
Yes, there are several free streams for this Six Nations clash, including:
- United Kingdom: You can watch Italy v Scotland on both terrestrial channel BBC One and the BBC iPlayer streaming service. Both options are free to use but remember that you need a current TV Licence to watch/stream live television in the UK. You also need to complete a simple registration to access the iPlayer platform. BBC coverage starts at 1.00pm GMT ahead of the 2.10pm kick-off.
- Ireland: Rugby fans in Ireland can watch the second match of the Six Nations weekend for free via Virgin Media Play. You can stream through the app or the in-browser player, and no sign-up is required. You can also tune into the match for free on terrestrial channel Virgin Media One.
- France: Italy v Scotland live streams are available on France Télévisions in France. Coverage is free on both France 2 and the FranceTV streaming service – coverage starts at 3.00pm CET, with kick-off at 3.10pm.
Travelling overseas at the weekend? Residents of the UK, Ireland and France can still watch their usual free streaming service by making use of good VPN. More on that below…
Stream Italy v Scotland from anywhere
Being abroad today doesn’t have to ruin your rugby viewing plans. Using a VPN (or Virtual Private Network, to give it its full name) is a smart way to avoid the geo-blocking restrictions that might otherwise prevent you from watching your usual streaming services when you’re in another country – in fact, a VPN can allow you to watch Italy v Scotland as if you were sitting on your sofa in your living room.
As well as improving your online security, VPNs have the useful ability to change your IP address, making your laptop, smartphone or tablet appear to be back in your home country. This means you can tune into Six Nations 2026 fixtures even when you’re on the other side of the world.
There are plenty of good VPNs you can buy, but the tech experts at TechRadar and Tom’s Guide both reckon Surfshark is one of the best on the market, thanks to its affordable price and ability to unblock streaming services.
More international streaming options for Italy v Scotland
- United States: A subscription to NBC’s Peacock Premium streaming service will get you access to all of this season’s Men’s Six Nations matches (including this Italy v Scotland live stream), and will cost you $10.99 per month. Kick-off is 9.10am ET / 6.10am PT this morning.
- Australia: Stan Sport is the place to go for Italy v Scotland live streams down under. You’ll need a $20 per month Stan Sport plan (in addition to your base Stan subscription) to watch the action as it happens. You’ll also need to stay up late, as kick-off is at 1.10am AEDT on Sunday morning.
- New Zealand: In New Zealand, Italy v Scotland is on Sky Sport, which costs $54.99 per month for a streaming subscription. Kick-off is 3.10am NZDT on Sunday morning – the question is, will you stay up very late or get up very, very early?
- South Africa: SuperSport is your destination for Italy v Scotland live streams in South Africa, and is available via DStv and streaming. The match gets underway at 4.10pm SAST this afternoon.
Check out our full guide to how to watch Six Nations 2025 for broadcasters around the world.
Italy v Scotland match preview
Scotland arrive in Italy with plenty of expectation. Gregor Townsend’s side is packed with talent (most notably star fly-half Finn Russell), and proved during narrow Quilter Nations Series defeats to New Zealand and Argentina that they’re capable of going toe-to-toe with the best in the world. Those same games also asked questions about their ability to finish off opponents – so which version will turn up in this year’s tournament?
Townsend has made a couple of massive calls ahead of this opening game, leaving Blair Kinghorn and Duhan van der Merwe – who both toured Australia with the British & Irish Lions last summer – out of his 23 entirely. Darcy Graham, just one try behind van der Merwe in his country’s all-time try-scoring charts, also has to settle for a place on the bench.
In their place, the head coach has rewarded players in form for their clubs, with Bristol Bears’ Tom Jordan getting the nod at full-back, and Kyle Steyn and utility back Jamie Dobie (one of three scrum-halves in the matchday squad) coming in on the wings. But there’s still plenty of experience in Scotland’s backs division (the side’s biggest strength in recent years), with the centre axis of Huw Jones and Sione Tuipulotu, and Russell lining up alongside scrum-half Ben White.
Italy, meanwhile, have ditched their reputation as perennial Wooden Spoon contenders. Having beaten Scotland in Rome two years, the Azzurri will fancy their chances of causing an opening weekend shock – even with big names like Ange Capuozzo, Sebastian Negri and Tommaso Allan ruled out by injury.
As an indication of the side’s growing experience, captain Michele Lamaro, fly-half Paolo Garbisi and centre Juan Ignacio Brex all win their 50th caps today – alongside Tommaso Menoncello, Brex forms one half of the most reliable midfield partnerships in world rugby.
This is arguably the hardest of this weekend’s championship fixtures to call, and the result could have a major bearing on whether these teams have a successful tournament or not. Indeed, if Scotland lose, they’ll find it very difficult indeed to improve on their best ever Six Nations era finish of third.
Italy v Scotland teams and officials
Italy
15. Leonardo Marin
14. Louis Lynagh
13. Juan Ignacio Brex
12. Tommaso Menoncello
11. Monty Ioane
10. Paolo Garbisi
9. Alessandro Fusco
1. Danilo Fischetti
2. Giacomo Nicotera
3. Simone Ferrari
4. Niccolò Cannone
5. Andrea Zambonin
6. Michele Lamaro
7. Manuel Zuliani
8. Lorenzo Cannone
Replacements (5-3 split):
16. Tommaso Di Bartolomeo
17. Mirco Spagnolo
18. Muhamed Hasa
19. Federico Ruzza
20. Riccardo Favretto
21. Alessandro Garbisi
22. Giacomo Da Re
23. Lorenzo Pani
Scotland
15. Tom Jordan
14. Kyle Steyn
13. Huw Jones
12. Sione Tuipulotu (captain)
11. Jamie Dobie
10. Finn Russell (vice-captain)
9. Ben White
1. Pierre Schoeman
2. Ewan Ashman
3. Zander Fagerson
4. Scott Cummings
5. Grant Gilchrist
6. Matt Fagerson
7. Rory Darge (vice-captain)
8. Jack Dempsey
Replacements (5-3 split):
16. George Turner
17. Nathan McBeth
18. Elliot Millar Mills
19. Max Williamson
20. Gregor Brown
21. George Horne
22. Adam Hastings
23. Darcy Graham
Ben O’Keeffe of New Zealand is the Six Nations referee for this one, assisted by fellow Kiwi James Doleman and Katsuki Furuse of Japan. Richard Kelly (also New Zealand) is the TMO.
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