There have been some things improve in Rugby '25 over the past few months. The game overall is getting better. There are some areas where I enjoy it more than Rugby League '26 now (although that game has gone forwards and backwards in areas lately).
One area in which both Rugby titles have a big problem is Drawing and passing. When you think about it, it’s probably one of the most important things in a Rugby title for EITHER code.
The concept is simple, you draw in a defender with your attacking player, you have him committed to you and then pass to a support player who is now in a gap due to that first defender being drawn away from the specific area they were, enlarging the gap between that defender and the others around him.
In both Big Ant games this scenario plays out entirely differently. The defender is drawn to you yes and if he gets you then you’re tackled of course. If he hasn’t yet and you try to make a pass to the nearest gap then the following situations are nearly always the case.
You can’t make a late pass just before contact (primarily Rugby League '26, although is also a lesser problem in Rugby '25).
You make the pass, although the supposedly “drawn in” defender is instantly no longer committed to the original ball carrier and can move at top speed sideways across the field to the ball recipient (like a magnet as has been described MANY times).
Why are Big Ant doing this? Well for the first thing they have so far been TERRIBLE in providing support players in a good position for the first thing.
Secondarily, my theory is that if players can be drawn in and you pass to a support player in the clear, then there is a fear that the game will become too easy. This should be easily fixable though. How?
Providing Big Ant can get support play into a better state and introduce good late passing, they need to make it slower for defenders to move sideways across the field to cover other attackers other than the one they were originally committed to.
A well timed late pass should render the defender momentarily flat-footed and unable to re-accelerate fully to either side for maybe 0.2-0.3 of a second. The same with turning to chase a break.
This is the same as real life. People don’t run into a tackle at full speed, they slow down just before contact to prepare body position for the tackle moment. Instantly re-accelerating to another defender immediately if the ball is passed late is just not possible.
How to stop this meaning endless easy tries through draw and passing? Well remember that the player making the break is carrying a ball for one thing and that they’ve likely just executed an evasive manoeuver both factors contributing to less strength to be at full speed right away.
For example a centre who’s just stepped his opposite and run into a break, might have their acceleration slightly affected for maybe 3 strides so instead of it being an 85 acceleration, it might be 75 for a few strides, before returning to normal.
Meanwhile the defenders have gotten through their flat-footed moment, have turned to chase and are at their full normal acceleration (as they aren’t carrying a ball and are powering both of their arms and legs at full effort to chase). These defenders have a good chance of running down the attacker.
The attacker should have support from other players in this instance also, but timing for a pass post break should be more stringent, as passing whilst running at full speed is less easy to do.
Overall, we don’t see much in the way of the ability to effectively and realistically draw and pass and we don’t see realistic chases much either. Rugby '25 is better at this than League '26 with it’s swarming defences, but there’s still a LOT of room for improvement.
As it stands Rugby '25 is more about constant off-loading rather than well timed passes that satisfyingly draw in defenders.
Please look at this issue or at least let me know if this is something the team are considering. This and making general play punts just that little bit further (10m even)?