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Virgin Media To Broadcast Ireland Men’s Summer Tour Matches

Craig Casey, Ireland's summer tour captain, is pictured celebrating after scoring a try against Fiji last November ©INPHO/Ben Brady

Virgin Media Television has today announced exclusive live coverage of the Ireland Men’s team’s eagerly-awaited summer Tests against Georgia and Portugal.

Kicking off their two-match tour which is led by interim head coach Paul O’Connell, Ireland face Georgia in Tbilisi this Saturday, live on Virgin Media One, with coverage starting at 5.30pm.

A week later, Ireland will take on Portugal for the first time at senior international level. The game in Lisbon, on Saturday, July 12, will also be shown live on Virgin Media One, with the broadcast beginning at 6.30pm.

Joe Molloy will present VMTV’s studio coverage, and will be joined by former Ireland internationals Ian Madigan and Andrew Trimble, who will bring expert insight and analysis before and after each game.

Dave McIntyre will be on commentary duty for the Portugal-Ireland fixture, with John Forrest calling the action on Ireland’s clash with Georgia. Munster and Ireland legend Alan Quinlan will provide co-commentary across both matches.

Brian Gleeson, Head of Sport at Virgin Media Television, commented:

We’re delighted to bring Irish Rugby fans live and exclusive coverage of this landmark summer tour, with Paul O’Connell leading the squad, and Craig Casey captaining a dynamic group of household names and emerging talent.

“A tough opener against Georgia, followed by a clash with an always exciting Portugal side, will provide a real test for Ireland, and it’ll be fascinating to see which players take their chance to impress in green.”

Both Tests are also due to be shown on RugbyPass TV. Tickets for the Georgia-Ireland encounter are available to buy here, while fans looking to attend the historic meeting of Portugal and Ireland can purchase tickets here.

Ireland have faced Georgia five times before in a senior Men’s capped international, and have won all five games, including a famously tight victory at the 2007 Rugby World Cup.

Their most recent meeting took place behind closed doors at the Aviva Stadium in 2020, with Ireland emerging as 29-10 winners.

Portugal will become the 21st different nation that Ireland have awarded caps against when the sides meet in the Portugese capital on Saturday week.