You have basically typed what I was thinking. Unfortunately for me,and maybe a few others, I like to simulate/watch games AI v AI. At the moment though with the AI being poor at best I get an awful lot of 0-0 final scores. It’s disheartening when this happens. If I’m lucky the ref may blow for an offside, and as long as the AI doesn’t call a scrum which is most the time, there might be a penalty goal opportunity which results in 3 points. So the odd time I’ll get 3-0 result. All this on 20 minute halves btw and tried on all difficulties. It’s no wonder players are winning 30-0 40-0 all the time. This is just one aspect of the game. The AI really needs sorting a long with the basic fundamentals of defending, attacking in rugby. Promising start and firm base to the game, just requires what everyone is saying to be put right, added, removed, etc to the game. I have faith in you Big Ant just please devote some of your time to this game as well as Rugby League 25 or whatever your working title is. Many thanks.
Hi Big Ant,
I’m a massive fan of your studio and was excited when it was announced you guys will be developing the new Rugby union game as all previous iterations in the last few years were horrendous.
I do like all the official licenses as this has most likely the most official teams in a Rugby union game ever.
Please! Please! can the AI gameplay be addressed more, I know it’s very difficult to code the AI to be competitive and balanced, but I’m very confident you guys will get it right, the AI hardly ever scores due to their lack in attack, innovation and decision making, sometimes the AI has an overlap and they don’t pass and just run straight into your player. Their passes needs to be more responsive same as the user controlled passing and also offload if the opportunity presents itself, The AI’s backline formation is way to deep and hardly every goes over the advantage line and because of this, you tackle them all the way back into their own 22 most of the time which forces them to box kick. When the AI is in your 22 they don’t change their strategy and still stand way too deep and they end up from a perfect attacking opportunity back into their own 22 by just tackling them backwards as I mentioned.
So in conclusion, please make the AI smarter and creative on offense and balanced. If the AI can be addressed, this will make the game very fun.
From Tuesday’s patch (25/03/2025):
Positives that I noticed from the AI, on hardest difficulty their defense is structured and they do have backup defenders when you make a line break which is awesome.
When the AI makes the big pass to their wing, the wing doesn’t do the side step animation anymore, instead the wing changes their running line and not run just straight which is promising.
Very small changes I noticed, when you kick off the AI fullback isn’t running back and forth anymore and standing still, it’s the same with when you take conversions or a penalty kick they don’t run around anymore in the background which is very promising.
Game feels a lot smoother which is great.
Negatives, when you score a try the ref is sometimes non existent to blow the whistle, once you press the score button in goal the AI still tackles you which messes up the animation, I understand if you don’t press the score button in goal the AI can tackle you and there’s a change for a help up depending how they tackle you which is fine.
Sometimes when you score and lineup your conversion kick, the game stops and the ref blows the whistle late and you have to realign your kick again.
I played about 15 matches with the new patch and the invisible controlled player is still there, this happens when you do a late offload, line break and sometimes a normal pass and the AI can’t tackle you, this happened in every match I played with an average of 4 times per match when this happened.
The quick line out is still broken.
I still down understand how the rucks works, however in real rugby union, you don’t see a ruck turnover every phase so it is kind of realistic at the moment but the rucks needs a bit more tweaking and also remain balanced.
When you perform a forward pass you are still getting penalized for an offside.
Thank you for all the hard work and I can’t wait for the next patch which will hopefully address the issues mentioned, this has the potential to be the best rugby game if all the bugs and AI is fixed!
PS. I’m on the PS5
Even if it is fixed and our changes are implemented, which infairness, should be possible based on track record of fixing games, the game will have no playerbase. Reviews are complete and judgements made. They should re release as rugby 26 once its fixed with updated squads and kits to reinvigorate the game. Of course, us beta testers should not be paying for this update but I think it would be a shame if we get the game to a good stage and have no playerbase or interest.
Just did Ai Vs AI 40 minutes halves, score was 0-0
No wonder I get 0-0 on 20 minute halves. At least I don’t have to try 40 minute halves as you have just answered my question. You know it was only a couple of weeks ago, if not less, that the AI did actually score a couple of tries against each other. Ok the result was most likely going to be 7-0 or 7-7, I even had a couple of 14-7 results. My point is 3 or 4 patches ago we were getting at least something. Now the AI gives you nothing. It’s basically a mess in midfield, then a box kick. Then it’s repeated by the opposing side. The odd occasion the AI manages to get inside its opponents 22 it all goes backwards from there. 4 maybe 5 phases later they are box kicking from their own 22. Is that realistic?? Really?? I sound harsh because I’ve mentioned this every week now for at least 2 weeks. I’m not criticising I’m just trying to help you (Big Ant) and let you know what is happening in game at the moment. That is what everyone else is trying to do as well, help you. Hopefully like the previous guy just mentioned this gets fixed going forward. But I do get the feeling I’ll be mentioning this again after tomorrow’s patch and next weeks patches too. You guys have put this much effort in thus far it would be a shame to give up on the game and your faithful player base now wouldn’t it? Remember we are trying to help and provide positive feedback not criticism.
Quick question, what do the star signs under your own players mean?
Main points from 3/25/25 update
Rucks are getting better , ( I finally saw a 1 player jackal without the bulldozer effect ,(more of this please) I also saw a 3 vs 2 player defensive counter ruck bind pushover (this also looked very good , more of this please) in essence most 1 player Jackels should be simple steals, or the offense holding on penalty or defense hands in ruck(if ruck forms), once the ruck forms, then it should be a 1 vs 1 , 2 vs 1, 2 vs 2, or 3 vs 2, or 3 vs 3 pushover , no 1 vs 3 counter ruck pushover, (get rid of 1 vs 3 pushover). And although still far away from a very good system, (the rucking system is improving little by littlle) as mentioned I think a very good system can implemented with the current 3 button system. bind button, steal button, and a counter ruck button (for the pushovers and clearing out) can be the Y button. You could press b+Y, b+b+y, b+b+b+y, depending on the situation. If you try to press x, on anything but 1 vs 1 then it would be a hands in ruck attempt , with risk of penalty.
The AI is still very weak, Argentina vs Wales on hardest difficulty 10 min halves Argentina(User) always wins by 2-4 tries against Wales (AI).
I like the offloads, but when trying them to deep into the tackle, should not happen or should go to ground more. This could also be dependent on the offload ratings.
Dummies still only work to left side only.
Fend button should more a timing thing to make them harder. Speed up the animation but have us time it, instead of just holding down and automatic overpowering fend.
Thank you Big Ant for continuing to improve, even though there is a way to go at least the updates are coming. There is some fun running rugby in the game, but the lack of AI difficulty takes the fun out of it.
GotBy
Those are visible only on carrer mode. Mostly Nationals competition, regarding RWC that is not (at the moment at least) licensed.
Any idea on timeline for fixing training glitch? I am on latest update on PC and training in career mode improves stats but only shows during a match, it doesn’t show on lineups, contracts, free agent or international squad selection.
Hopefully is a quick fix, as is working in matches, but is not visibly showing outside of that?
I havent got them in my career mode thats what im trying to say i dont know whats going on everyone i speak to has selections from pic one and two but what i have is in pic three i dont know why
GotBy
Ok thats wrong
Additional suggestion I thought of today:
For the line out options I think it would make more sense for 7 person to be assigned to the X button down to triangle for 3 person as a full line out is generally the default.
When the AI gets penalties I’ve never seen it kick for goal, and it weirdly chooses scrums in its own half.
I think the default penalty choice (unless more than 10 points down) should be to kick at goal if in range. And it should only choose scrum when very close attacking the try line.
Even though I make a lot of mistakes, I can’t get a yellow card.
When did you start a new career from scratch? These weren’t there at launch but BA have slowly added more over the weeks
I started from the beginning around February 20th… and as soon as I posted this message I got my first yellow card 
I hadn’t played career yesterday after the update… my bad I’m happy
Hi Big Ant, two quick notes here
I tried taking a quick lineout, this resulted in the ball becoming unplayable and had to quit the game on Series X
Additionally, more atmosphere in the stadiums can come from flags, advertising and more crowd volume/noise at cruical moments. The blank black boards are making it all very sterile at the moment.
First time writing in ages, and after getting a good amount of hours in on the game i got some ideas/suggestions/bugfinds for the game.
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intercepts, The amount of times when the ai rarely passes that ive read it, and my player just runs into the ball and doesnt pick it up, yet the ai will read the most crazy pass and intercept it? are the intercepts scripted or at random? cause intercepts seem to be near impossible to get in the game.
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AI. Ai is the only thing stopping me from getting on the game more. When you are on defense you can just put the controller down because the ai gains no meters at all. I was playing as a random Bangladesh team against new Zealand testing the defense, and i put my controller down and pushed back new zealand from my 22 to their 22. Ai need to be able to identify gaps and whatnot. Also, make them concede penalties more. AI defense is sometimes alright. But seems terrible because im the only one scoring.
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Penalties. The ai rarely concede a single penalty all game. Would be nice if the game might have a morale system, which affects discipline, the worse their morale gets (from conceding losing territory etc.) they concede more penalties or errors, with different teams having stronger morale over another.
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better attacking options. Set pieces, better lines, backs/forwards differentiated. Have your forward pods with two possible leads for forwards (A&B) and the backs (fly half Y/centre X). More realistic position on field also, if there is a forward pod running up, dont just have the 10 slung out 20 meters away, have him right behind the forwards for a hook. At a ruck/scrum/lineout, 10 should always be first reciever, but i always find him just randomly scattered around the field.
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passing. Passing attributes could be better, such as a player with lower passing attributes cant pass as far or as accurately as a player with high attributes. Also, can far passes have height on them? no one is missiling a flat pass 30meters whilst running, would be more realistic if they had some arch rather then a flatline. Different passing combinations would also be nice, like: rb,rb/lb,lb as a wrap around. rb,lb/lb,rb as popping it on the inside to a player
with them to try break the line. something to give more flow, and skill. Players still sometimes dont run on with pace when they should be. -
stepping/hand-offs/bump-offs. I like the new hand offs, that actually slow your player down instead of them not breaking pace and running the whole field, but; ive never had one bump off (flicking up) ever work, so i dont even know if its in the game. But stepping rarely ever works. so inconsistent. only ever had it work twice. Stepping could have more combinations, like goose steps and such.
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dummies. Will they be implemented? there are times when im holding rb/lb to pass and i see a gap and run for it to not sell any players and get smashed. maybe if when you hold the pass button and are about to select options, if you let go of the button its a dummy, which would make the ai continue to shift over as if youd pass and take a quick second to react, giving a chance of making a gap or better pass.
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try line attack/defence/phase play Can we have forwards running it low and hard when you are 5-10m out. just getting phases together. There isnt really much phase play in this game. Maybe we can select different tactics with the d-pad, like phase play/backs-ball/pick and go’s. which alter some animations and team set up, rather then the kinda useless split/wide forwards thing in the game, but add a buttom prompt to try and dominate collisions, like pressing a has someone bind onto you as you take collision/ which can help you gain momentum and meters, because at the moment you cant actually gain meters from just running it up.
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held up. At first every try was held up and now every try is a try. One step forward another back. A button prompt perhaps to score a try? and to hold one up?
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tries, i dont think that Ben Tameifuna is going to be front flipping over the try line and doing a figure 8 swan dive or whatever that one dive animation is. I dont hate the animation, its just never used at the right time, every time i go to dive in the corner, i never get that animation, instead my player just turns in and dive on the floor. would be nice if i could have that big aerial dive actually in the corners.
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wind. Wind has like no effect. Please make it actually have a big effect in this game. actually challenge you on conversions and kicking for touch rather then moving it 1cm over and slotting it, but actually have to aim outside of the posts sometimes to curl it in, and having impossible kicks if the wind is too strong.
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ive never ever had a yellow card in this game. I dont ever even concede penalties. Make it more possible. Have the ref tell you to leave it and if you dont stop mashing x he penalises you. offsides to be fixed maybe? add more ways to concede a penalty, that you may get away with.
enjoying the game at the moment, most of the time, just certain things are stopping me from playing it more.
Yeah I got the same, on the PS even after the current update
additional, will consoles ever get a texture update? on pc the game looks amazing, on console its alright. No 3d grass?