American Football vs Rugby..Which Sport Is More Brutal????

RammerJammer14

Hall of Fame
Aug 18, 2007
14,511
6,521
187
UA
Yea, I think most American football fans don't realize how little of the 60 minutes is spent actually "playing the game". From the time the ball is snapped until it's blown dead (when a team can actually score points) is probably around 25 minutes. The other 35 is spent watching players get up off piles, walking back to the LOS, huddling, etc.. And between coaches TO's, tv TO's, intermissions, etc. it takes three hours to watch that!

American football and American tv go hand in hand. TV can stop the game to show a commercial. How does tv handle non-stop games like rugby?
The uniforms have sponsors printed on them and they paint ads on the field.
 

FThomas

1st Team
Oct 18, 2011
369
106
62
Yeah, the skills required are different. If American football players had to run the entire game, they would be much smaller than their current sizes. Currently, the weights and calorie regimens help them bulk up. With that bulk, they can sustain great power and speed for short bursts. But the average football play is only a few seconds long. In the typical NFL game, players are in motion for 11 minutes and most run 1-2 miles a game. Conversely, rugby is played constantly with the players running around 5-8 miles in a match. There is no way US football players' bodies could support that mass and have enough fuel to play a continuous game for 60-90 minutes without much in the way of breaks. It is more like sumo wrestlers built for short violent collisions that require mass and some subtle coordination. Of course, those same athlese in the NFL could reengineer their bodies for rugby and would likely perform very well.
 
Last edited:

chattabama12

Scout Team
Oct 22, 2008
148
7
42
Hopefully this won't hijack the thread, but one rule that I have felt American Football could borrow from rugby is the "wrap up" rule. Not sure if that is it's official name, but it dictates that no rugby tackle can be performed without arms open in an attempt to wrap up the ball carrier. This rule could possibly cut down on the amount of spear tackles that seem to be so brutal. Could also increase the amount of neck injuries for the tackler so who really knows.
 

bamaslammer

All-American
Jan 8, 2003
4,440
1,101
282
Argo, AL, St Clair
www.kirkwoodhouse.com
Hopefully this won't hijack the thread, but one rule that I have felt American Football could borrow from rugby is the "wrap up" rule. Not sure if that is it's official name, but it dictates that no rugby tackle can be performed without arms open in an attempt to wrap up the ball carrier. This rule could possibly cut down on the amount of spear tackles that seem to be so brutal. Could also increase the amount of neck injuries for the tackler so who really knows.
I've never heard of that rule or seen it enforced. Basically when it came to tackling there were no rules in the American game. I could snatch someone down by the nostrils and nobody would call that.
 

DzynKingRTR

TideFans Legend
Dec 17, 2003
42,213
29,372
287
Vinings, ga., usa
from what I have seen of rugby, it looks like a game my friends and I played in our much younger days. we did not call it rugby, it was called another name that is not very PC and cannot be repeated here.
 

RammerJammer14

Hall of Fame
Aug 18, 2007
14,511
6,521
187
UA
I've never heard of that rule or seen it enforced. Basically when it came to tackling there were no rules in the American game. I could snatch someone down by the nostrils and nobody would call that.
Maybe they have changed the rules, but these days there is a tackle zone in Rugby Union. Nothing "high" above the shoulders, no going low below the knees. Several of those hits in the video were illegal-namely the clothes-lining.
 

CajunCrimson5

New Member
Mar 28, 2014
2
0
0
Hi Gents, This is my first post and I finally found a subject that I can definitely relate to. I played SEC football, at an unnamed rival, and when I did stop playing I started playing rugby for the next 13 years. I can honestly say that American football is more brutal but that is only due to the amount of protective equipment that we wore. There is defintiely a sense of invincibility wearing all of your gear. When i did start playing rugby there was a huge learning curve in regards to tackling properly and the injuries almost became a non-factor. I do have to say that I did play on the wing and was not subject to most of the wear and tear of playing in the pack but the hits were still brutal and definitely took time and many very sore mornings after matches.

I can defintiely attest that if there was any sport that I could go back and play competively again, it would definitely be rugby b/c it was played with much more comradierie and much more passion.
 

CajunCrimson5

New Member
Mar 28, 2014
2
0
0
Excellent opening salvo - and appreciate the insight. Did you ever try to take up your new sport overseas? I'm sure you've heard of Dan Lyle?
I did play overseas but mainly with my club based team out of New Orleans. We would travel to Scotland and the UK every summer to play friendlies against local club sides from there. The results were not usually in our favor but it was a great experience that I will remember forever. I do know of Dan Lyle and watched him play back in the late 90's and he was a great 8, which the US normally lacks
 

Padreruf

Hall of Fame
Feb 12, 2001
8,687
12,227
287
73
Charleston, South Carolina
Hi Gents, This is my first post and I finally found a subject that I can definitely relate to. I played SEC football, at an unnamed rival, and when I did stop playing I started playing rugby for the next 13 years. I can honestly say that American football is more brutal but that is only due to the amount of protective equipment that we wore. There is defintiely a sense of invincibility wearing all of your gear. When i did start playing rugby there was a huge learning curve in regards to tackling properly and the injuries almost became a non-factor. I do have to say that I did play on the wing and was not subject to most of the wear and tear of playing in the pack but the hits were still brutal and definitely took time and many very sore mornings after matches.

I can defintiely attest that if there was any sport that I could go back and play competively again, it would definitely be rugby b/c it was played with much more comradierie and much more passion.
Interesting...because after watching a little rugby, I had the thought that our helmets were hurting us rather than helping. If I don't have the feeling of invincibility, then I sure wouldn't stick my head into someone...at least not more than once! OTOH, how many Rugby players have a full set of teeth and no scars?
 

TideMan09

Hall of Fame
Jan 17, 2009
12,187
1,156
187
Anniston, Alabama
Thanks for your reply & insight on the subject CC5..You summed up quite nicely exactly why I feel American Footbal is more brutal of the two..And that's not a shot of disrespect toward rugby, cause the more I learn & watch it, the more I like it , and hope ESPN will air more live games for us to watch..The helmet used in American Football to me, is what makes it the more brutal sport(the facemask to be exact), cause it gives Players that false sense of safety & allows for the most brutal hits on the planet..It's great to meet ya Brother & hope you chime in often on the forum..It's great to have ex SEC Players point of view as we chat SEC Football..
Hi Gents, This is my first post and I finally found a subject that I can definitely relate to. I played SEC football, at an unnamed rival, and when I did stop playing I started playing rugby for the next 13 years. I can honestly say that American football is more brutal but that is only due to the amount of protective equipment that we wore. There is defintiely a sense of invincibility wearing all of your gear. When i did start playing rugby there was a huge learning curve in regards to tackling properly and the injuries almost became a non-factor. I do have to say that I did play on the wing and was not subject to most of the wear and tear of playing in the pack but the hits were still brutal and definitely took time and many very sore mornings after matches.

I can defintiely attest that if there was any sport that I could go back and play competively again, it would definitely be rugby b/c it was played with much more comradierie and much more passion.
 

BamaJama17

Hall of Fame
Sep 17, 2006
16,365
8
47
34
Hoover, AL
I'd say that within each if the perspective sports the other side would be at a disadvantage. #1 different rules and #2 different body types required. What they both have in common is that pads or no pads injuries are almost a guarantee for many players.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Bluegrasstide

1st Team
Oct 31, 2010
508
83
47
Pikeville KY
Rugby was a "club sport" at the university I attended. I went to the "new members" meeting. Some friends and I arrived at the meeting in hopes of joining the team. However, the cops broke the "meeting" up because of something about a noise ordinance and a couple of kegs present. I decided that was an omen of things to come, so I opted out.

However, I appreciate the sport. Basically, it was one big alcohol induced option play. With that said, I do have an admiration for the sport. I would have to side with the belief that it is a bit more brutal simply because they are no pads involved.
 

TitleWave

All-American
Dec 3, 2012
3,171
828
132
A slight digression, but did anybody make note of 'Bama's newest commitment, OL Richie Fontaine Petitbon of Washington D.C., playing on attack for his high school lacrosse team? That's some kind of athleticism for an attackman who goes 6-4, 305 pounds, in another tough contact sport.
 

Latest threads

TideFans.shop : 2024 Madness!

TideFans.shop - Get YOUR Bama Gear HERE!”></a>
<br />

<!--/ END TideFans.shop & item link \-->
<p style= Purchases made through our TideFans.shop and Amazon.com links may result in a commission being paid to TideFans.