Arent rugby and american football similar?

Answer 1

Yes. Two names - same game.

Answer 2

I'm like you - love football, rugby not so much. My best guess would be that, if you live in the US, you have virtually zero exposure to rugby, whereas you couldn't wake up in the States without hearing about football, seeing ads on TV, radio, billboards, magazines, etc. Football is part of American culture and rugby is that thing other English-speaking countries do b/c they don't play American football. Structurally, rugby and football are similar enough to be considered related, first cousins if you will. I think I would enjoy watching rugby a little more if I knew the rules a bit better so I could follow the action and had a better idea of the inner dynamics of the sport (who's good, who stinks, which teams have the biggest rivalries, who's the biggest star, etc.). But since that info is not forthcoming in mainstream America, it'll probably be something I never get into.

Answer 3

Ummm.... in a word... no

American Football has helmets and padding, rugby does not

In rugby one can only pass 'laterally', to use the American football term. American football has one forward pass.

In American football players are allowed to block the opposition's path to the ball carrier. In rugby this is illegal.

American Football has 4 'downs' to achieve 10 yards. Rugby continues until the ball is lost to the opposition, a penalty, or a free kick occur.

Rugby has far fewer stoppages of play (in a good game anyway).

In rugby a try (touchdown) is worth 5 points and the conversion (extra point) is 2. In American football it is 6 and 1 respectively.

But as a player who has played both I find the biggest difference to be the style of contact... American football contact is much more head-on... A majority of rugby tackling is side to side...

As there are fewer stoppages rugby seems a much faster game and requires a much higher level of cardiovascular fitness.

Similarities:
The fields are pretty much the same...
The ball is kinda the same shape (although a rugby ball is much easier to kick)

Other differences are really getting into rule technicalities...

You'll get a lot of Amercians telling you rugby is an anything goes sport and that rugby players can't deliver a "hit"... neither is true.. I've seen hits on a rugby field just as sick as any in Americna football...

Also Rugby fans will tell you American Football is for wusses who are scared of getting hit.. this is most definitely not true!!!

Cheers!

Daryl

Answer 4

Similar yes, in the fact that they both try to get a ball in the goal. Same no. Football has more rules to avoid injury. Football players wear pads and helmets, there are penalties for unsportsman like conduct,such as grabbing the face mask or necks or tackling after they let go of the ball. Rugby has none of this. Rugby is virtually an anything goes sports.

Answer 5

Football was taken from the concepts of rugby by an Army general that wanted a more regimented type of sport.

Football became so brutal that it required more and more protection to ensure the physical well being of it's players.

Now, American football is considered a high intensity, high impact, collision sport.

It's good to have rugby players on the team because they are in good shape and already know how to take a hit...all they need to learn is how to deliver a hit with all of that padding on.

Answer 6

They used to be in the early part of the 20th century, but the allowance for the forward pass in American football dramatically changed the game. Modern padding in the American game came about for safety reasons, mainly because of the massive rash of injuries in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, though padding and helmets have been around since the 1920s or earlier to some extent.

Answer 7

there are many differences most of them mentioned by other people but one i didn't see mentioned is rugby players stay on the Field for the whole game except for injuries i believe American football changes the teams for attack /def fence [please correct me if i am wrong i don't know that much about American football

TO THE WHERE AM I FROM QUESTION would you be a KIWI or an AUSSIE

Answer 8

similar apart from all the padding, and the forward pass rule in rugby, and the kicking rules, and the scoring system. so i would say rugby is as similar to septic "football" as the Saturn 5 rocket is similar to a Fiat Panda.

Answer 9

They appear similar, but when you consider them in more detail, you find them to be two very different sports.

Answer 10

DO NOT i repeat DO NOT compare these two rugby is a game ,American so called football is a joke just look at the irony in the name the game that's played entirely by hand is called football ,funny ain't it.now guess where im from.

Answer 11

yes but only to some extinct