General Gameplay:
1.) Get rid off the hole on defense between 12 and 13
2.) When AI has the ball they need to run more and stop kicking all the time.
3.) When playing on the harder difficulty levels there should be more of a difference than just more turnovers, such as the computer taking more advantage of holes in the defense, the AI defense being harder to get through, and the AI offense gaining more ground.
4.) When the ball is passed out from rucks the receiving players need to catch the ball while RUNNING!! NOT FLAT FOOTED!!
Set plays:
1.) 4 set plays should be able to be chosen from a list before the game starts.
2.) There should be a long list of available plays to choose from.
Line-outs:
Just like set plays, there should be numerous ones to choose from. Lines should range from having 3 players to a full line and be able to do different plays in each formation. For instance, if I want to do a drive I shouldn't have to throw to only the first gap.
Mauls:
There should be more opportunities to do mauls then on line-outs and occasionally on kick-offs. For instance, when you go into a tackle you should be able to press a button and start a rolling maul. With each rolling maul you form they will be able to be pushed shorter and shorter distances. Teams like Australia and England will be able to form more mauls in a row and push them farther than say, Spain.
Rucks:
Winning rucks, in my opinion, should have a lot to do with the situation in which you're tackled. For example, if you break away from everybody and are brought down with the opposition around you, the chances of you retaining possesion are slim to none. However, if you get brought down in the middle of your forwards, the chances of winning a ruck inprove. Also, it should depend on how you go into a tackle for a type of risk-reward system. If you go into a tackle using the shoulder-charge, you wont gain as much ground as you would if you tried to split a seam or run around the opponent, but since you went into it in a more controlled manor the ruck is in your favor. If you try to side-step someone you take the risk of either blowing by someone or getting flattened on your back, thereby increasing the likelihood of losing posession.
What also need to be done for rucks is being abel to poach the ball. I cant remember how many times I've brought down a guy on a breakaway but wasn't able to get the ball because I had to wait two seconds for other people to get there and form a ruck, only for the other team to win it!
Scrums:
1.) Special camera angle that shows the feed so hooking isn't so hit-and-miss.
2.) Scrum- Meter: When a somewhat stationary scrum is what you want to gain possesion, the current system of simply pushing "up" is fine, but if you want to push the scrum for territory gain or are close to the try-line a scrum meter would be nice. When kicking for goal, a kicking meter appears where you press a button to stop the power gauge where you want it and then have to stop the meter within an accuracy zone. This srcum- meter could do the same thing. After the feed a gauge like the kicking one would appear. Press a button to start the push power up then push the button again on the downswing to stop it within an "effectiveness" zone. The more power you charge the farther you will push the scrum. However, if you stop it out of the "effectiveness" zone, the scrum will have a tendency to wheel or collapse. Obviously, the better scrummaging teams such as England will be able to push the scrum farther and have a larger "effectiveness" zone than teams such as Japan or Namibia.
Career Mode (Franchise, Manager,whatever you want to call it):
Include this like Madden or the FIFA series. The more you win, the more points you get to buy new players and better assitant coaches that improve team skills such as passing, scummaging, strength, etc. You should also be able to sign up-and-coming young prospects.
There also needs to be training mode that can improve your teams skills. Passing drills where you need to hit a moving target, moving a srcum sled to improve your pack, running set plays to improve your backs, etc. This would be very advantageous for us North American people who would like to bring the US and Canadian sides up to respectability.
Creation:
Create your own tournament that includes style and teams so the missing tournaments would be possible.
Create your own team. When I was in high school our German class took a trip to Germany and the people that were hosting us were big rugby fans, and we even got to take in a national team match. I thouight it would be fun to play with them, but alas they are not found. This could remedie the people whos favorite teams that are missing, such as the national teams of Germany, Austria, etc. complete with uniform editing and styles of play.
Create a Stadium. Combine this with creating your own tournaments and teams and you wont have to worry about missing international and domestic competitions, such as the Superpowers Cup and the New Zealand NPC.
Atmosphere:
I don't really like soccer ( football ) but I love playing the FIFA series because they make you feel like you are part of the game with their great atmosphere. For example, each team has their home crowd cheering and singing specifinc songs, and the crowd absolutely erupts when you score a goal. The new team chants in Rugby 2005 has are nice, but I would really like to be able to HEAR them. Also, the crowd is so monotone. When I score a try I want them to erupt like they do in FIFA.