La Rochelle vs Leinster live stream: how to watch the 2021 Champions Cup semi-final rugby for free

La Rochelle vs Leinster live stream: how to watch the 2021 Champions Cup rugby for free
(Image credit: EPC Rugby)

Leinster face La Rochelle today without captain Johnny Sexton but James Ryan, Garry Ringrose, Scott Penny and Tommy O’Brien are available. Can Leinster can make it to the final on 22nd May or will it be an all-French affair with Toulouse confirmed to face the winner of this afternoon's battle? The big match kicks off at 3pm BST today. Follow our guide on how to watch a La Rochelle vs Leinster live stream, from anywhere in the world.

La Rochelle vs Leinster live stream

Date: Sunday 2nd May 2021

Kick off: 3pm BST / 4pm CET / 10am ET

Venue: Stade Marcel Deflandre, France

Free stream: France TV (FR2)

US stream: Peacock (7-day free trial) 

Watch anywhere: Try ExpressVPN risk-free today

UK stream: BT Sport

AUS stream: Kayo Sports (14-day free trial)

Today's clash will be the first time that La Rochelle and Leinster have met in any European competition, so anything could happen. It's La Rochelle's first appearance in the Heineken Champions Cup semi-finals, too. Ronan O'Gara has done a superb job of guiding La Rochelle into Cup contention. The Atlantic coast side's head coach will be keen to add to the two Heineken Cup crowns he won as a player with Munster. He is something of a hero in France.

As for Leinster, the Irish side have won 25 of their last 28 completed games in the European Cup and are tied favourites for the tournament with Toulouse. They cruised into the semis with a commanding victory over defending champions Exeter and although they recently lost to Munster, most of the first team was being rested.

Ready for some top-class rugger? Make sure you know to watch a La Rochelle vs Leinster live stream live stream from anywhere.

Watch La Rochelle vs Leinster for free

Good news: there are a number ways to watch La Rochelle vs Leinster for free. France TV channel FR2 will show the action on a free-to-air basis. If you happen to speak French, c'est bon.

US rugby fans who do not parlez-vous français should check out Peacock – NBC's streaming service. New subscribers get a 7-day free trial. And Aussie viewers should head over to Kayo Sports for a free 14-day trial. Cancel any time in both cases.

Of course, these free streams are only accessible to viewers in the relevant territories. If you're away from home this weekend, simply use a VPN to unblock your local free stream or free trial. We recommend ExpressVPN which you can try risk-free thanks to the 30-day money-back guarantee.

Watch La Rochelle vs Leinster from abroad using a VPN

Even if you have subscribed to the relevant Champions Cup rights holders, you won't be able to access them when outside your own country. The service will know your location based on your IP address, and will automatically block your access.

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) helps you get around this obstacle. VPNs are a doddle to use and create a private connection between your device and the internet. All the information passing back and forth is entirely encrypted.

There are many VPN providers out there, with some more reliable and safe than others. As a rule, we’d suggest a paid-for service such as ExpressVPN which offers a 100 per cent risk-free money back guarantee. If you're not happy with the service any time within the first 30-days, then you can cancel with no penalties at all.

Try ExpressVPN risk-free for 30 days

Try ExpressVPN risk-free for 30 days
ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money back guarantee with its VPN service. You can use it to watch on your mobile, tablet, laptop, TV, games console and more. There's 24/7 customer support and three months free when you sign-up. Try it – you'll be surprised how simple it is. 

UK: La Rochelle vs Leinster live stream

La Rochelle vs Leinster live stream: how to watch the 2021 Champions Cup rugby for free

(Image credit: BT Sport)

Rights to show La Rochelle vs Leinster in the UK belong to BT Sport. Existing BT customers can upgrade to the sport channels for as little as £15 per month. Non-BT customers can buy a no-commitment BT Sport Monthly Pass for £25 and enjoy all four BT Sports channels for 30 days.

BT Sport for existing BT TV customers from £7.50

BT Sport for existing BT TV customers from £7.50
Upgrading to all four BT Sport channels is no big deal if you’re already a BT customer. Those with BT TV already can access the channels for £7.50 per month for the first three months. BT Broadband customers can enjoy the BT Sport app and watch on the go for the same price.

BT Sport Monthly Pass £25

BT Sport Monthly Pass £25
Open to all, the this pass offers access to all four BT Sport channels through the BT Sport app on TVs, tablets, mobiles and more. Sports include UFC, Champions League football, Heineken Cup and more.

Sky TV users can also add BT Sport to their existing package from £30 a month, but that will not include any 4K viewing. It's also worth looking out for bundled Sky Sports and BT Sport deals.

EE mobile customers can get a free 3-month trial of BT Sport by texting SPORT to 150. You can cancel the trial at any time.

USA: La Rochelle vs Leinster live stream

La Rochelle vs Leinster live stream: how to watch the 2021 Champions Cup rugby for free

(Image credit: NBCUniversal)

NBC Sports has the exclusive rights to show La Rochelle vs Leinster in the USA. The network will stream all the action live on its Peacock TV streaming platform and subscription costs just $4.99 a month (with commercials) or $9.99 a month (commercial-free).

Peacock TV gets you full coverage of the Heineken Champions Cup, as well as selected Premier League soccer games, Premiership Rugby, blockbuster movies and TV boxsets such as The Office.

Peacock TV Premium: free for 7 days then $4.99 a month

Peacock TV Premium: free for 7 days then $4.99 a month
Want to stream the Champions Cup rugby live in the USA? Try Peacock Premium for (ad-supported) coverage of the rugger and a host of other top-quality sports. At under five bucks a month, it's a steal.

Tempted? We don't blame you. Peacock offers a free 7-day trial. After that, you'll be billed $4.99 a month but there's no lock-in contract so you can cancel at any time.

Australia: La Rochelle vs Leinster live stream

La Rochelle vs Leinster live stream: how to watch the 2021 Champions Cup rugby for free

(Image credit: Kayo Sports)

Foxtel's streaming-only platform, Kayo Sports, is the best way to get a La Rochelle vs Leinster live stream in Oz.

The respected streaming service offers over 50 sports live and on-demand including Six Nations 2021 live streams. The Basic package costs $25 a month while Premium, which works across multiple screens, costs $35 a month. Both include a free 14-day trial to get you started. There's no lock-in contract and you can cancel at any time.

Ireland: La Rochelle vs Leinster live stream

BT Sport is the best place to find Champions Cup rugby in Ireland. La Rochelle vs Leinster is scheduled for 3pm on Sunday 2nd May.

Stuck outside of Ireland this weekend? Simply use a VPN to unblock the free live streams. We recommend ExpressVPN which you can try risk-free thanks to the 30-day money-back guarantee.

La Rochelle vs Leinster team news

La Rochelle
15 Brice Dulin, 14 Dillyn Leyds, 13 Geoffrey Doumayrou, 12 Levani Botia, 11 Raymond Rhule, 10 Ihaia West, 9 Tawera Kerr Barlow, 1 Reda Wardi, 2 Pierre Bourgarit, 3 Uini Atonio, 4 Romain Sazy (c), 5 Will Skelton, 6 Grégory Alldritt, 7 Wiaan Liebenberg, 8 Victor Vito.
(Replacements: 16 Facundo Bosch, 17 Dany Priso, 18 Arthur Joly, 19 Thomas Lavault, 20 Kevin Gourdon, 21 Arthur Retiere, 22 Jules Plisson, 23 Pierre Aguillon.)

Leinster
15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Jordan Larmour, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Garry Ringrose, 11 James Lowe, 10 Ross Byrne, 9 Luke McGrath (c); 1 Cian Healy, 2 Ronan Kelleher, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 4 Devin Toner, 5 James Ryan, 6 Rhys Ruddock, 7 Josh van der Flier, 8 Jack Conan.
(Replacements: 16 James Tracy, 17 Ed Byrne, 18 Andrew Porter, 19 Scott Fardy, 20 Ryan Baird, 21 Rowan Osborne, 22 Ciaran Frawley, 23 Rory O'Loughlin.)

  • Browse today's best TV deals to bag a cheap 4K, OLED or QLED TV 
What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.

Read more about how we test