What struck me the most were the characters and how well written they are. The way the mangaka put so much work in the personality and looks of each and every character reminded me of a sculptor working on his sculptures, very thoroughly and with passion. No matter how 'irrelevant' some of the characters were to the story, they all received time to shine and lot of them even got their backtory fleshed out or had a character development. Why did they join the rugby club and what is making them stay? How does their family feel about it? ... This also goes for the bench players, who are often forgotten in sports manga.
The dynamics between the different characters were nicely developed as well. Even though some of them might not seem close at the start, they will definitely have a few interesting interactions, both on and off the court.
It is not just the personalities, but also the looks of the characters that made me feel a sense of appreciation for the mangaka. People who practice sports don't always need to have the same slender build. Skinny, fat, short, tall, cross-eyed, a long nose or droopy eyes, you name it... There was a lot of inclusivity and to me this was a case of reversed Same Face Syndrome.
The rugby games were exciting. Understanding the formations or methods that are explained in the manga could be kind of difficult for readers who don't know anything about the sport, but it did not have a negative influence on my experience. Every now and then it was hard to see the different moves executed on the court, I sometimes had to look at the same panel twice to understand who just threw or received the ball. I guess it could be compared to what people say about how fights are usually drawn in manga.
I would have given the story and the entire rugby aspect an 8, but the characters who were definitely a 10 to me, made me give this manga a 9/10! :)
