Rugby Challenge 3 consists of various game modes and options which can be selected from the main menu.

Single Match - Get straight into the action. Select to play a single Rugby Sevens or Rugby Fifteens game between two teams.

Training - Use training to hone all of your skills and get the most out of Rugby Challenge 3. Select to view tutorials or go to run around and practice.

Be A Pro - Take control of a single player and guide him through an entire 13 year career.

Competitions - Engage in one of the 19 greatest Rugby competitions from around the world.

Career Mode - Select to setup a career and control a team over 13 seasons.

Play Online - Select to play an online Quick Match, view online Leaderboards or play an online Private Match.

Fan Hub - Select to upload or download custom players, and teams created by you and other users online.

Customise - Select to create and edit players, teams or competitions.

Help & Options - Select to adjust options for Gameplay, Camera & Visuals, Sound, view Controls or view the Credits.
Move
Hold to Sprint
/ Pass Left / Right - Hold for cutout pass
+ Pass to fly-half
UP - Fend
LEFT - Sidestep Left
RIGHT - Sidestep Right
DOWN - Dummy Pass

In Open Play
Punt Kick
Grubber Kick
Bomb/Chip Kick
Drop Kick
Tap buttons to quick kick, Hold buttons for aimed kick

Near or Over Goal Line
,, or Score Try

Behind Own Goal Line
Force Ball
Move
Hold to Sprint
Auto Select Player
/ Select Player to Left / Right
+ Select Fullback

Loose Ball
Jump Catch - Hold to call mark
Toe Kick
Dive on Ball

On Defense
Tackle
Agressive Tackle
Contesting The Ruck
Quick Bind
Heavy Bind
Leave Ruck
Contest the Ball

Ball Receiver
Pick and Go
/ Pass Left / Right - Hold for cutout pass
+ Pass to fly-half
Box Kick

The ruck is formed when a player is tackled to the ground. Press the button to quickly bind your nearest available player to the ruck.

Pressing consecutively adds more players to the ruck. Adding more players to the ruck risks your defensive line, so be careful not to over commit to the ruck in some situations.

Press to bind players to the ruck aggressively, this will result in only forward players joining the ruck and making a heavy impact. However, if no forwards are already near the breakdown they may take too long to arrive.

To unbind players from the ruck press

To contest and try to steal the ball in a ruck before the opposition arrives, press After winning the ruck contest players can press to perform a box kick from the ruck.
Pod Movement
Move Pod
Select Pod

Throwing The Ball
Short Throw
Medium Throw
Long Throw

Contesting The Throw
Jump and Catch
Jump to Pass
Jump to Maul

Quick Lineout
/ Pass Left / Right
+ Pass to Self

The lineout is formed when the ball is in touch.

The Throw in
• Use the Right Stick to change between pods of players.

• Use the left stick to move the pods up and down the lineout.

• Press either the , or button to throw to the indicated player when the indicator bar is in the coloured area.

• Throwing on either side of the coloured area will result in an illegal throw.

The Catch
• Press either the , or button to jump and contest the throw.

• Players can choose to either catch the ball, pass it or setup a maul.
Driving The Scrum
+ Push up when lines meet

Ball Receiver
Pick and Go
No.8 Pick Up
/ Pass Left / Right - Hold for cutout pass
+ Pass to fly-half
Box Kick

The scrum can form after a penalty, a knock-on or when the ball is dead in goal.

• Players must press both sticks up at the optimal time to engage with as much impact as possible.

• Once the scrum has engaged, it then becomes a timing contest to press the sticks up when the lines meet at the middle of the coloured area. The further the timing lines are from this middle point when a push is made, the weaker the resulting push.

• To turn the scrum in one direction use only one stick at a time.

• After winning the scrum, Press to get the No.8 to pick up the ball instead of the halfback.
The Contested Tackle
Tap Repeatedly to Drive
Steer Tackle

Contesting The Maul
Tap Repeatedly to Drive
Steer Maul
Quick Bind

Releasing The Ball
Use Ball (Offense Only)

The maul is formed when the ball carrier is in a contested tackle but does not go to ground and both tackler and tacklee stay on their feet. The players are now in a maul and by repeatedly tapping they will try to gain ground by driving the opposition.

Other team members from either side are allowed to bind to the maul and drive the players forward. Use the button to add players.

If the ball carrier is forced backward and takes too long to use the ball, they run a risk of being penalised.
On Attack
UP - Cylce Line Depth
DOWN - Cylce Line Width
LEFT - Send Runner Left
RIGHT - Send Runner Right
+ UP - Cylce Pod Options
+ DOWN - Cylce Fullback Position
+ LEFT - Cylce Ruck Commitment
+ RIGHT - Prepare Kicker

On Defense
UP - Cylce Line Depth
DOWN - Cylce Line Width
+ UP - Cylce Pod Options
+ DOWN - Cylce Fullback Position

User strategies control the high level behaviours of your team.

• Line Depth - Alter the depth of your back line to Deep, Normal, Flat

• Line Width - Alter the width of your backline to Compressed, Normal, Wide

• Send Right/Left - Select to request forwards to run either left or right of the ruck and run the ball up hard.

• Cycle Pod Options - In general play, forwards are distributed across the width of the field in groups called “Pods”. Their position has an impact on how quickly forwards get to rucks depending on your play style. Alter your pod setup to 4/4, 2/4/2 or 3/2/3

• Cycle Fullback - You can choose if you want your fullback located as normal behind your players or up in your back line. Select Normal or In Line.

• Ruck Commitment - Alter the default number of players that are committed to move to the ruck area to Low, Medium, High

• Prepare Kicker - Send the kicker back behind the ruck so he has room to kick.
Pro Career
Lock Onto Ball - Press or hold depending on camera settings
Call for Pass
Call for a Kick Into Touch
Call for a Kick Down Field
The place kick is taken after a try is scored and can also be chosen when a team is awarded a penalty. Use up or down on the left stick to place the ball on the field within the player’s kick stat range. The ball will turn yellow or red depending on how far from their optimal kicking range it has been placed.

Once the ball is placed, use the left stick to adjust your aim, Press to confirm your aim. To initiate the kick press when the white bar crosses over the black bar. The closer the two lines are, the more accurate the kick direction will be.

To complete the kick press when then black bar crosses over the white bar on the power meter.
General
• Effective tackling, dummy passing, fending and sidestepping rely on player position and timing. Make sure you come in at the right time on the right angle to succeed.

• Keep an eye on your Player Indicator, when it’s pulsing your team is confident, this gives a boost to your Tackle, Break Tackle, Passing, offload and General Kicking Stats.

• If your Player Indicator begins to fade, that means your players are fatigued and need to rest, try to keep them out of the Ruck, stop sprinting or even sub them out.

• Complete all the tutorials; it’s a great way to learn to play the game and an easy way to increase your skill.

• When the opposition has infringed and the referee has awarded you an advantage, try and make the most of the opportunity to either gain ground or score points through a drop goal.

• Try a chip, grubber or short puntkick; it’s a great way to get past the defence when under pressure. Timing is important here – too late and you will be tackled, too early and the defender will get to the ball before you.

• These kicks are more effective when your players are faster than the opposition.

• If it’s raining the ball is harder to hold onto in dominant tackles and long passes.

• When you’ve broken the line and have only the fullback to beat try a chip or grubber kick and chase the ball to beat him. A fullback typically doesn’t miss that many tackles.

Rucks
• The ruck bar will initially favour the player who had the most impact in the tackle. Run or tackle with purpose/aggression to tip this in your favour and increase your chance of winning the ruck.

• Use heavy bind when you have players close to the tackle. They’ll still get there quickly and have an impact on the ruck bar.

• Heavy binds fatigue players faster.

• Use quick binds when you have players further away from the tackle. They’ll get to the ruck quicker and give you a chance of winning.

• Committing many players to the ruck may increase your chances of winning but can leave big holes in your defence or leave you short of players in attack.

• The first 3 players to the ruck have more influence, their speed and impact on the ruck is the dominant factor in winning rucks. If you can’t get your players in there before the opposition, it often pays to wait for the next ruck.

• If you’re losing a ruck or your players are going to arrive too late, sometimes it’s best to unbind your players using “Leave” so they can defend again.

• If you’re not the tackling player, move your player close to the ruck to reduce the ruck join time. This is really effective in co-op multiplay.

• Contest the ball at the breakdown if you’re there before the opposition. It’s a quick way to win the ball. Be careful though, you have to let go when other players join or you might be penalised.

• Likewise if you’re isolated at the breakdown and a defender is trying to get the ball, you can hold onto it. Be careful though, you have to let go early or you might be penalised.

Tackling
• Be careful when using Aggressive Tackle, the tackle may be more dominant but risks causing an infringement such as High Tackle.

• Sometimes it’s best not to tackle a player who has made a break immediately especially if they have a 2 on 1 situation. Hang off the player until your defence comes across to cover their players.

• You can take over another player’s tackle if it is not successful. Getting to know which tackles you can do this on will help you wrap defenders up earlier.

Lineouts
• The most important part of a lineout is the throw. Try to throw slightly down your side to get the best advantage. Be careful not to throw too far down your side or you will get penalized.

• Note where players are standing in your lineout. This will help determine how far down your side you want to throw.

• Gain some quick ground by forming a maul from the lineout and catching your opponent off guard.

• Slapdowns are faster options but can sometimes go to ground.

• Move jumping pods ahead of your opposition to increase your chance of winning the lineout.

• Reducing the number of players in the lineout gives you more players in both backlines but can create space to attack around the lineout. Experiment with this strategy on different teams.

Passing
• Get used to cut-out passing, it’s a great way to find a player in space.

• There are 2 ways to cut-out pass, try them both and use the one you’re most comfortable with.

• Passes can be “prewound” before you receive the ball. Hitting pass before you receive it will pass the ball on quickly to the next player. Prewinding work for kicks, sidesteps and fends also.

• Offloading a pass out of a tackle is a risky option but can bring great reward. Players with high offload ability will offload more accurately and successfully so be cautious when you offload.

• Some basic actions can be performed simultaneously. For instance you can hold a defender at bay with a fend and offload with the other arm. It’s a great way to create open space for your team.

• When passing from a Ruck, be mindful of your support players position, if they’re not in position to move onto the ball, it may go to ground. You can delay your pass from the ruck if your team mates aren’t in position.

• Dummy passes cause defending players to hesitate. The most effective dummy passes are when the duped defender is running away from you and you change direction at the same time.

• Draw and pass – timing your passes just before you enter a tackle commits a defender to the tackle and can free up space for players.

• Throwing risky passes can sometimes pay off but you run the risk of turning it over to the opposition who may intercept the ball.

• You can increase your odds of intercepting a pass by anticipating it early and running in the path of the pass.

• Offload success rate, frequency and chance can all be adjusted in the gameplay sliders menu.

• Intercept frequency can be adjusted in the gameplay sliders menu.

Scrums
• Scrum pushes register when the sticks are fully up. If you’re too late on the push, try pushing earlier so that your sticks are fully up when the scrum bar hits the sweet spot.

• Try turning the scrum to your advantage by using only 1 of the sticks. Turning the scrum can move defenders in the scrum away from you and open up gaps to run through.

• Watch out though as AI teams will try this on you as well in higher difficulties so be prepared to counter!

• Attacking scrums in the middle of the field are great scoring opportunities when you have this option from a penalty.

• Use No. 8 pickup to detach your number eight from the scrum early allowing you to break to the side. Your halfback will also break helping you catch your opposition off guard.

Changing Player
• When using change best player, move the stick in the direction you want your intended player to move, to help pick the best player.

Mauls
• If you’re losing ground in a Maul, use the ball earlier to prevent being penalised.

User Strategies
• User strategies control the high level behaviours of your team. Use them to exploit weaknesses in your opposition or choose options that suit your play style.

• Use Send Runner to really attack holes around the ruck. Players will charge onto the ball with more energy than a normal pass and can be used to catch the opposition off guard.

• Alter the width of your line to create overlaps or allow you to attack sparse defensive lines.

• Altering the depth of your line gives you more time and space to run or allows you to attack and punch holes in the defensive line.

• In general play, forwards are distributed across the width of the field in groups called “Pods”. You can alter your pod formation to suit your style of play allowing you to commit players to rucks effectively or attack in the areas that you prefer.

• When a ruck forms, your ruck commitment will govern how many players by default will move towards the ruck area. Committing high numbers may increase the chance of winning more rucks but will become a problem if you move the ball from side to side and your forwards cannot get to the breakdown in time. They will also become fatigued more quickly.

• Bringing your fullback into the line gives you greater front line attacking or defensive options.

• You can set your players up better for a successful clearing kick or a drop goal by using the prepare kick option to set your kicker deeper.

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