The highly anticipated rugby match between Portugal and Ireland took place on Saturday, 12 July 2025, at the Estadio Nacional in Lisbon. This fixture marked the first-ever official Test meeting between the two sides, following Ireland’s recent victory over Georgia in Tbilisi as part of their European summer tour[2][3].
Kickoff was scheduled for 7:00 pm BST (2:00 pm ET/9:00 pm NZT/8:45 pm AEDT), with live coverage available on RugbyPass TV in the UK and internationally, and on Virgin Media in Ireland[2][3][4].
Team news highlighted several newcomers for Ireland: three debuts were handed to Shayne Bolton (wing), Alex Kendellen (flanker), and Hugh Gavin (centre, replacing Jamie Osborne who was called up as injury cover with the British and Irish Lions). Jack Crowley started at fly-half, replacing Sam Prendergast[3]. Portugal fielded a squad packed with players from their 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign, captained by Tomas Appleton and featuring flanker Nicolas Martins and hooker Luka Begic[3].
Recent history between the teams showed Portugal had a strong record against Ireland in previous away fixtures, securing a 4-2 victory in last season’s encounter[1][4]. This match, however, represented a rare opportunity for both nations to measure themselves in an official Test setting.
For viewers, streaming options included RugbyPass TV and the FloRugby/FloSports App in the United States. The match replay and highlights were expected to be available on those platforms after the final whistle[2][3].