I live in a country where the NFL doesn't matter and they are all on ESPN. Just like the NHL. That said, you still need to pay but at least you only pay one company.
If you want to watch Rugby or any other sport that does matter down here (e.g. the Olympics, Golf, Cricket, Tennis Majors, etc.) you need a satellite subscription. If it's on free-to-air it's usually on a 2 hour delay.
There is pretty much no live sport on network TV.