OK, so I thought to myself after the post about the relative strength of the Roman units, "What if I fought battles against Carthaginian armies WITHOUT Sacred Band anything in them?"

The result... excellent control, a feeling of balance, and battles that don't result in instant routs of units that come within twenty feet of the Sacred Band.

This reminded me of the very first mod I played of the demo, as the Julii at Trebbia. I was able to win that one because I focused all my efforts on their Sacred Band cavalry, then picked the rest of their army apart with pila, velite fire, and a determined overwhelming charge after their elephants had routed.

I think the SBC and SBP units must have some intense valour modifiers built into them, which completely tip the scales when it comes to routing units.