The 4 Most Critical Differences between Rugby and American Football
A short, definitive guide for fans of all shapes and sizes
(*Note: The reference to “rugby” in this article is to the more popular and well-known version of rugby, which is rugby union and not rugby league.)
Both these sports have die-hard and consequently often irreverent fans around the world. The similarities between the two are plain to see on the face of it: big men, chasing oval balls around, tackling each other and trying to put points on the scoreboard in batches of seven. It therefore makes sense that people would try to compare them on their points of difference but I’ve found that often the argument is skewed one way or the other, depending on who’s making it.
So, first of all, let me just state that this is not going to be one of those articles that tells you that either sport is better than the other. As a former professional rugby player and an avid NFL fan for many years, I’ve come to appreciate the nuances in both that might not be obvious to the casual observer and since I’ve had the question asked a few times, I thought I might as well put my observations to paper. So, no, rugby fans, it’s not as simple as “American football players are sissies because they wear helmets and pads” and no, American Football fans, it’s not as…
