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How come NFL players wear helmet & pads while Rugby players dont?
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by kookcle,
- Start date
dontsteponmyshoes
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Yeah this college rugby is weak, I tried watchin some. The rugby i used to always see back in the day like on fox sports or somethin had the ref wearin all white jackets and lil white hats. Whenever dudes scored a touchdown or whatever its called for rugby, the ref would do the Gilbert Arenas six shooter.
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Two completely different sports. Neither is "softer" than the other. It's actually really annoying when ESPN (and NBC this weekend) tries to dumb down rugby and present it in terms of football.
Tackling in rugby is much more contained--in attempting a tackle, the players are required to wrap-up the player to bring them down. It's not like in football where players are armed with pads and a helmet and can run full speed and launch themselves at other players.
Also, in rugby, everyone is playing on offense and defense. People have to conserve their energy and get back in position, as the clock doesn't stop and the ball is lateraled constantly and you have to be on your toes to continue coverage. In football, defensive players can just worry about lighting up the one dude who has the ball, and if successful, the play is over and you worry about the next down.
Tackling in rugby is much more contained--in attempting a tackle, the players are required to wrap-up the player to bring them down. It's not like in football where players are armed with pads and a helmet and can run full speed and launch themselves at other players.
Also, in rugby, everyone is playing on offense and defense. People have to conserve their energy and get back in position, as the clock doesn't stop and the ball is lateraled constantly and you have to be on your toes to continue coverage. In football, defensive players can just worry about lighting up the one dude who has the ball, and if successful, the play is over and you worry about the next down.
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They used to play football without pads and helmets back in the 1800's. Too many guys were dying from major hits, and it was close to being banned.
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Ignorance.
I grew up playing American football in Texas, and now play rugby at Arizona State.
I like Rugby better.
As for the question posed, NFL players don't wear pads because that's how American football is played.
The rules of either sport have nothing to do with how 'tough' the players are. Those are just the rules that the respective sports play by.
Having said that, in my humble opinion, rugby is more difficult. And although it's just my opinion, it's more credible than the opinion of everyone who hasn't played both sports, which I'm guessing is at least 95% of people in here.
I grew up playing American football in Texas, and now play rugby at Arizona State.
I like Rugby better.
As for the question posed, NFL players don't wear pads because that's how American football is played.
The rules of either sport have nothing to do with how 'tough' the players are. Those are just the rules that the respective sports play by.
Having said that, in my humble opinion, rugby is more difficult. And although it's just my opinion, it's more credible than the opinion of everyone who hasn't played both sports, which I'm guessing is at least 95% of people in here.
DeadsetAce
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^ your avy is wild man
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It's way over the
...nah I won't say it
....
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Oh, and to OP:
If you're trying to gain more respect/attention for rugby, firing shots at American football is not the right way to do it.
I think rugby is better, but I have mad love for American football, too. Don't alienate the people you're trying to 'impress.'
If you're trying to gain more respect/attention for rugby, firing shots at American football is not the right way to do it.
I think rugby is better, but I have mad love for American football, too. Don't alienate the people you're trying to 'impress.'
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look at the rugby players compared to the nfl players, then you should know why
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kmart23 wrote:
haha exactly them dudes dont get paid jack
You sir, are an idiot.
Professional rugby players in Europe get paid very well.
Almost all of those dudes get endorsement deals. All of the starters, at all of the positions. How many lineman in the League do you see w endorsement deals?
Exactly, hardly any at all.
Knowing that, I would say that the average professional rugby player in Europe is better off financially than the average NFL player.
DT43 wrote:
i'm watching this NCAA rugby championship on TV right now.. its pretty entertaining but this ishh is not violent at ALL.
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You were watching 7's rugby. Only 7 men on each team to cover the whole football field.
It's extremely hard to stop ppl when there's that much space, so not a lot of hitting occurs. It's a %$$% load of running though
a LOT different than rugby league, which is 15 man rugby. Go play a match of 15s and tell me it's not violent bro
Whew, now that I've addressed the ignorance in this thread...
To answer your question OP, it's very simple. They're different games with different rules.
And as somebody said, different athletes. A lot of these rugby dudes are right around the same size. 6' 220 pounds. You're not seeing anybody close to 300
In conclusion, Rugby is a hooligan's game played by gentlemen.
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I Love american Football
i dont even understand most of the rugby rules. like i said in the first post i just thought of this topic when i came across NBC's coverage of NCAA rugby, then youtubed some highlights and saw that the two sports ,in terms of hits/tackles, are pretty much the same. Rugby players just seem to be getting more of the blindside hit because they often have to look backwards to pass instead of looking ahead while on the run. The only "protection" ive seen is pretty much the leather helmets that some guys wear.
big j 33
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Different types of contact.
kdawg
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Yeah, those are really just scrum caps - they're there to stop your ears getting messed up - you do see a few outfield players wearing them too though - the South African stand-off always wears one for some reason.
kdawg
Staff member
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It's the skill that most translates - other than that they're basically completely different games. Quite a few kickers (who aren't just kickers but play an outfield position too then kick) decide to try fort he NFL when they get older.
The kicking in the NFL is generally easier too - they're all pretty much straight on - in rugby you have to kick field goals or drop goals from anywhere on the field. Sure you don't really have people running at you but the kicks themselves are harder.
