Rugby vs american football
- Thread starter ashpwner
- Start date
Let's not jump to conclusions, there is a reason why american football players wear pads. If you've ever compared how the players interact with each other, you would see that in rugby, it is like soccer (football), the players are always close to the rugby ball, so takles are not extremly painful. In football, players are very widely spread apart because of the "plays" in the game. In these plays, there are defensive players far away from the football, to intercept the offensive players, the defensive interceptors will run at the offensive player at full speed. Without pads, football would be fatal.
There was even an incident in where a football player suffered severe spine damage because of a tackle. The two sports may look very similar, but they are actually very different.
How big (height and weight) is the average rugby player?
You are correct.
http://www.buffalobills.com/news/news_5221.html
Take a look at some of these hits:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zmm8mTpMJPY
And this one on Reggie Bush of the New Orleans Saints. The defender knocks the ball out of his hands.
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=8524393
Don't get me wrong, I have a huge amount of respect for rugby. It's an insane sport.
But like Exeter said; the plays are different and rugby players are always close to the ball. They almost exclusively tackle (if I'm not mistaken) whereas American football players tackle and hit.
Do rugby players ever get to 'shoulder tackle' another rugby player, running at full speed?
The pads, in football, are mostly for hitting with. They are like boxing gloves - they allow harder blows, that would otherwise break the joints and bones of the one delivering the hit.
A hard tackle in football is about equivalent to a 30kph car crash. If you want to know what it feels like, pick up a loaf of bread in one hand and run as fast as you can into a tree. You can wear full football pads. You can't drop the bread.
A hard tackle in football is about equivalent to a 30kph car crash. If you want to know what it feels like, pick up a loaf of bread in one hand and run as fast as you can into a tree. You can wear full football pads. You can't drop the bread.
American Football > Aussia Rules > Rugby
Have you ever wondered what goes on down at the bottom of a pile up in football?
Eye-gouging, finger bending, sucker punching, stepping on hands and feet, etc.
rugby is too compressed for me. It seems like the guys are always in a huddle fighting for the ball.
How many guys have been paralyzed playing rugby vs football?
I agree. I like watching one play at a time. Keeps things fresh and you anything could happen.
I don't know how many have been paralyzed in either. If I had to guess I'd say American football is more prone to paralysis. These dudes just charge at each other head on.
Without a helmet in Rugby, I doubt you "lead with your head" like in American Football. I would say there would many more spine injuries in football...more missing teeth in Rugby. 
Without a helmet in Rugby, I doubt you "lead with your head" like in American Football. I would say there would many more spine injuries in football...more missing teeth in Rugby.
I don't disagree with that at all. I've always wanted to give rugby a try here at school, but I know I will be annihalated. Maybe I should just man up and take the beating... 'cause I really want to play.
WATER POLO!
Really?! I always thought hockey was a mix of football and soccer.
Now there's a rough sport.
I've seen photos from the Olympic match between Russia and (edit - Czechoslovakia was hockey- the water polo match was vs Hungary in 56) Hungary - according to witness reports, you couldn't see the bottom of the pool for the blood in the water. Anybody verify that?
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Yeah, but in football the athletes doing the hitting are bigger and stronger, by a lot. You can get paralyzed from football hits.
Football is also probably more painful to watch. More commercials than game time.