If you’re trying to watch the Rugby League World Cup in NZ, you need to be a Spark Sport subscriber. This can be an issue because Spark Sport is expensive at $25/month.
Annoyingly, the NRL is broadcast on Sky, and to watch the Rugby League World Cup, you need a Spark Sports subscription on top. This only adds to the cost.
Fortunately, there’s an easy and cheaper way to watch every game of the Rugby League World Cup on-demand for less than $10. All you need is a reliable VPN and a BBC iPlayer account.
This article will explain the cheapest way to watch the Rugby League World Cup in NZ.
See also:
How to watch the Rugby League World Cup in NZ: Quick Guide
The best way to watch the Rugby League World Cup in NZ is with a VPN and a BBC iPlayer account.
All you need to do is follow these simple steps, and you’ll be able to watch every game:
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Create a new account with ExpressVPN ($6.67/month).
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Download and install the new VPN app
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Select a server in the UK
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Create a BBC iPlayer account (see below)
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Watch the Rugby League World Cup in NZ on demand
How do I create a BBC iPlayer account in NZ?
To create a BBC iPlayer account in NZ, you only need a VPN, an email address and a British postcode.
BBC iPlayer is a free, on-demand streaming service. However, it’s only available in the UK. If you visit the site in NZ, you’ll run into an error saying, “BBC iPlayer only works in the UK. Sorry, it’s due to rights issues.”
To get around this error, the fix is easy. All you need is a reliable VPN. We recommend ExpressVPN ($6.67/month).
To create a BBC iPlayer account, you must connect to a UK server on ExpressVPN ($6.67/month), visit BBC iPlayer – Home, select create an account, and fill in the details.
You’ll need a functional email address and a UK postcode. To get a UK postcode, go here.
Now, ensure you’re still connected to a UK server on ExpressVPN ($6.67/month), and you’ll be able to access BBC iPlayer and the Rugby League World Cup on demand.
What’s the best way to watch the Rugby League World Cup in NZ?
The best way to watch the Rugby League World Cup in NZ is with a VPN and a BBC iPlayer account.
BBC iPlayer is a free streaming service that broadcasts every game of the World Cup live and on demand.
While you can catch the games on Spark Sports here in NZ, Spark Sports costs $25/month. Using a VPN and BBC iPlayer, you’ll pay less than $10.
It’s also a very reliable way to watch the games.
Why do I need a VPN to watch BBC iPlayer?
You need a VPN to watch BBC iPlayer in NZ because iPlayer is a UK-based streaming service only for UK-based customers.
The BBC doesn’t have the rights to broadcast its content outside of the UK. If it made iPlayer available in NZ, it would be breaching rigorous content and licensing agreements and could face severe financial punishment.
To prevent these fines from happening, the BBC blocks anyone outside the UK from accessing iPlayer. These blocks are why you’re coming across the “BBC iPlayer only works in the UK. Sorry, it’s due to rights issues” error.
To get around these blocks, you need to make BBC iPlayer think you’re accessing its service from within the UK. That’s where a VPN like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or NordVPN ($3.19/month) comes in.
How does BBC iPlayer block my connection?
When you connect to BBC iPlayer it scans your IP address to determine your physical location.
Whenever you go online, your device is given a unique IP address. This IP is used to communicate between your device and the website or app you’re going to.
The issue here is for this communication to work, your IP address contains information about your physical location.
When you connect to BBC iPlayer in NZ, the BBC scans your IP address, figures out you’re in NZ and blocks the connection.
How do VPNs work?
VPNs encrypt all of your online data into an unreadable code. They then reroute this data through one of their servers (which you can choose) where it is decrypted and sent to a local ISP (internet service provider).
The country you select is where you’re data will be sent, and this country is where the IP address the VPN gives you will be based.
If you want to watch BBC iPlayer outside the UK, you’ll need a UK IP address so you’ll want your data to be sent to a VPN server in the UK.
This process will give you an anonymous internet connection meaning the BBC cannot determine where you’re based, but you’ll also have an IP address from the UK. So now you can watch BBC iPlayer in NZ.
Will any VPN work?
The VPNs that work with BBC iPlayer are the ones that can get around the BBC’s VPN blocking techniques.
The BBC tries to block VPNs because they allow people to watch BBC iPlayer content outside of its broadcast zone (the UK). And this could potentially result in fines.
The BBC blocks VPNs using three main techniques:
- The most common technique is to do with the IP addresses that your VPN can provide. VPN providers have more customers than IP addresses; this means that customers are forced to share the same IP addresses. Usually, only a household with a few devices uses the same IP address. When The BBC sees hundreds or even thousands of connections coming through on the same IP address, it knows that it is a VPN and it blocks it.
- The BBC monitors for IP, DNS and WebRTC leaks that can tip the service off you are using a VPN.
- The BBC teams up with GeoIP databases like Maxmind to identify IP addresses. If the IP address your VPN provides is on one of these databases, The BBC will be able to find out where in the world you are connecting to the internet from and it will block you.
These measures are hard for lesser VPNs to get around and it could result in you spending money on a VPN that isn’t going to work.
Fortunately, the best VPNs, ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or NordVPN ($3.19/month) have measures in place to stay one step ahead of these blocks. When the BBC blocks an IP address provided by these VPNs, ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or NordVPN ($3.19/month) will close that IP address and open a new one. This will allow you to watch BBC iPlayer while in NZ and access the Rugby League World Cup on-demand.
The best VPNs to watch BBC iPlayer in NZ
1. ExpressVPN 🥇
Why You Should Use ExpressVPN? It’s the fastest and MOST reliable VPN of 2023
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 10-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- ❌ Expensive
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Number of servers: 3,000+ | Speed: >80% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 160 in 94 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $6.66/month for 15 months
- $9.99/month for 6 months
- $12.95/month for 1 month
ExpressVPN ($6.66/month) is still the best VPN. And importantly, it ALWAYS has servers that are open with major streaming sites such as Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video, etc.
ExpressVPN is usually very good at playing Cat and Mouse with online streaming sites. Meaning, whenever one of its servers is blacklisted it creates a new one – giving its users a constant stream of servers that aren’t blocked. Needless to say, this is a valuable attribute if you’re looking for a VPN to unblock streaming sites.
Its app is easy-to-use and free to download on pretty much any device you can think of. Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, FireStick, Android TV, Roku, PS4, Xbox, Linux, even Apple TV (with a workaround). It’s got it all covered.
The app is another main reason this VPN is so good at unblocking TV streaming sites (that claim they block VPNs) is that its software takes a pragmatic approach to user management. While other VPNs tempt customers by promising them access to hundreds/thousands of servers in multiple countries, ExpressVPN does things differently.
With ExpressVPN you only have a handful of server locations to choose from. Once you select your location the app takes care of the rest. Assigning you to the fastest available server that’s not oversubscribed. This simple technique is so important, as it keeps ExpressVPN’s servers operating at lightning-fast speeds and prevents its IPs from getting blacklisted for “abnormal” usage in the first place.
Check out our full ExpressVPN review.
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2. NordVPN 🥈
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ No logs
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 6-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
Cons
- ❌ No refunds for purchases from iTunes/App store
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Number of servers: 5,000+ | Speeds: >80% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 62 countries | Devices supported: 6 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $3.49/month for 2 years
- $6.99/month for 1 year
- $11.95/month for 1 month
NordVPN is the most widely-used VPN in the world. And it’s easy to see why. It’s a polished app that delivers fast connections (more on this later) to a massive network of VPN servers.
It’s the most reliable at unblocking popular streaming services too – US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. This is because NordVPN hired a full-time technical team (that’s responsible for monitoring its servers’ connections with popular TV streaming services) and has been aggressively investing in its network of IP addresses in key locations.
Another interesting thing to note is that NordVPN is an industry leader in its development of Nordlynx technology. Nordlynx is built using the WireGuard, a new VPN tunneling protocol designed to outperform current standards (OpenVPN and IPSec). The benefits, according to NordVPN, are dramatically faster transfer speeds while connected to a VPN. My tests – New Zealand to London – confirm that Nordlynx is currently the fastest VPN on the market. However, the difference isn’t dramatic, a few Mbps is all.
Read our NordVPN review.
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3. Private Internet Access
The BEST low-cost VPN for streaming!
Pros
- ✅ Fast and reliable servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 10-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- ❌ Only 48 server locations
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Sign up for a 3-year plan with Private Internet Access and save 83% + 3 months free. That works out at $2.03/month.
Number of servers: 25,000+ | Speed: >75% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 70 in 74 countries | Devices supported: 10 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $2.03/month for 3 years
- $7.50/month for 6 months
- $11.99/month for 1 month
Private Internet Access is one of the leading no-log VPN services with over 1-million paying customers.
This VPN is one of the best in the industry at beating streaming sites’ VPN bans. It provides reliable connections with US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+ Amazon Prime Video, etc. It also allows 10 simultaneous devices to be connected to its servers at the same time, so you can share the account with your close friends.
If – for whatever reason – you’re not happy with Private Internet Access, there’s a 24/7 live chat support available to assist you with your problem. PIA also offers the industry-standard 30-day money-back guarantee.
From my tests (from New Zealand) I was able to get download speeds of 70 Mbps while connected to a UK server using the Private Internet Access VPN (my non-VPN speed is 100 Mbps).
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4. Ivacy
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ Dedicated streaming servers
- ✅ 5-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
Cons
- ❌ Only 5 devices
- ❌ Sometimes runs slow
- ❌ Occasionally block by streaming sites for several days
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Number of servers: 1,000+ | Speed: >65% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 275 in 100 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $1.16/month for 5 years
- $3.50/month for 1 year
- $9.99/month for 1 month
If you’re looking for an excellent VPN, with an even better price tag, Ivacy ($1.16/month) is a great option.
This VPN has all the features you need to stream BBC iPlayer, in HD, from any country in the world. I’ve been testing the app recently on Mac, PC, Android, iOS and FireStick and the results have been impressive – unlocking BBC iPlayer, US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. with ease.
The Ivacy app is a little different in regards to its UX (user experience). Instead of just selecting a UK server, you need to select the specific BBC iPlayer server. Don’t worry, this isn’t a bad thing – by connecting to a dedicated BBC iPlayer server, it simply means that you’re connecting to an IP address that Ivacy knows works with BBC iPlayer.
For an extra $1.99/month (£1.74) you can add-on a dedicated IP. This will buy you sole access to an IP address in a country of your choice, meaning you won’t have to share your IP (and speeds) with any other use. I don’t recommend this though, using the regular Ivacy servers is enough 95 per cent of the time.
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5. CyberGhost
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ 1-day free trial
- ✅ Reliable servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 7-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
Cons
- ❌ Expensive
- ❌ Average speed scores
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Number of servers: 1,000+ | Speed: >65% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 275 in 100 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $2.75/month for 3 years
- $3.69/month for 2 years
- $5.99/month for 1 year
- $12.99/month for 1 month
CyberGhost is one of the more established VPNs on the market. It has a well-established, and well-tested global network of servers that perform well.
From my tests over the past several months, CyberGhost has no trouble at unblocking major streaming services – US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max etc. This VPN performed well at maintaining download speeds, well above 65 per cent of my regular (non VPN) ISP speed.
That said, there’s nothing really unique about the service. Which forces you to look at its price-point. And there’s nothing special here. Its short-term $12.99/month price tag puts is well above the industry average of $10.10/month. Similarly, its long-term $2.75/month for 3 years deal isn’t much of a “deal” either.
Oddly, CyberGhost’s most unique feature is its a 1-day, no obligations, free trial. This is an appealing offer to customers who are new to VPNs. However, it’s important to remember that most reputable VPNs will offer customers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so try not to be too seduced by the offer.
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