Watch Rugby Live Online Free: Connacht Vs. Gloucester Champions Cup Playoff — Streaming, Start Time


Watch exciting rugby playoff action live, online, for free, as Irish side Connacht travels to England to face Gloucester on Sunday, with a shot at a berth in next season’s European Champions Cup on the line. The winner faces French Top 14 seventh-place finisher Bordeaux-Begles on May 31 for the coveted Champions Cup spot.

To find out how to watch the Gloucester vs. Connacht European Champions Cup Playoff live online free (and legally), from Kingsholm Stadium in Gloucester, England, see the information at the bottom this article. The match kicks off at 3:30 p.m. British Standard Time, which is 10:30 a.m. United States Eastern Time, 7:30 a.m. Pacific.

Connacht got into the playoff by placing seventh in the multi-nation Rugby Union Pro 12, their highest placing ever in that competition.

They will be seeking to avenge a 14-7 road loss to Gloucester on April 3 in this season’s European Challenge Cup quarterfinal. Gloucester went on to win Europe’s second-tier Rugby Union tournament, which placed them in Sunday’s playoff for Champions Cup qualification.

Though Gloucester are coming off a 50-30 soaking by Bath last week in the Aviva Premiership, they remain heavy favorites to dispatch the Irish squad once again, especially with nine of their 15 regular starters resting in last week’s defeat — as the team looked ahead to this weekend’s crucial playoff match — and three more were suspended.

All of those regulars return to action on Sunday, including Charlie Sharples and Bill Meakes who scored Gloucester’s two tries in the April Challenge Cup showdown against Connacht.

At the same time, Connacht features eight members of the Emerging Ireland third-level national side, and Gloucester Director of Rugby David Humphreys insists that his team takes the Connacht challenge seriously.

“Playing Connacht will be a huge challenge for us. When Connacht came to Kingsholm the last time, they performed pretty well,” Humphreys said earlier in the week. “They are now a completely different team to what they were 18 months ago. In terms of recruitment they have brought in some very good players. We’re under no illusions as to the challenge that lies ahead. It’s one we are looking forward to it with enthusiasm.”

ESPN3, the online-only service of ESPN, will stream the Gloucester vs. Connacht European Champions Cup Rugby Union Playoff live online at this link. ESPN3 is free to subscribers of most major internet service providers, and many minor ISPs as well. For a full list, check this link, or try the instructions at this link if you do not have an account with an ISP that carries ESPN3. Viewers in the U.K. can watch the match via BT Sport 2.

[Image: Dan Mullan/Getty Images]

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