If you live in the United States, it’s easier than ever to catch the action because BBC America is covering a match each week. Setanta Sports is also covering the competition in the US as the network enters its last month on the air in the United States, but BBC America is available to a lot more US households as it is not a paid subscription channel.

If you’d rather give yourself a bit more control over the tournament’s outcome, you can play it yourself with the BBC’s online Six Nations game. The game is a very simple one you can play with your Web browser, but it is surprisingly addictive. Beware–you may be surprised to find yourself spending hours enjoying the various “drills” and trying to top your score in the simulated matches.  Don’t say we didn’t warn you!

While you wait for the tournament to start tomorrow, here are some highlights from its last two incarnations:

2009:

2008:

While scouring the Internet for the best news and clips to share with you, we tracked done a unique method used to answer the old rugby union vs. rugby league question. We know that computer simulation is used to solve a lot of real-life problems, but this is a new one. A YouTube user called McCrackon has created a video of a rugby match created on EA Rugby 08 (or possibly an earlier version of the game) pitting an all-star cast of union players (as the Barbarians) against a Queensland Maroons all-time greats side (as the Queensland Reds).

What was the result? See for yourself (but be warned that the game footage is filmed directly from a monitor, so it flickers and may bother some viewers):

We’re not sure what this solves given that (among other things) the Maroons’ players would have been custom-created for the match and would therefore have whatever attributes the player wanted, but the idea is an interesting one and it looks like a lot of effort went into setting up the digital showdown. If you’ve got a rugby video game, try out your own contests and let us know the results!

Union:
Electronic Arts‘ EA Sports brand has had a strong grip on the rugby union video game market for some time, releasing several games internationally in the last few years. Their most recent offering, Rugby 08 (though it was actually released in 2007), is available for the Playstation 2 and for personal computers. It was also released in both the NTSC (playable in the United States and Canada, among other places) and PAL (playable in the Unitd Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and much of Europe, among other places) formats. Here’s a quick video:

No word on when the next incarnation may be out, though a Rugby 10 game is plausible considering the previous incarnation was Rugby 06.

Ubisoft’s Rugby Challenge 2006 is another recent rugby union release. Fans can play the game anywhere in the world on their personal computer, but the XBox and Playstation 2 versions appear to have been released only in PAL format. Here’s a clip:

A different sort of rugby union game is Cyanide Studios‘ Pro Rugby Manager 2, released for personal computers in 2005. Unlike the other rugby union video games, the player doesn’t actually control any match play here. Instead, the game is about what it sounds like: managing a side and watching their progress. Interested players don’t need to wait for this game to arrive in the mail, as this game can be purchased and downloaded online from Cyanide Studios’ online store for 29.99 Euros.

League:
Sidhe Interactive’s Rugby League 2, released in 2005, is the main notable rugby league offering. It was released for personal computers, so it can be played worldwide, but the XBox and Playstation 2 versions are available in PAL format only. Here’s a look:

A new World Cup Edition of the game, which features the same play but updated teams, players, etc., and a World Cup option, was released this year, but only on Playstation 2 in the PAL region. Rumors of a Rugby League 3 game have circulated, but nothing more yet. Meantime, there are some player-created updates that Rugby League 2 owners can download and install (at their own risk).

So there’s the whirlwind tour of what’s out there in video games for the rugby union and rugby league enthusiasts. Did I miss any? If so, drop a comment.