I'll admit that I was really looking for one thing in the visual department. That was, how devastating the hits were going to look. Having played Rugby for LSU for a whole year, I knew what I was looking for. The intro looked really nice, with lighting and shadowing going where they're supposed to go. I jumped into Rugby waiting for the hits. Was I disappointed? I don't think so. If you've ever wanted to see a video game's tackles that make you cringe, well you've come to the right place. When you're running full speed, and the computer practically buries you, well that's how a rugby game should look. Rugby takes a mostly top down view, with the camera zooming in and out, pending on the game's action. Albeit a little disorienting at first, you quickly become accustomed to the 'zoomage.' The players' movements and whatnots look VERY realistic from your vantage point. The field looks like a rugby field should look, with the '22-meter,' and 'touch' lines. The grass looks lush and organic. The crowd is healthy and colorful, and all the animations that go along with any rugby game are there. Up close, the players could use a little work, with some more 3D rendering, and detail, but all in all Rugby is quite an attractive game.

The sound is limited to some crowd roar, and some grunts here and there. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as legendary rugby announcers Bill McLaren and Jamie Salmon provide sparkling commentary. Their thick accents bring just the right ring to Creative Assembly's little masterpiece. There is no music anywhere in the game, except at the opening menu. Strangely enough, it's a mellow, ambient-type of music that fits along really well with such a brawny, muscular game. So while next year's installment could maybe use some more sounds, this years' Rugby is pleasing enough to shaven and non-shaven ears alike.

Players can choose Quick Start Mode, which pits two of the 20 international teams randomly against each other. Friendly Mode lets you choose which two squads will square off against each other. Tournament Mode lets you play in one of three tournaments with 'World Championship' being the 'granddaddy of them all.' For those of you that don't know rugby too well, there's an excellent Training Mode, which will have you rucking and scrumming in no time. The controls are very intricate, with each and every button being used on your associated PS2 controller. It does take a game or two to figure out when to push what and for how long, but for the most part, it's nothing that a five year old couldn't figure out; Or in my case, a 24-year old. With the variety of little options you can tweak to participating in tournaments, Rugby is a diamond in the rough for sports fans.

Probably the hardest part for a gamer to get used to are the rules of rugby. Once you get those little nuances out of the way, then Rugby isn't difficult at all. There are no difficulty levels to choose from per se, but you can tweak your squads 'performance' level, which will make things lighter on you as a coach, or more challenging pending on where you set your performance meter. The teams are as talented as the real-world teams are, making for a tougher match if you play with a less-talented team. The controls don't hinder the game at all, with the exception of learning all the different buttons. Once you've got that down, then you can control your players with so much ease, it makes sleeping seem difficult. If you control a talented team like Australia, or the All-blacks of New Zealand, then you will reap rewards quite quickly.

Rugby takes up nothing more than a sliver of memory card space, with load times being easily tolerable. The manual is extremely helpful, and a recommended read. It gives a brief history on rugby, and covers the control scheme quite well. The controls are like butter, which only makes you want to learn the game more, because you actually feel like you have a 'say' in what the players are doing on the pitch. All in all, EA Sports has done quite well producing this diddy of a game.

Riot Rundown: If you're a Rugby fan, then this is a must. If you're interested in Rugby, or like sports, again this is a must. It doesn't have any deep Dynasty Modes, and it's rather stripped down when compared to other games. But most retailers have introduced Rugby at a phenomenally lower rate than other PS2 games, so it's well worth the money. It's a great game that you can jump right into. I mean after all, rugby is a 'gentleman's sport.'