Despite their common origins, American Football and Rugby have diversified to the extent that you might be forgiven for thinking that they are entirely unconnected. So, what are the differences between American Football and Rugby?
At the elite level, American Football teams comprise an offensive unit, a defensive unit and a special plays team (used for kicking plays and often comprising reserve players, except for the kicker). Each team has a specialised role and while players may play in more than one during a game it is not usual. Only eleven players may be on the field at any one time, although they can be substituted at any time, and any player dismissed from the game by the officials may be replaced.
In rugby there are 15 players on the field with seven substitutes, but once substituted a player may not return to the game unless he is a front row forward or if he has left the field to attend to a blood injury. The referee may send a player from the field for certain infringements either for ten minutes or permanently; dismissed players cannot be replaced.
Both games feature players of different size. In American Football, linebackers are the biggest men. Their task is to protect or attack the quarterback depending on whether they are on attack or defence. They are roughly equivalent to rugby forwards whose task is to secure the ball and feed it to the scrumhalf. The quarterback and scrumhalf have a similar role – to distribute the ball to the backs who are the quick men.
How the ball is distributed is vastly different. In American football it is permissible to pass the ball forwards provided the passer is behind the line of scrimmage. Once ahead of this line, players may pass the ball backwards but this is rare as if a player is tackled his side still retains the ball. In rugby, the forward pass is not allowed and it is common to see intricate interpassing among players. Kicking the ball during play is allowed in both games but is more common in rugby for tactical reasons.
If a player is tackled, in American football the side in possession retains the ball from a restart known as a down. The linebackers face each other and the ball is passed or “snapped†to the quarterback which is when the players clash physically. After a tackle in rugby, however, both sides are allowed to compete for the ball. The game will only be stopped if the ball is lost forward, there is a forward pass, the ball is unlikely to emerge or if there has been a penalty offence. Play is usually restarted with a scrum fed by the non-offending side (except when a penalty has been awarded).
In both games, the main aim is to get the ball across the opponent’s goal line, the difference being that in American football it is sufficient to carry the ball over whereas in rugby it must be grounded. After this is achieved, the scoring side has the opportunity to add to its score by kicking a goal. In American football, the kick is taken from directly in front of the goal posts while in rugby it is taken from a point parallel with the touchline from where the ball was grounded.
Another obvious difference between the games is player attire. American footballers wear protective hard helmets and heavy shoulder and leg padding, which encourages strong tackling that some say leads to more injuries. Rugby rules forbid heavy padding and only allow for a soft helmet but many players only use a mouth guard for protective wear.
These are but a few of the differences between American football and rugby. The rules of both games are long and complex; a full explanation of the differences would probably fill a book. But both games are highly skilful and are intended to thrill their fans – and in this they usually succeed admirably.
