I agree with your point about the game engine, but is Rugby Union really a niche sport? I’d say that worldwide it’s bigger than American Football. A truly faithful representation of the game would surely sell a huge number of copies?
Completely get where you’re coming from, but they’ll have to bite the bullet eventually just to keep up with AI and next-gen features.
True, the initial cost is high, but staying relevant in the long run means they eventually have to adapt to newer tech.
The engine doesn’t matter if the gameplay isn’t fun.
Why is there a confirmation menu for defending for example?.