How Rugby 08, The Game That 'Had Everything,' Shaped My Life

Children across the world will have opened gifts during this festive period, which will create memories for years to come – presents that may have a similar impact to the one I received in 2007. I still don’t fully think my parents understand the seismic impact this Christmas gift had on my life; maybe only reading this will help them realise how thankful I am to them for this easily forgettable present. As I unwrapped Rugby 08, my heart sank a little; I can’t lie. I spent my early years worshipping football and FIFA. It was the game of choice for me; however, that nine-year-old child made the best decision of his life when he loaded up Rugby 08 for the first time ever later that Christmas morning. Maiden venture I was captivated immediately with my maiden venture into the sport; little did I know how important this game would be to me, and I could not have imagined the impact it had on people around the world. Uttering the name ‘Rugby 08’ will bring back fond memories for fans of the sport from this specific era. From playing with friends and family to those solo adventures in career mode, using your favourite club or country to achieve those dreams of lifting the Champions Cup or World Cup. Rugby 08 had everything. While becoming an expert with a controller would never help you become a professional rugby player, playing the game would serve as a vital inspiration for several individuals operating at that level today. One of those is Jacob Umaga. The Benetton fly-half has represented both England and Samoa at international level and has always dreamed of playing at a World Cup. He said: “It’s something that when I was a kid. I’d see my dad’s jerseys at home from the ’95 and ’99 World Cups. Investec Champions Cup: Round of 16 draw confirmed as path to Bilbao emerges “You know, when you create a player on, like, Rugby 08, my nationality was always Samoan. It was never English. “So, if that happens, I mean, I’d be absolutely thrilled. I got a chance to represent my mum’s side for England and now to represent my dad’s side. “The World Cup would be the dream. So, you know, if I could maybe get a couple of caps on the way before that, that would be great.” Umaga may finally achieve this childhood dream, as Samoa have qualified for the 2027 World Cup in Australia; however, he has already played out this fantasy in his childhood with Rugby 08. It demonstrates the importance a video game can have on inspiring the next generation of rugby players. While the game allowed for children to dream, it may have been used by individuals to socialise. I remember uttering the phrase, ‘Do you want a game of FIFA?’ with my siblings or university mates if there was nothing else to do. Why? Because it is an easy way to have a bit of craic whether you were incredible at the game or limited. I still remember one victory fondly against my brother, who is by far a better player than me. To squeak a 1-0 win over him through sheer luck, leaving him infuriated, not just that I had beaten him but that his 15-game winning run over me had come to an end. Unfortunately for him, I opted to retire from FIFA at this point, so my streak shall forever haunt him. I am not going to be the only individual in this world to have fond memories of beating friends and family with FIFA; however, it disappoints me I cannot do this with a quality rugby game. While there have been video games since Rugby 08 to try and tap into this fanbase, none of them have had the same impact as a game that is nearly 20 years old. Fond memories Dillyn Leyds and La Rochelle still play this game in camp due to the fondness they have for it, while also finding a way to frustrate their director of rugby. He said: “I always remember playing Rugby 08, the game, and you get to choose your stadium. “It was always just like growing up; you always see, like, ‘Oh, I would love to go and maybe watch a game there.’ Having the opportunity to go and play there is always something special. “In our players’ room, they’ve got, like, the older version of the PlayStation, and they play it. “(Uini) Atonio, and like, Will Skelton, and they always play as ROG (Ronan O’Gara). They just get into it and be chirping ROG. “They would be like, ‘Oh, ROG, like, what are you doing there? Look at your tackling, or like, ‘Oh, he’s got the style, but he can only kick well.’ “So, it was good fun. He’d (ROG) walk in, and you’d just see; he’d get red in the face, and he’d be like, ‘Oh, come on, turn this off.'” There is clearly a market out there for a video game focusing on this sport, as seen in the latest attempt to finally find a fit successor to Rugby 08. Bristol v Bordeaux: Five takeaways as ‘more streetwise’ champions clinch success with ‘lethal’ 10 and ‘deadly’ winger’s hat-trick The latest attempt, Rugby 25, was a valiant effort by Big Ant Studios, as they went to great lengths to attempt to capture the likeness of the biggest names in the sport and to incorporate the largest roster of international and club teams ever in a rugby game. However, in my opinion, and the view of many rugby fans, they missed the mark when it came to gameplay, and this is the most important element of any video game. So, this was another missed opportunity for the sport to expand its audience in this manner. Sale Sharks director of rugby Alex Sanderson believes there is a chance to help further grow the sport and its product through video games, particularly through e-sports. Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for world-class coverage you can trust. He said: “Rugby should embrace e-sports the way football has. Every football team has an e-sports team that they sponsor. “What rugby needs is revenue, and e-sports can help this, as it is growing year upon year; at least that is my understanding. “Rugby is a great product; it is incredible to watch and to be involved in with all the values that it holds, but it is just getting people into it and down to it. “I’m 100% behind a video game that brings attention to our game to help grow and create the spectacle of rugby. “Also, for neutral supporters or young fans who support the personalities of the sport, like George Ford or Tom Curry. They will know the names of the stars, but they may not know the clubs, so if you want to access the general public, you have got to do it through the individual and the characters, and if that is the international game or club level, personalities are key.” Starved for years Rugby would benefit from having a video game. So, it is time for World Rugby to get its act together by partnering up with a studio to develop the next video game focusing on the sport, like they did with Rugby 08. This would also allow them to fully deliver on their chairman’s strategic plan for the growth of the sport. Sir Bill Beaumont said: “Our game-changing targets aim to grow global participation, increase fan engagement and support our players, current, future and past.” Rugby, like every sport, is always looking for ways in which to grow its audience, which makes it strange they seemingly abandoned an easy way of doing this by not partnering with studios to release a consistent series of video games. There will always be a market for it due to the large number of supporters across the world that rugby has, and if the gameplay is decent, fans who have been starved for years of a good experience will flood in their droves to purchase it. From allowing young fans to dream of being the next superstar on the pitch as they play out their dreams with a controller in hand to those who wish to play their friends and have the bragging rights as they socialise or those who look to make a career out of making it an e-sport. And who knows, another set of parents may be about to change the life of their eight-year-old with the gift of a video game similar to that of Rugby 08.