What are the biggest differences between rugby and American football?

The main difference between the two is co-ordination. Whilst rugby is a free flowing game that allows the players the creative freedom to find their own way past the defence, American football is a slower, more co-ordinated effort.

In rugby the same 15 men will remain on the field no matter what the circumstances, the game continuing without interruption as possession passes between the two teams. In American football, there are a number of completely separate units that come onto the field for specific stages of the game. When a team has possession of the ball, the offence will take the field.

This unit consists of an offensive line to block, a quarterback to throw, a running back to run with the ball, and wide receivers to catch the ball. If the offence loses the ball or kicks it away to the other team, a new stage of the game starts and the offensive players will be replaced on the field by the defensive unit, which consists of 11 different men who are trained solely for defending.

From a skill standpoint the only players on the offensive side of the ball that is similar to a rugby player is the running back and wide receivers, players who have good hand eye co-ordination and are trained to beat defenders with the ball in their hands.

Every single player on the field in a game of rugby can and does touch the ball. Therefore, they have to be comfortable catching the ball from a teammate, securing it and running with it. They require well rounded and broad skills to do what they do. In American football, most players do not have to be well rounded players who can catch, tackle and run with the ball to some degree. Most players have very specific jobs that require them to do just one thing with excellence, and everything else is almost irrelevant.

For example, a quarterback’s job is to throw the ball. He doesn’t need to be good at anything else. He doesn’t need to be able to run, to tackle, or even to be a particularly good athlete. Because of the scripted nature of the sport, the quarterback will never be put into a situation where he will have to catch the ball or even to run with the ball if he is not a gifted runner. Simply put, there is more control to the way the team tries to score points, and because of that the players are more specialised.

A quarterback, as shown here, is required to stand behind his offensive linemen in the “pocket”, and deliver the football down the field to his wide receivers (credit: bleacherreport.com)

The same is true of defenders. In American football there are 300 lb men whose job is to take up space and prevent running backs from getting past them. In rugby, somebody of that weight and lack of speed would not be a useful addition because the players require stamina to cover the entire length of the field and enough speed to deal one on one with opposing ball carriers. However, in American football these players never have to move more than a few yards in any direction, meaning they can afford to jeopardise speed and stamina in order to have brute strength and the weight to anchor against blockers.

As far as the rules of the game go, the single greatest difference between rugby and American football is the forward pass. While in rugby, passing is only allowed if it is backwards, American football allows a pass to be thrown forward down the field. Invented in 1905, the forward pass would eventually revolutionise the game from something very akin to rugby to something quite different.

Before the forward pass, American football used to be a series of organised scrums, essentially a game of rugby but in a more co-ordinated and less exciting structure. The forward pass, which has now taken over running as the key ingredient to the game, has transformed football into a sport that is separated from any other popular sport in the world.

There of course are other differences. A rugby ball is bigger and heavier than an American football. An American football team has to go at least 10 yards every 4 plays otherwise it will surrender the ball to the other team. This is somewhat similar to the 6 tackles rule in rugby league but with specific distance requirements. If you run out of bounds in rugby the ball goes to the other team for a throw in like it would in soccer, whereas in American football the team with the ball would retain possession.

I could go on. After all, these are two unique sports with their own regulations and rulebooks the size of a decent novel. They carry a similar premise of scoring by reaching a zone at the other end of the field, and they require physically imposing men to get the job done. But these are two very different sports, both with their own pros and cons, and both immensely fun to watch.

If you do not know either of these sports, I would implore you to put a game on from time to time. Once you understand the basic rules, you will begin to see beyond the chaotic pile of bodies and series of collisions that you are seeing now. You will begin to appreciate the subtleties of both sports, and you will see the skill with which the players practice their craft. Once you see that, I promise that you will be hooked on at least one of the sports forever. I know I was.