How to watch the Rugby World Cup for free – and during load shedding

We’re big rugby fans at Stuff and Scrolla.Africa – and we’re not happy that everyone can’t watch the Springboks defend the World Cup.

So, forget the SABC’s inability to strike a deal with Supersport, which was subsequently concluded the day before the event started. Forget the inevitable load shredding.

We have found a number of ways to overcome these hurdles to our patriotic duty – but you will need to buy your own drinks.

How to watch rugby for free

Luckily, World Rugby has launched its own streaming platform – RugbyPass TV. It will live-stream every game of the Rugby World Cup 2023 for free. Unfortunately, there’s a good chance the live streams won’t be available to South Africans seeing as Multichoice holds the broadcasting rights here.

There will also be more than 10,000 hours of archive content, of every available men’s and women’s Rugby World Cup match recorded on camera, says the rugby body. Fans can watch full-match replays, highlights, tries, and “magical moments”. Springboks fans will be hoping Canan Moodie’s once-in-a-generation talent will be one of these moments, as much as Lukhanyo Am’s selfless pass to Makazole Mapimpi in the 2019 final. That made the talented winger the first Springbok to score a try in a World Cup final – and endeared Am to a generation of fans.

It took five minutes to register and download the app onto the Xiaomi media player (below). But it should also run in most web browsers, be that on a TV, streamer, tablet, or smartphone.

How to watch it on a non-smart TV

Xiaomi TV Box S (2nd Gen): R1,400 (currently on sale for R1,000)

As it happens, I bought my mother a hugely energy-efficient TV but not a smart TV. No problem. All I did was buy a Xiaomi TV Box S (2nd Gen) – a delightful little computer that turns any TV into a smart TV. We loved it at Stuff so I wanted to know what the experience was like myself. It’s pretty slick and only took about half an hour to set up.

It runs Google TV, which is an extension of the Gmail and Android worlds, so I logged in with my test Gmail account and set up all the apps. In this order: DStv Stream, Showmax, RugbyPass TV, and then the preinstalled ones like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Apple TV+.

The useful thing about the Google ecosystem is that you can mostly use your phone instead of trying to type in passwords with the remote’s arrow keys. DStv and Showmax have been doing this for years, showing you a short code of five or six letters to type into a website that links that TV to your account. It took less than five minutes per app to install and log in. The TV Box S (2nd Gen) offers 4K resolution, which is pretty impressive.

How to watch during load shredding

Gizzu Hero Core 800W UPS Power Station: R8,900

Local brand Gizzu has a new generation of power stations which use a new battery technology called Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4). This is a fantastic upgrade to batteries, offering 3,500 recharge cycles or about 10 years of use. We’re currently testing the Gizzu Hero Core 512Wh power station, which can deliver 800W of power to your devices. It has a three-pronged SA plug, as well as three USB-C ports and two old USB-A ports. It also has UPS functionality, so if you are due to get load shredded, you can plan accordingly.

Gizzu has a clever calculator on its website that will tell you how long its power stations run. Using a 32in LED TV, which consumes 60W of power, you can watch 6.9 hours with it. Add a few more electrical devices (It has a built-in LED torch for light) and we calculate you can get five hours of game time. Similarly, a 40in LED TV (100W) will get 4.1 hours, down to 3.8 hours if you add a 10W Wi-Fi router. That should get you through the game.

The great thing about this new LifePO4 battery is how quickly it charges. Gizzu says it will fully recharge in two hours. I charged the review unit from 29% to full in just over an hour.

What about a TV?

If you already have a TV, these are all useful add-ons. If you’re looking for a cost-effective non-smart TV, the Samsung N5000 range is good value for money. The full HD Samsung 40in UA40N5000 retails for R3,500 and is also energy efficient.

Samsung’s smart TV range is always impressive, and the entry-level N5300 Series is both energy-efficient and cost-effective. A 40in N5300 model costs R5,500 and will run all the important apps to watch rugby and stream content.