Throughout the years there has always been a debate about what is the better and aggressive sport - Rugby or American Football. I will give background on both sports so you will be able to have a brief idea and make up your own decision.
Rugby is one of Britain’s most popular sports, which found its place in the 19th century. It is a sport which people would say is a thuggish and a strong sport, but everyone has their own opinion on sport.
The aim of the game is simple as many other sports - to make more goals than the opposite team. However, there are many different ways to score a point.
- A Try - Five points are awarded for touching the ball down in your opponent's goal area.
- A Conversion - Two points are added for a successful kick through the goalposts after a try
- A Goal kick - Three points are awarded for a penalty kick or drop goal through the posts
In Rugby the equipment you need to wear is pretty simple: there isn’t really a lot you need.
What you must wear is:
- rugby shirt
- rugby shorts
- socks and boots
All the equipment below is all optional gear that players can wear with choice:
- mouth guard
- shin guards
- head gear
- non-rigid shoulder pads
Because rugby is a contact sport players from each side of the team are allowed to make contact with the ball carrier to either prevent them from making it to the other side or forcing the ball out of their grip.
When making contact with another player there are certain Laws/Rules you must follow:
- A player may tackle an opposing player who has the ball by holding them while bringing them to ground.
- Tacklers cannot tackle above the shoulder and the tackler has to attempt to wrap their arms around the player being tackled to complete the tackle.
- It is illegal to push, shoulder-charge, or to trip a player using feet or legs, but hands may be used
Next I am going to share some information on American football. The same way I explain different things to do with rugby I am going to do with American Football.
American Football is one of the most popular and biggest sports played within the American region and are also attracting several countries around the globe.
American football which supposedly found its way in around 1879 is an evolved version of rugby itself. Within the rules and the way the sport is played you would be able to spot the similarities between the two sports.
The aim of American football is for the offensive team to try and get the ball to the end zone without the Defensive team stopping them, and as with rugby, the team with the most points wins.
There are different ways and options into making these attempts successful which are:
- Touchdown - Equals to 6 points when the ball is carried or caught across the goal line into the end zone
- Extra point (1 Point) - Immediately following a touchdown, the ball is placed at the opponent's two-yard line, where the offense team will kick the ball to make an extra point
- Two-point conversion (2 points) - Immediately following a touchdown the offense can chose to make a Two-Point conversion instead of a Extra point by running or throwing the ball into the end zone with a successful catch or run
- Field Goal – Awarded 3 Points when the ball is kicked anywhere on the field on a down.
- Safety - Given 2 Points when the offensive ball carrier is tackled behind his own goal line
When playing a game of American football there is a lot of gear a player must wear to protect themselves from the ferocious tackles they will receive.
Below is a list of all the gear that is needed:
- Helmet
- Gum Shield
- Shoulder Pads
- Leg pads
- Legs pants
- Cleats
- Jersey
- Socks
All these pieces of equipment that are listed are what every single player on the field has to wear and if a player hasn’t got one of these they won’t be able to participate in the match.
American Football is another contact sport very similar to rugby, but the difference is that the tackling in American football is more intense and greater even with the gear they wear.
Like in rugby there are rules and regulations you’ll have to oblige by when it comes to making contact, these different rules are:
- Players are not permitted to grab the face mask of another play to bring him down.
- When making a tackle, the defensive player can grab his opponent’s jersey or body in an attempt to stop his forward process
- Only Defensive players can make a tackle unless a fumble happens and defensive player gets possession of the ball
- You are allowed to grab the ball carriers leg in attempt to tripping him up
- A helmet to helmet collision is not allowed
- Tackling the ball carrier from behind is not allowed
Below I will show two different video's so you can see with your own eyes how the two sports are, the hype, the pump ups and the attacks.
So, which sport would you choose to play – or which do you play already? Let us know in the comments below which is your favourite out of Rugby or American Football?
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