Being realistic, the manpower and timing isn't enough for a developer, even one passionate about the project. A FanHub could be made separately to download and add in licenses etc.
The other thing is I don't have the desire to play as any active pro rugby player as I'm an older and more or a washed out pessimist now. I hope this would sell well to a 8-18 younger demographic though, much like how I enjoyed Rugby 08 at that age.
I would definitely be interesting in using teams and rosters from years prior. I'd even be interested in a 2000s EA Sports BIG approach to what they did with e.g. the SSX franchise and add gimmicks to created players, which could be based on actual stars of the game to an extent, both current (Ardie, PsdT, Kolbe, Jordan etc.) and retired (Wilko, DC, McCaw, George Smith, Rokocoko, Caucau etc.). This would work as a separate IP though IMO.
This prioritising of 130 or so teams is seems odd as there are lots of tiers of teams in rugby e.g. a Shanghai expatriate team would be better than a team of normal rugby fans that just watch the game if the latter groups laced on boots, but then the former would be no where near as good as a Major League Rugby team, and then that Major League Rugby team would be no way near as good as a Super Rugby or URC team. This will be difficult to implement in the game, if realism (to an extent) is what they're going for. Not to mention, adding all those kits and face IDs would be time-consuming and actually something that could be done post release as e.g. DLC.
Anyway, I'm aware these are my particular opinions. I base it on games I've thoroughly enjoyed in the past like SSX 3, Super Mario Strikers, even Star Wars Battlefront II 2005(!), and most pertinent to my points above, PES games which had fluidity in gameplay and collision mechanics, as well as uniqueness in customising players, even providing multiple running styles of players in-game for the player to choose in the editor.
