'Classic' Ruck

We take back many of the things this magazine said recently about ESPN, the self-proclaimed "worldwide leader in sports," abandoning the sport of rugby as its World Cup goes down in France ("Where’s the Media Scrum?", Sept. 10.)

Turns out, ESPN does have some scrums, rucks and mauls in its programming these days. Yes, ESPN Classic is partnering with interactive gaming outlet Visiware to release "Rugby Fun" on Visiware’s Playin’TV channel. Rugby Fun offers 10 mini-games that are played via remote control on the TV. It’s available in France on various satellite channels, and elsewhere in Europe on the ESPN Classic Website. 

As for U.S.-based fans of rugby’s so-called "elegant violence," we’re still stuck watching two-day World Cup tape delays on Versus.