I've mentioned this now and then, but remarkably the best covered Rugby World Cup in US history was 1995 - Sportschannel (through Prime) showed most games live from South Africa. So most people with cable could get the World Cup. I have vague fleeting memories of it.
Remarkable given how much bigger rugby is today, and remarkable as it's the only World Cup in history the US failed to qualify for. South Africa's return from exile and Canada's surprise quarterfinal in 1991 (meaning they automatically qualified) meant the Americas only got one place and even in 1995, beating Argentina in Buenos Aires was too much to ask for.