Football VS Rugby players...

[rezznor]

1. who are tougher?
2. who are better athletes?

[mbell75]

Lots of Rugby players and fans think the NFL is weaker because they wear helmets and pads which is silly. Whats the average size of a rugby player? 5'10 205 lbs maybe? I never really see any BIG rugby players. Let them try taking a hit from a 6'5 260 lbs NFL player who can run a 4.6 40 running full speed and see how they feel about that

[LuppersGB]

vs



who would you rather meet down a dark alley?

[sunsfan1357]

I think the toughness factor can be a toss up while there's no doubt that NFL players are more athletic.

[RedBlackAttack]

Two totally different sports and two totally different kinds of athletes. Rugby requires incredible endurance (like soccer), because it is non-stop. The NFL requires incredible, short bursts of athleticism.

Those that claim rugby isn't as difficult because the players aren't as big or as bulky strong are wrong, because players in the NFL would be exhausted a few minutes into a game. Those that claim that NFL players are pansies because they wear pads are wrong, because if you tried to go against the guys in the NFL during these short bursts of full-speed, nearly no-holds-barred contact, you would seriously be risking your life.

Too different to even compare...

[LuppersGB]

I think the toughness factor can be a toss up while there's no doubt that NFL players are more athletic.

i don't watch a lot of NFL...how long does the average player actually play per game?
Is it 80 mins? I don't think so. Rugby players also happen to play both offence and defence for that duration. They each play against a massive size range of opposition players ranging from a wing(similar to a wr) about 6'1 190 to a prop ( maybe a centre comparison) about 6'1 290 or a lock (no comparison) who comes in at 6'5 290. All of them doing a full 80min shift. rugby players are most probably better athletes

[lefthook00]

NFL players > Rugby players. The top athletes from the genetic gene pool go to the NFL and NBA. NFL players are stronger, faster, more explosive. I've played both, and the tackling in rugby is different, there is more dragging down/tackling than there are hits or full speed collisions. People think that NFL players wear helmets/pad b/c it's more p*ssy, but it's actually the opposite. Helmets/pads are necessary for the health of the players. Rugby players don't have pads not b/c they are more hardcore, they don't have pads b/c the game isn't violent enough to need pads. A player would be paralyzed, get their skull cracked open, or die every single game if football players didn't have helmets/pads.

[Mikaiel]

100m sprinters vs decathletes, who are the better athletes ?

[LuppersGB]

this years six nations - scotland vs wales had like 3 hospitalisations in the 1st half. rugby is just a dangerous as nfl. yes linebakers and the like are big but there are some hella big rugby guys out their who can do some serious damage

[west_tip]

the common denominator is polynesians.

id like to see manu samoa play american samoa in 2 games, one rugby rules the other american football.

[RedBlackAttack]

this years six nations - scotland vs wales had like 3 hospitalisations in the 1st half. rugby is just a dangerous as nfl. yes linebakers and the like are big but there are some hella big rugby guys out their who can do some serious damage

It may be as dangerous only because rugby players wear no padding. Even then, I don't really think so. It is very difficult to catch someone off-guard and hit them with all of your weight, power and speed when you are running the entire length of the field 200x nonstop.

As I said, the short bursts of action in American football allow for maximum energy and speed on every play. If you took padding off of the players, there would literally be multiple deaths each week. The game is far too fast and the players are far too big.

There may be some big rugby players out there, but I can pretty much guarantee that every team in the NFL has at least three linebackers bigger (not 'flabby' big like some linemen) than any rugby player. You just cannot be as big as the guy's in the NFL and play a game like rugby.

[sergiorodriguez]

Football players don't have the endurance to play a full rugby match, not the massive linemen or linebackers atleast, and taking a hit without pads is way different from taking a hit with pads.

Rugby players aren't big enough or explosive enough (the majority, though there are alot of top quality athletes in rugby who could play NFL if they wanted to) for the short stop start play in american football.

Both are real tough and amazing athletes, it's like sprinters vs distance runners how can you compare the two , who are the better runners?

[Knuck the Ficks]

As RBA has already said a gridiron player would have almost no chance in rugby and vice versa. You could argue that some of the forwards in rugby would find a place in the NFL while someone like Larry Fitzgerald could play as a rugby winger.

[G-train]

Australian Rules Football - The Greatest Game on Earth. :)

[rezznor]

Australian Rules Football - The Greatest Game on Earth. :)

is this not the same as rugby?