NFL vs NRL what's tougher?

[BoyFromAus]

what do you think is tougher. American Football or Rugby?

I think American football is tougher because although you have padding and all that stuff which is seen as 'pussy', the actual game purely involves power and full strength in short bursts. Not to mention the dudes are much bigger than in NRL.

But I enjoy watching Rugby a lot more.

 

[jakellpet]

Old skool NRL would wipe their arses with those NFL pie-boys

 

[RenegadeRows]

I've seen some nasty rugby hits, and there's no pads.

On the other hand, american football players are alot bigger and just as fast...

I choose Option C - Boxing

 

[Rugger]

American football players are not bigger than world level rugby players... except maybe linemen, but they are FAT. How many pro ruggers do you see that are legitimately fat? None, most of them are ripped to the bone.
Rugby also is a game of power and short bursts of speed, but also requires insane endurance, something football does not.

The biggest difference is that football pads and helmets allow players go 100% and helmet first spear people. You cant do that in rugby because you'll die so it requires 100% speed and skill to tackle someone. You also don't see 260 pound monsters being tackled often in football, usually just small gangly guys with a few exceptions.

In the end, hits in both sports knock people out, but it happens more in rugby. You don't see many professional ruggers with straight noses and a full mouth of teeth. Rugby requires as much speed, as much strength and far more endurance. The answer is pretty clear to me. With that said, no one is arguing that football isn't a tough sport, but anyone who argues that it's tougher is truly kidding themselves.

 

[Chub]

American football players are not bigger than world level rugby players...
Rugby also is a game of power and short bursts of speed, but also requires insane endurance, something football does not.

The biggest difference is that football pads and helmets allow players go 100% and helmet first spear people. You can do that in rugby because you'll die so it requires 100% speed and skill to tackle someone. You also don't see 260 pound monsters being tackled often in football, usually just small gangly guys with a few exceptions.

what he said

Rugby is a lot more fun to watch than American football.

3 days till 6 nations

 

[Mulletsoldier]

Rugby players bite, claw, punch, and generally destroy each other in a scrum. NFL is more powerful, whereas Rug is a tougher sport. Afraid to say that the NHL is a tougher league than both.

 

[rugger48]

Cant believe i didnt see this one. i will add my opinion here, might ruffle a few feathers, but here it goes. If your comparing which one is toughest it is really up to what you mean by tough. Do you mean hardest hitting I would have to say American football, because of the pads. The pads in american football basically turn the body into a weapon, the guys wearing them almost feel indestructable wearing them and throw their bodys around as such. The only comparison to rugby league that might be a physical is the State of Origin series, which is a 3 game rugby league series between NSW and Queensland, those matches are an absolute blood bath and are probably the hardest hitting rugby league matches I have ever seen.

 

[b unit]

let's get one thing straight, NRL is rugby league not rugby union

rugby league is tougher (hits wise and fitness wise) than rugby union

rugby union used to be one of the roughest sports until rucking was basically removed from the game in the mid 90's

rugby league is faster with less stoppages than both rugby union or the nfl

nfl teams have a offesive team and a defensive team whereas in both union and league you play both

nfl is more strategic yet way slower to watch

nfl players earn way more money than either codes

rugby union is played in more contries (especially the 7's form of the game)

 

[Iron Warrior]

They did a study about this in a sports science show and Quentin Jammer's hit was almost twice as powerful as the hit by some pro rugger. They are different sports but both require you to have the nerve to play through a lot of pain. The NFL limits its season to just 16 games due to the physical damage that players go through. I don't know if you guys have played defensive tackle like I did but some days it was a challenge to get out of bed and take a piss in the morning.

 

[pistonpump]

i mean not that anyone is biased or anything :lol:
two guys named rugger and a bunch of aussies and a canadian..... hmmm
As a sport rugby is pretty tough but if you put some of those NFL guys in there and taught them how to play im sure those ruggers would be getting laid out even more. Imo the stronger and faster athletes are in NFL.

 

[Iron Warrior]

i mean not that anyone is biased or anything :lol:
two guys named rugger and a bunch of aussies and a canadian..... hmmm
As a sport rugby is pretty tough but if you put some of those NFL guys in there and taught them how to play im sure those ruggers would be getting laid out even more. Imo the stronger and faster athletes are in NFL.

I was thinking along the lines that NFL players endure more physical pain. Even hits that don't seem "bad" on TV can have damaging effects, especially when you're a lineman and no one pays much attention to what you're doing besides your line coach.

BTW, Quentin Jammer at 205 looked more jacked than the 220-230 pound ruggers that were on that sports science show and Jammer is just a corner back. Ruggers and hockey players are tough but NFL players endure more pain IMO.

 

[BurghHardcore]

i mean not that anyone is biased or anything :lol:
two guys named rugger and a bunch of aussies and a canadian..... hmmm
As a sport rugby is pretty tough but if you put some of those NFL guys in there and taught them how to play im sure those ruggers would be getting laid out even more. Imo the stronger and faster athletes are in NFL.

Agreed. Although you have to be tough as a coffin nail to play rugby, the sheer amount of force in a given impact does not compare to the NFL. And yes, it is because of the pads. But if you are going to try and say that if you taught...say...Joey Porter, how to play Rugby that he wouldn't be ripping people new *******s your full of it. The NFL has just as good athletes as the NRL. And some of those "FAT" lineman will surprise you with their athleticism.

I'm not really sure if I have a clear point there lol. Both are tough sports, very tough. No....NHL isn't as tough as either, sorry, but that's just my .02. Each sport is played differently and you need different attributes and skill sets to succeed in either. For the Rugby guys, watch clips of Jack Lambert, Jack Tatum, Dik Butkus (wouldn't let me put the C lol), Ronnie Lott, and RICHARD "Night Train" Lane. Those are some tough guys. I would like to see a few clips of some of the Rugby tough guys to watch, I'm sure they're absolutely brutal to watch.

 

[Iron Warrior]

Agreed. Although you have to be tough as a coffin nail to play rugby, the sheer amount of force in a given impact does not compare to the NFL. And yes, it is because of the pads. But if you are going to try and say that if you taught...say...Joey Porter, how to play Rugby that he wouldn't be ripping people new *******s your full of it. The NFL has just as good athletes as the NRL. And some of those "FAT" lineman will surprise you with their athleticism.

I'm not really sure if I have a clear point there lol. Both are tough sports, very tough. No....NHL isn't as tough as either, sorry, but that's just my .02. Each sport is played differently and you need different attributes and skill sets to succeed in either. For the Rugby guys, watch clips of Jack Lambert, Jack Tatum, Dik Butkus (wouldn't let me put the C lol), Ronnie Lott, and RICHARD "Night Train" Lane. Those are some tough guys. I would like to see a few clips of some of the Rugby tough guys to watch, I'm sure they're absolutely brutal to watch.

Don't forget that Ronnie Lott chose to have his finger amputated rather than missing the Play-Offs in 1981

 

[BurghHardcore]

Don't forget that Ronnie Lott chose to have his finger amputated rather than missing the Play-Offs in 1981

Yeah I was going to mention that, but figured it would have come up easily enough if anyone had actually looked Ronnie Lott up. One of my all time favorites!

 

[rugger48]

let's get one thing straight, NRL is rugby league not rugby union

rugby league is tougher (hits wise and fitness wise) than rugby union

rugby union used to be one of the roughest sports until rucking was basically removed from the game in the mid 90's

rugby league is faster with less stoppages than both rugby union or the nfl

nfl teams have a offesive team and a defensive team whereas in both union and league you play both

nfl is more strategic yet way slower to watch

nfl players earn way more money than either codes

rugby union is played in more contries (especially the 7's form of the game)

I think you mean rugby league here.

 

[rugger48]

i mean not that anyone is biased or anything :lol:
two guys named rugger and a bunch of aussies and a canadian..... hmmm
As a sport rugby is pretty tough but if you put some of those NFL guys in there and taught them how to play im sure those ruggers would be getting laid out even more. Imo the stronger and faster athletes are in NFL.

I would take a New zealand prop in a powerlifting comp all day, before i took an NFL player. Also if you see my post I did say the NFL is harder hitting.

 

[b unit]

Don't forget that Ronnie Lott chose to have his finger amputated rather than missing the Play-Offs in 1981

"Buck" Shelford playing his 2nd test against France in 1986 in the 20th minute had his scrotom ripped open by the stud of a rugby boot that left one testicle hanging out. He went to the side line and had his scrotum stitched up and played on for over an hour till the end of the game.

 

[b unit]

A good NRL player will play over 30games of high impact league in the space of one season.

 

[pistonpump]

I would take a New zealand prop in a powerlifting comp all day, before i took an NFL player. Also if you see my post I did say the NFL is harder hitting.

a prop? whats that a propeller? haha seriously idk what u mean....im a stupid american. :lol:

its not that i was saying that you were saying rugby is tougher or harder or whatever i was kinda just trying to point out the obvious bias by a bunch of posters in this thread, kinda amusing at first.

 

[rugger48]

a prop? whats that a propeller? haha seriously idk what u mean....im a stupid american. :lol:

its not that i was saying that you were saying rugby is tougher or harder or whatever i was kinda just trying to point out the obvious bias by a bunch of posters in this thread, kinda amusing at first.

Im american also. Pick up Rugby Union about 18 years ago, loved it.

 

[Iron Warrior]

"Buck" Shelford playing his 2nd test against France in 1986 in the 20th minute had his scrotom ripped open by the stud of a rugby boot that left one testicle hanging out. He went to the side line and had his scrotum stitched up and played on for over an hour till the end of the game.

Geez, that's tough to beat. I'll have to see an NFL player come back into the game after getting his ripped off the socket without leaving the game LOL. Jack Youngblood did play 3 weeks with a broken leg for the Los Angeles Rams during their Super Bowl run in 1979

 

[BurghHardcore]

Mike Webster...the original "Iron Mike", 7 time all pro, 9 time pro bowler, started 150 consecutive games (roughly 10 years), broke his neck in the first quarter of a game yet finished it.