Do you think American Football is just a wimps way of playing Rugby?

Answer 1

Yes and calling it football seems a little daft as they rarely kick it. Not that it ever surprised me, they never have got the hang of the english language.

Answer 2

Clone1973 makes a good point, if Rugby players were so much better, you'd see them crossing over into the NFL where they can make millions. But that never happens. Every once in awhile you'll see an Aussie rules guy like Darren Bennett come over and play kicker (which is the wussiest position on the field). Bennett tackled like a girl BTW. The games are just different, you don't really get hit in Rugby( by football standards). In football, the sizes of players varies so much from position to position, that you can get a 350lb lineman hitting a 190lb reciever, thats why they wear helmets. As for the shoulder pads, well, they're little more than weapons, they protect the person doing the hitting, not the person being hit. They allow you to run full speed into someones back without worrying about breaking your collarbone. Those kinds of hits are not possible in Rugby.

Answer 3

No you can't compare the two games other than the shape of the ball, yes rugby is a hard contact sport but the contact you have in American football is completely different, due to the fact the players are padded up. How often do you see a Rugby player fly 5 feet into the air and do a complete 360 before hitting the ground as he has been hit hard by another player running almost as fast as an Olympic sprinter. I enjoy both games and have played both, because of the padding the contact in AF is a lot harder, but also without the padding rugby players are as likely to be injured.
People shouldn't judge until they have tried it I know lots of rugby players who now enjoy AF but also some who returned to Rugby it's all down to personal preference.

Answer 4

Having played rugby for many many years and had more than a few goes at American Football, then it is easy to that neither is a game for wimps, unlike football(soccer).
Because of the pads you can put in bigger hits in American Football whereas in rugby there may be a lower level of contact but it goes on for longer. An American Football game is basically one phase of play but in a good game of rugby you can be playing multiple phases for long periods of time.

They are different games with different skills required and are difficlt to compare directly.

Answer 5

No. The average playing career of an American Footballer is three years.Each time the running backs hit a deffensive player the impact is (on average) like hitting a brick wall at thirty miles an hour. More American Footballers end up paralised or in wheelchairs than any other team, contact sport. Most of the players involved in attacking/deffending the Quarter Back, end up suffering from severe arthritis (and worse). If a team goes to the Superbowl, all those extra games take there toll on the depth of players within those teams as injuries are heightened due to fatigue and lack of rest time.

Probably, the most noticable and important difference between the two sports is that in a Rugby tackle you mainly wrap up the opponent in a tackle. In American Football you do wrap up too, but if your going head on or even side on, the text book says bury your face cage into the ribs/chest, following on for a second hit to the chin to lift the head, get your hands/fists under the base of the shoulder pads and drive the opponent backwards and into the ground. Do this properly and they opponent will not get up until he has at best got his breath back (at worst, you'll end his career). If he does get up, he'll be made to go to the toilet to make sure he is not pissing blood. Only then will he be allowed back on the field. The average size of an American Footballer is something like Jonah Lomoa (18 stone) and they are faster, stronger and fitter than your average Rugby Player (pro). And whether you agree with steroids or not these guys are on them. These increase there strength, speed and fitness, but they also make them much more agressive too, some of these guys would kill you on a field of play. The authorities in the game deny this, but I know players who didn't make it because of their ethics!

Answer 6

Rugby is a sport for guys with too much testosterone, ohh is that word to big for you rugby players I'll try to dumb it down. In Rugby you throw the ball around and hit people, sounds like what I used to do in 3rd grade, But Football on the other hand is a sport where you hit people yea, but you have to be smart to play it. There are complex coverages and plays that Rugby doesn't even come close to having. And Football players have to be faster and stronger to play what is sounding more manly now?

Answer 7

To keep it blunt and to the point, for those who think American Football is wimpy version of Rugby, line up with a 6'8" 260 pound LB who runs a 4.3 40 matter of fact a DB thats a foot shorter and 80 lbs less, have them hit and see how wimpy they are. in my humble opinion these are two different sports but since the comparison is being made ill offer this opinion rugby players are too small to play American Football thus the fact that they arent wearing any gear is mute collisions won't be as forceful.

Answer 8

No, I have played both. In the 80s I went for a trial with an American Football team that were based in Preston called Preston Pirates. It was as rough as Rugby but the tackes aren't mainly at knee height as they are in rugby, it is also a lot quicker, as in there is a sudden burst whereas in rugby, union especially, mauls rumble rather than crash.
Also, many of the professional players that you see are wearing padding. I am not saying that one is softer than the other, I am saying that padding is worn because it is needed.

Answer 9

No American football players are faster, stronger and better overall athletes. American football is 100 times more interesting than Rugby because you have great QB's and near world class speed at WR.

Rugby = boring, American Football = Excitement

Answer 10

Other way around actually. Rugby is wimps imitation of real football, American football.

Answer 11

As someone who has played both football and rugby in college,
I would say no.
I know there are no pads in rugby but that works both ways.
Ruggers playing defence do not hit you as hard when they don't have pads on. There is the aspect of the increased amount of running in rugby but I think you'd be hard pressed to find too many football players who are wimps.