If you've ever wanted to learn more about the sport, Rugby 08 is the best place to start.
In Rugby 08, the focus is primarily on the upcoming World Cup which will be held in September in France, with a few games being played in Scotland. In this edition, you can play as one of the teams that qualified and try to lead them to victory. Like other EA sports titles released to coincide with a major event, the game does a great job as the French Stadiums are all included and the atmosphere is there as well. The other big addition to the game is the challenge mode where you relive previous World Cup moments and try to complete certain tasks. You start of with three tasks: the first is always to win with two other tasks that vary from match to match. If you complete the first three tasks and earn a gold medal, you unlock a fourth task and if you complete all of those you are rewarded with a video for your troubles. It's nice to be able to relive these moments, although, you are doing it with the current teams, rather than classic sides. Chances are you haven't heard of these players before, so it won't be a problem, but I still wish EA would go back to what they did for World Cup France 98's Classic mode where not only did they include the real classic teams for those soccer finals, they even added a classic brownish hue to give it that nostalgic look.
You still have previous modes like the past where you can play as a club in most of the Leagues in Europe, but chances are you will focus more on the nations and spend most of your time with the Rugby World Cup and possibly the Tri-Nations Cup if you support Australia, New Zealand or South Africa (like myself).
In the graphics department, there isn't anything that will knock you off your feet. Playing this game on a Wide-screen HD television and my PS3 didn't really give this game a fantastic look, but for a PS2 game it still looks pretty good. They have also increased the number of camera angles so the field of play does look good, especially on close-ups. The stadiums are also quite nice, but unless you've been to the grounds before, you might not be able to determine how authentic they really are.
The sound is also quite good. The commentary is fine but if like all games, after a while you will still here repeats. The on field voices are there and the ref's comments are clear, as they would be in the real game.
If you haven't ever played Rugby or know nothing about the sport, I strongly recommend renting this and giving it a try. In this edition, as they did in '06, they have included a tutorial mode to start off so you can familiarize yourself with the sport and it's actions. While not super detailed on the positions, you'll want to go online to find out what exactly a Hooker does.
There are some quips with the game. First off, the difficulty can be a bit of a problem as there is a significant dip between countries. You have the top nations: Australia, New Zealand, England, S. Africa who are ranked very high but you'll notice that playing against them even with the clubs in the low 80 ranks (Scotland, France) you'll have a hard time beating those top nations. Not to mention there is a good chunk of countries like the US and Canada who rated in the 40s. It becomes a bit of a let-down if you only want to play as those countries to lead them to victory. While you could play in the lower difficulties, I find the easiest difficult is too easy sometimes. Everyone likes a challenge, but when your team is getting abused by the opposition, it might turn off some people.
Another set-back with the game is the learning curve if you do not know the sport. If you're trying to figure out why your team can't win a ruck, there is no answer. If you don't know what a ruck is, there is no explanation until you experience it (it happens all the time). Also, there are times when you won't use all the buttons in the game (such as the soccer kick button), which can be actually quite useful.
Chances are, you can gt this game for a great price and at its lower price you are really getting a great sports title. While it probably will be a hidden gem, if you can get the chance to rent it, you won't be disappointed. If you are looking for a new niche sport that is actually a sport (Rock, Paper, Scissors), then Rugby is the way to go.