MUMBAI: Rugby fans can look forward to more passion and drama from the field as ESPN Star Sports has renewed its live and exclusive cable and satellite rights for the RBS Six Nations Rugby Tournament though to the 2009 season.

ESPN Star Sports broadcast of the RBS Six Nations event (previously known as the Five Nations) goes back to 1997.

Considered Europes premier Rugby Union Tournament, the event will air on Star Sports and feature teams from France, Wales, Ireland, Scotland and Italy as well as 2003 Rugby World Cup Champions, England, through all five rounds of tournament play per season.

With rights for the Guinness Premiership, the European Rugby Cup (also known as the Heineken Cup) as well as all Rugby Internationals played in England, ESPN Star Sports has a comprehensive coverage of rugby. This latest acquisition completes the networks clean sweep of all Northern Hemisphere rugby tournaments.

ESPN Star Sports year-round rugby coverage is accompanied by in-depth analysis from in-studio guests, weekly highlights and is complemented by its original in-house production, The Rugby Show, which is wholly dedicated to the sport. This half-hour show will now air Tuesday nights at a new 10 pm time slot (Singapore/Hong Kong time) on Star Sports and will continue to cover all things rugby including the latest news and views about the game as well as coaching tips.

Asias appetite for rugby shows definite signs of growing. Last year alone, an estimated 46.4 million rugby fans across Asia watched ESPN Star Sports rugby coverage. However, out-of-home viewing, a growing phenomenon in Asia but, which currently remains unmeasured by in-home peoplemeter measurements, is estimated to double viewing audiences during any major televised rugby event.