Rugby 20 is a playable effort completely let down by the fact, in over two years of development, very little has changed. Game modes remain slim, rigid and it hamstrings a player who wants to devote more time to it. It's more enjoyable to play and carving together tries has a satisfaction to it, but so much of Rugby 20 feels like a shallow retread.

Quotation forthcoming.

Rugby 20 promised great technical improvements, the addition of new tactical options and a good batch of official licenses. A game plan respected by Eko Software whose limited means do not allow this title to compete with the best sports simulations. But given that he remains the ONLY one to fight on the field, and that he stands rather well on his legs with his farandole of diagrams and his accessible gameplay, he could satisfy lovers of the oval ball. On the condition of not being too greedy on the technical level.

Overall this is unimpressive, yet oddly playable through all its flaws. Still, the agonising wait for a formidable rugby game on PS4 goes on. Anyone for tennis? [Issue#172, p.97]

To be fair, the title does a good job of simulating the territorial battles that occur in real-world rugby matches, but it’s generally clumsy and there’s no real consistency to the way players move. The ball physics can be unpredictable, and the overall experience is glitchy. But it’s strangely moreish in a way that all arcade sports games can be, and its bargain bin adaptation of FIFA Ultimate Team deserves credit for eschewing microtransactions – even if its unlockable players are pooled from the depths of Ireland’s lower leagues.

Rugby 20 is like a Northern Hemisphere team's World Cup campaign. It's full of big ideas and good intentions, but a shock defeat here and an expected loss to the South's big boys there, and it soon comes off the rails. There's some fun to be had, but it's often at the expense of the game, not because of it.

If you desperately need a new Rugby game to fill the void, you might still consider picking Rugby 20 up, but even then you might be better off going back to Rugby Challenge and playing that with some of the new community squads.