How to watch Connacht vs Saracens: TV channel, live stream and confirmed teams

Connacht vs Saracens kicks off at 5.30pm BST on Saturday 17 October 2026, with live television coverage on Premier Sports 1.

The Investec Champions Cup Pool 2 opener takes place at Dexcom Stadium in Galway, where Ciarán Frawley makes his home debut for Connacht and Owen Farrell returns at fly-half for Saracens.

Connacht are back in the competition for the first time since the 2023/24 season. Follow the opening round through our Champions Cup coverage.

What channel is Connacht vs Saracens on?

Premier Sports 1 is showing Connacht vs Saracens live, with kick-off at 5.30pm UK time.

Premier Sports holds the rights to show every match in this season’s Champions Cup in the UK and Ireland.

How to live stream Connacht vs Saracens

UK viewers can stream the match through Premier Sports with an active streaming subscription.

The service is also available as a paid channel through Amazon Prime Video. Viewers who subscribe through that platform can watch using the Prime Video app or website.

Premier Sports is available through Sky and Virgin Media too, with access depending on the package purchased.

Connacht vs Saracens kick-off time and venue

Detail	Information
Date	Saturday 17 October 2026
Kick-off	5.30pm BST
Venue	Dexcom Stadium, Galway
Competition	Investec Champions Cup
Stage	Pool 2, round one
TV channel	Premier Sports 1
Referee	Pierre Brousset, France

Connacht team news: Frawley makes home debut

Stuart Lancaster has changed his tight five and selected an entirely new back three following last week’s defeat by Glasgow Warriors.

Francois van Wyk, Matthew Victory and Josh Murphy come into the pack, while Sam Gilbert starts at full-back with Finn Treacy and Shane Jennings on the wings.

Frawley partners Colm Reilly at half-back, with Bundee Aki and Cathal Forde retaining their midfield partnership. Cian Prendergast captains the side.

Connacht’s team announcement confirms Mack Hansen and Finlay Bealham have been rested after playing in the opening three games of the season.

Will Connors, Dave Heffernan and Harry West miss out despite completing training this week. Lancaster expects them to be available against Zebre next weekend.

Replacement prop Thomas Connolly could make his debut.

Saracens team news: Farrell returns alongside Williams

Owen Farrell starts at fly-half alongside scrum-half Tomos Williams, with Fergus Burke among the replacements.

Jamie George returns at hooker between Eroni Mawi and Marcus Street. Captain Maro Itoje starts at blindside flanker alongside Toby Knight and Ben Earl, leaving Olamide Sodeke and Hugh Tizard in the second row.

Elliot Daly starts at full-back, while Noah Caluori and Rotimi Segun occupy the wings.

Saracens’ confirmed selection also includes Alfie Barbeary and Nick Isiekwe on the bench.

Confirmed starting teams

No.	Connacht	Saracens
15	Sam Gilbert	Elliot Daly
14	Finn Treacy	Noah Caluori
13	Cathal Forde	Nick Tompkins
12	Bundee Aki	Sione Va’enuku
11	Shane Jennings	Rotimi Segun
10	Ciarán Frawley	Owen Farrell
9	Colm Reilly	Tomos Williams
1	Francois van Wyk	Eroni Mawi
2	Matthew Victory	Jamie George
3	Sam Illo	Marcus Street
4	Darragh Murray	Olamide Sodeke
5	Josh Murphy	Hugh Tizard
6	Cian Prendergast (c)	Maro Itoje (c)
7	Shamus Hurley-Langton	Toby Knight
8	Sean Jansen	Ben Earl

Replacements

No.	Connacht	Saracens
16	Eoin de Buitléar	Eoghan Clarke
17	Billy Bohan	Phil Brantingham
18	Thomas Connolly	Corné Weilbach
19	Niall Murray	Nick Isiekwe
20	Sean O’Brien	Nathan Michelow
21	Caolin Blade	Alfie Barbeary
22	Josh Ioane	Tom James
23	Daniel Ryan	Fergus Burke

When is the next Champions Cup round?

The opening round takes place in October, with round two scheduled for 11–13 December.

Saracens host La Rochelle on Saturday 12 December, while Connacht visit Exeter Chiefs the following day.

See our latest rugby news for further team announcements, match reports and reaction.