Which is physically tougher Rugby or American Football?

Question

I think Rugby!
Would suggest any football fans giving rugby a chance....6 nations this weekend.
If you think Football is better than Rugby interested to know the reason's why abusive or not.

Answer 1

I'm an American, and I would say Rugby...No protection and it is sort of like a combination of soccer and football...The scrum is pretty physical...In football, players are protected everywhere possible...with a helmet, shoulder pads, leg pads, shin guards, and a cup...

Answer 2

When you say physical I guess you mean contact, for if you mean physical in an aerobic sense biking , swimming, basketball is tougher in that way. So to answer your question no, I do not agree that rugby is a tougher game than football. At no point in the game of rugby do they take 50 yard, full speed runs at each other, rugby players are smaller, slower, and the game does not have the collisions of football. The advent of the padding in football was brought about because of the number of football players killed and maimed in the early days of the sport, injuries that have never been common to rugby. In addition, if you know anything about the sports rugby players play well in to their 40's wheras 99% of football players cannot play at the elite levels past their early 30's.

Answer 3

It depends upon what you mean by "tougher". Aerobically, even basketball is tougher than football; however, football is by far more dangerous.

Rugby requires that a player be a jack of all trade, while football is a sport that has become very specialized. Rugby is also what I consider a "stamina sport", where players must pace themselves during the long halves with few breaks. Football requires that players go at full speed, albeit for short periods. They have numerous breaks in today's game. Beyond the high school level, there are really no two-way players, nowadays.

Rugby may not have pads, but they also do not have any 350 pounders slamming into you either. Both can be physically grueling, yet in their own ways.

Answer 4

In this comparison Rugby would be like Swimming from France to New York City and Football would be riding a golf cart.... But seriously I played Rugby for 3 years and Football is so unbelieveably easy now I laugh at the guys who are cryin about practice bein hard... Trust me, Rugby kills you, but everything in life is easier after Rugby and Wrestling, I wrestled for 2 years as well...

Answer 5

Cardio wise, Rugby is tougher...
overall, it will be football.
In rugby, the lack of protection limits the impact in collisions.

Add the padding, and some folks think it makes them bullet proof. Internally, though, your body just isn't designed for 60 car wrecks in any given day. You gotta be fit if you expect to do that every week for 3 or 4 months.

Answer 6

Rugby is. But you must consider most Americans do not know what it is. They don`t know it is a fat football and you do not where protective padding. And Footballs here are skinny rugby balls and the round ones are soccer balls here. But I think the all round rough sport that most nations recognize is Hockey. How many hockey players have all there teeth. lol

Answer 7

Rugby is clearly physically tougher. They play football with no equipment.

Answer 8

Rugby is a harder sport for sure....not really in the whole makin plays and everything just in the whole physical aspect of the game and sheer brutality!! Love em both!!

Answer 9

rugby

Answer 10

Rugby no doubt! All they do is usually tape their ears back so someone can't rip them off. And to protect them from Mike Tyson if he ever decided to play!