Flyhalf Vision is a virtual reality rugby training simulator built for the Meta Quest 3 that puts flyhalfs into game-speed decision-making scenarios against rushing defensive lines. This post walks through the journey from V1’s proof of concept to V2’s grip-based mechanics and gamification update, and covers the first live trial with 30 players in partnership with UXi Sport.
Two days ago, 30 rugby players walked into a room, strapped on a VR headset, and faced a rushing defensive line for the first time. No ball. No grass. No teammates. Just them, the defensive pattern, and a split-second decision: kick, pass, dummy, or get tackled.
That was the first live trial of Flyhalf Vision: a first-generation prototype, virtual reality rugby training simulator I’ve been building for the past year. And the reactions in the room told me everything I needed to know.
But let me back up.
Where it started
Just under a year ago, I was having one of those days. Nothing was clicking. So I did what I always do, I started building something. A rugby VR concept I’d been tinkering with in my head for years. No plan. No funding. Just something to pour energy into.
I have a Master’s degree in VR-assisted psychotherapy. I’ve spent years working in immersive technology, understanding how virtual environments affect decision-making, behaviour, and learning. And I’ve loved rugby since I was seven years old, dreaming of playing for the Springboks.
Flyhalf Vision sits right at the intersection of everything I know and everything I care about.
The idea itself isn’t complicated: put a flyhalf in a virtual stadium, give them a ball, send a defensive line at them, and force a decision. Under pressure, at speed, with consequences. The kind of decision-making you can’t train with cones on a field.
V1 — The Proof of Concept
The first version of Flyhalf Vision was a proof of concept built for the Meta Quest 3. The goal was simple: can we create a VR environment that forces realistic decision-making under match pressure?
Here’s what V1 included:
- A fully immersive rugby stadium environment with crowd audio
- Three randomised defensive patterns — Rush, Blitz, and Drift — each requiring a different tactical response
- A randomiser mode so the player never knows what’s coming next
- Slow-motion decision points that give the player a brief window to read the defence and commit
- Immediate feedback on whether the decision was tactically correct
V1 used button-based controls. You’d press buttons on the controller to select your action — kick, pass left, pass right, dummy. It worked. It proved the concept. Players could read defences, make decisions, and get feedback in real time.
But it didn’t feel like rugby.
Pressing a button to pass isn’t the same as passing. There was a disconnect between the decision and the action. The mental side was there, but the physical side was missing. That was the single biggest takeaway from V1, and it shaped everything about V2.
V2 — Making it Physical
V2 keeps everything that worked in V1: the stadium, the three defensive patterns, the randomiser, the slow-motion decision window, the immediate feedback. But it overhauls the one thing that didn’t feel right: how you interact with the ball.
In V2, buttons are gone. Everything is grip-based and motion-driven:
- Catch the ball — squeeze both controller grips at the right moment when the scrumhalf passes to you. You have to hold on to them. Let go accidentally and you knock it on.
- Kick — release both grips simultaneously at the right moment.
- Pass — swing your arms in a passing motion and release the grips. The system distinguishes between a short pass and a wide pass based on the motion.
- Dummy — sell the pass motion but keep both grips firmly pressed. Commit to the fake.
The difference is night and day. Catching now requires timing. Passing requires physical commitment. A dummy requires you to actually sell it with your body, not just select it from a menu. And if you panic and release the grips: you drop the ball. Just like the real thing.
Gamification
V2 also introduces a gamification layer that wasn’t in V1:
- Decision ribbons — a green ribbon trails behind the ball after a correct decision; a red ribbon after an incorrect one. You know immediately whether you got it right, and it’s visible and satisfying rather than just a text prompt.
- Hot streak counter — make two correct decisions in a row and a hot streak icon appears, accompanied by an airhorn. It sounds small, but it completely changes the energy. Players start chasing the streak. It becomes competitive, even when you’re training alone.
These additions weren’t just for fun. Gamification drives repetition, and repetition is where decision-making actually improves. The ribbons and streaks give players a reason to go again.
The First Live Trial
On Wednesday 25 February 2026, we ran Flyhalf Vision’s first live trial in partnership with UXi Sport at Harlequins Rugby Club. 30 players rotated through the headset while the rest of the group watched the player’s point of view streamed live on a screen.
What we saw confirmed what we’d hoped: players got it immediately. The grip-based controls are intuitive. Within one or two rounds, players were catching, passing, and dummying without thinking about the mechanics. They were thinking about the defence. Which is exactly the point.
The spectator dynamic was something we hadn’t fully anticipated. Players watching the TV were calling out decisions, reacting to tackles, celebrating streaks. It turned individual training into a team experience.
What’s Next
Flyhalf Vision is still a first-generation prototype. The visuals will evolve. The scenarios will expand. The analytics will deepen. But the foundation, realistic decision-making under pressure in a fully immersive environment, is in place and working.
The roadmap includes:
- AI-driven defensive pattern analysis
- Biometric integration for heart rate and reaction time tracking
- A coaching analytics dashboard
- Fully customisable defensive scenarios
- Performance tracking and player progression metrics
If you’re a coach, a performance director, or someone who believes decision-making is the most undertrained skill in rugby, we’d love to hear from you.
Flyhalf Vision is developed by Many Worlds (Pty) Ltd, a South African VR training company. The first live trials were conducted in partnership with UXi Sport.
