Blog

Rugby And American Football – What’s The Difference?

Rugby and American football – When consider that American football and rugby share many similarities, with American sport evolving from rugby in the 19th century. However, there is still a difference between the 2 sports. Keep reading this article below for more. 

What’s the difference between Rugby And American Football?

In the following section, we will compare the fields, rules, players, balls, and shoes between the two famous sports.

Comparison: Australian Football vs American Football

Compare football field

The fields used in these sports look identical. Accordingly, the two fields are both rectangular, with goalposts at either end and white lines delineating certain field areas. Football fields are 300 feet (91.44 m) long from one goal line to the other. Besides, rugby grounds are 328.1 feet (100 m) long and substantially broader.

Although they are wider at various lesser levels of American sport, the goalposts are around the same size. The uprights of a rugby goalpost are 18.4 feet (5.6 m) apart. The crossbar is 9.8 feet (3 m) above the ground. 

Football goalposts can be H-shaped, although they frequently have a single post in the center on the ground and two uprights that rise from the crossbar. The uprights are either 18.5 feet (5.64 m) or 23.33 (7.11 m) apart. The crossbar is 10 feet (3.05 m) above the ground. The goalposts are located at the back of each end zone in football as opposed to being on each goal line or try-line in rugby.

Rules Comparison

rugby and american football rules comparison

The difference in the rules of 2 sports is the size of the teams. A rugby union team may have 15 players on the field at once. However, an American football team may only have 11 players on the field at once. Rugby games last 80 minutes, consisting of two 40-minute halves. In contrast, Gridiron games last 60 minutes and there are four sub-quarters.

Another difference between rugby and American football is that in Rugger, hand passes of the ball forward are not permitted. In Gridiron, a single forward pass is acceptable per play. Players can kick the ball in both games.

The objective is to accumulate as many points as you can, as we previously stated (the only sport that seems to be an exception to this is golf). In Gridiron, players strive to cross their opponent’s goal line with the ball in order to score touchdowns. Rugger players try to score a try by kicking the ball over the opposition’s line and down to the ground.

Only seven substitutions are permitted throughout the whole rugby match. Unless there are no more substitutions or the last substitution is on an injury, a player cannot rejoin the action once they leave the field. When it comes to substitutes in American football, there are no restrictions or limitations.

What Is The Difference Between Australian Football vs Rugby?

Players Comparison

Players Comparison

When it comes to the difference between rugby and American football in the number of players, each team has 11 players on the field at once during a football match. Depending on the form of Rugger being played, there may be more or fewer players on the field. Rugger has two main variations. In rugby union, it has 15 players on the field, and rugby league has 13 players. There are additional variants of these games that employ fewer people, such as eight-man football and rugby sevens, in which each team consists of seven players.

In addition, Gridiron enjoys enormous popularity in both the United States and Canada, where it is played in leagues like the National Football League (NFL) and the Canadian Football League (CFL), respectively.

Compare the ball, boots

Compare the ball, boots

Depending on the game and the age of the players, these sports employ various-sized inflated, oblong balls. Full-size balls in both sports are quite alike. The size will be 11 inches (27.94 cm) long, 21 to 24 inches (53.3 to 61 cm) around at their widest points. Moreover, it weighs 14 to 16 ounces (397 to 454 g). Rugby balls are slightly larger in the center, while American footballs are more pointed at each end. Although the balls in both games are frequently manufactured of synthetic materials, authentic leather balls are utilized at the highest levels of Gridiron.

The gear that athletes wear while playing makes a big difference between rugby and American football. Players in Gridiron protect their joints with padding on their knees, thighs, hips, and other places while also donning hard helmets with face masks. Rugger players often don’t wear any protection at all. Although wearing hard protective gear is not permitted, some people wear soft cushioning to protect their ears, shoulders, and collarbones.

Equipment for Rugby: The essential choice for players

In short, despite differing greatly in size, rules, or equipment, the two sports rank high in the list of famous sports. Remember to follow our website American football terms to not miss any latest news about these 2 sports.

Thanks for reading!

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button