RUGBY UNION: British & Irish Lions Tour of Australia 2013 – Exclusively live on Sky Sports

After four long years for British and Irish fans, the Lions roar into life once again for the 2013 Tour of Australia and Sky Sports will be the only place to witness all the drama as a magical month of rugby unfolds.

Warren Gatland and his coaching staff will be looking to secure the first Lions series win since South Africa in 1997 and create a new breed of legends to wear the famous red jersey, led by captain Sam Warburton.

The Lions will be heading down under for the 125th anniversary tour to take on Australia in three test matches and a further six tour matches, with an additional game to kick-start the tour in Hong Kong against the famous Barbarians side on June 1.

RUGBY UNION: Heineken Cup Final 2013 – Clermont Auvergne v Toulon – Live on Sky Sports & Sky 3D

The 2013 Heineken Cup Final is an all French affair as Clermont Auvernge take on Toulon in Dublin, and with neither team having won it before, a new name will be enscribed onto the famous trophy.

In the eyes of many experts and fans, Clermont are the team to beat, but at their best the star-studded Toulon side, led by 2003 England World Cup winner Jonny Wilkinson, are a match for any team in the competition.

Sky Sports will have exclusive live coverage of the showpiece final at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday, May 18, which will also be broadcast on Sky 3D and terrestrial highlights will be shown on S4C.

RUGBY UNION: Heineken Cup 2012/13 – Semi Finals – Live on Sky Sports

As the 2012/13 Heineken Cup campaign heads towards a thrilling climax, just four sides are left in the hunt for domestic club rugby union’s most coveted prize.

Surprise package Munster will make the daunting trip to Top 14 leaders Clermont on Saturday, April 27, while Saracens will take on big-spending Toulon at Twickenham on Sunday, April 28.

Two sides will book their place in next month’s final at the Aviva Stadoum this weekend as both semi-finals are played out exclusively live on Sky Sports HD, along with the semi-finals of the Amlin Challenge Cup.

RUGBY UNION: Heineken Cup 2012/13 – Quarter Finals – Live on Sky Sports

Eight sides reignite their ambitions for European glory as the knockout stages of the 2012/13 Heineken Cup take place this weekend.

Three teams from France, three from England and two from Ireland remain to battle it out for a lucrative place in the semi-finals of European rugby union’s ultimate prize.

All four Heineken Cup last-eight ties will be shown exclusively live on Sky Sports HD, forming part of an unmissable weekend of knockout European rugby.

RUGBY UNION: LV= Cup Final 2013 – Harlequins v Sale Sharks – Live on Sky Sports

Anglo-Welsh rugby’s first piece of silverware is up for grabs this weekend as the LV= Cup Final takes place at Worcester’s Sixways Stadium.

The defending Aviva Premiership champions take on a side in Sale Sharks that have spent most of their domestic season rooted to the foot of the table but have found some consistency in the Anglo-Welsh competition.

Sky Sports will screen all the action from the 2013 LV= Cup Final at Sixways exclusively live on Sunday, March 17, with free-to-air evening highlights on ITV4 at 8pm and a repeat showing later on ITV.

RUGBY UNION: Heineken Cup 2012/13 – Round 6 – Live on Sky Sports

The crème de la crème of northern hemisphere rugby go head-to-head in the battle for the sport’s biggest honours in the 2012/13 Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup competitions.

Club sides from England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France and Italy will all be vying to rip the trophy from Leinster, who last season became only the second side to both successfully retain the title and lift a third European honour.

The final round of the pool stages takes place this weekend with quarter-final places at stake, and Sky Sports will again screen 11 live Heineken Cup games as well as one match from the Amlin Challenge Cup.

RUGBY UNION: Heineken Cup 2012/13 – Round 5 – Live on Sky Sports

The crème de la crème of northern hemisphere rugby go head-to-head in the battle for the sport’s biggest honours in the 2012/13 Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup competitions.

Club sides from England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France and Italy will all be vying to rip the trophy from Leinster, who last season became only the second side to both successfully retain the title and lift a third European honour.

The penultimate round of the pool stages takes place this weekend, and Sky Sports will screen 11 live Heineken Cup games as well as one match from the Amlin Challenge Cup.

RUGBY UNION: ESPN & Sky Sports confirm live Aviva Premiership games for February and March

ESPN and Sky Sports have announced the latest set of live Aviva Premiership matches that will be broadcast during February and March.

Covering rounds 14 to 17 of the 2012/13 regular season, 12 live games will be shown across both networks as the race for the semi-final play-offs amongst the top sides in the league table intensifies.

For the first time in the history of English Premiership rugby a match will be played on an artificial surface, with Saracens hosting Exeter Chiefs at their new home of Allianz Park in Barnet on February 16, exclusively live on Sky Sports.

RUGBY UNION: Heineken Cup 2012/13 – Round 4 – Live on Sky Sports

The crème de la crème of northern hemisphere rugby go head-to-head in the battle for the sport’s biggest honours in the 2012/13 Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup competitions.

Club sides from England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France and Italy will all be vying to rip the trophy from Leinster, who last season became only the second side to both successfully retain the title and lift a third European honour.

The fourth round of the pool stages takes place this weekend, and Sky Sports will screen 11 live Heineken Cup games as well as one match from the Amlin Challenge Cup.

RUGBY UNION: Autumn Internationals 2012 – Live on BBC, Sky Sports & ESPN

The giants of Southern Hemisphere rugby make the long trip north to face the best that Europe has to offer over four weeks of compelling Autumn Internationals.

Sky Sports has exclusive live coverage of all England home tests at Twickenham, while BBC TV has live coverage of Wales, Scotland and Ireland’s tests, plus highlights of England’s games on BBC Three.

All four home nations will be hoping to showcase their progress ahead of the Six Nations next spring and improve their ranking ahead of the draw for the 2015 Rugby World Cup this December.

In addition, ESPN will screen live coverage of France’s home test match against Australia, as well as Italy’s home fixtures against Tonga, Australia and New Zealand.

RUGBY UNION: ESPN & Sky Sports announce live Aviva Premiership games during festive period

ESPN and Sky Sports have announced the latest set of live Aviva Premiership matches that will be broadcast over the festive period.

Covering rounds 10 to 13 of the 2012/13 regular season, defending champions Harlequins’ annual trip to Twickenham, this season against London Irish, has been chosen as one of seven live matches on ESPN, while Sky Sports will screen five games.

RUGBY UNION: Home nations summer tours – Live on Sky Sports

England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland’s rugby union sides set out on the first of what will now become annual summer tours of the southern hemisphere.

Sky Sports will have exclusive coverage of England’s three test matches against South Africa, Wales’ tour of Australia, Ireland’s daunting three-test series versus New Zealand, plus Scotland’s single test match against the Wallabies.