Could American football players go undefeated playing rugby against other countries?

Question

wow. i'm getting some really good answers. i guess since i put the question in the rugby category then not a lot of americans will answer.

keep the answers coming!

Answer 1

No

Reason been is that they are 2 differing sports requiring different types of fitness & power. Only the safetys, Linebackers, wide receivers & running backs would be much good at rugby though NFL has some similarities to Rugby League which requires far superior fitness than union as the ball spends more time on the field than off. In league the scrimmage players would not be able to run around for 2x40 minutes halves. Watch a game of rugby league & you will see how much more effort is required.

OI JULIET_M you will find that the Wigan Rugby League team almost beat BATH (who were champs at the time)at a game of union & they were destroyed in the return league match. Wigan also won the Middlesex sevens and were barred from competing as it was unfair that superior athletes showed up the P!ss poor lardy @rse union boys! Shows you know nothing about rugby or sport period.

Answer 2

Well I'm American but I play rugby so I know pretty much what goes on. Most American football players would get crushed, they are not used to not wearing pads, the first time they get slammed into the ground they will get a shock and realize what they are in for. American football players are good athletes although most are not used to the harsh conditions that are set upon individuals playing rugby.

Answer 3

Olympic champions!

Too bad the whole of Europe was in massive recession after the Great War, Olympic rugby was the last thing on their minds. (Rugby league clubs boomed around this time)

Only three teams entered the 1924 Olympics for rugby - France, Romania, and USA. And the yank team was not a national team but rather the boys from Stanford.

However, between September 1924 and February 1925, a touring team dubbed the Invincibles played 32 games including four test matches, one each against Ireland, England, Wales, and France. (the Scots refused to play them - dispute over expenses!) They won all 32 games, scoring 838 points and only having 116 points scored against them. They were not Americans. I'm pretty sure they would have thumped the twats from Stanford.

In 1928 the I.O.C. turned down the request to stage rugby at the Amsterdam games.

Answer 4

i really don't think so.

Answer 5

As a fan of both sports the answer is a very loud NO!

Both sports require totally different attributes and totally different builds.

While the wide receivers may have a good idea about what to do on a rugby wing when attacking, he would have no clue how to line up in defence.

The quaterback would be no use as an American Football pass is so very different from a rugby one (two hands, neve forward)

The guards and tacklers would not have a single skill useful in rugby. They would not be fit enough (they are strong in 10 seconds burst, not for continued play) they would not be used to tackling (American football guards cannot hold onto the other player) and are not used to ball handling.

Rugby league is the closest sport to rugby union. Sometimes there's a RL v RU game where first half is RU laws and second half RL laws. The "other" side never get a single point when playing the wrong half.

Answer 6

no, they wouldn't have the fitness required.rugby can be non-stop for minutes on end(which is a long time when you're pretty much sprinting).american football players are built to have power for about 10 seconds and then rest for at least a minute.they would be destroyed in a rugby match-knackered after 5 minutes when the game is 80.

Answer 7

I assume you mean Rugby Union rather than Rugby League.  Anyway NO WAY!!!  Even Rugby League players couldn't handle the change in tactics, rules and strategy when playing against a Rugby Union side, so how on earth would American Footballers?  It's a totally different game and hey, size isn't everything.....

Answer 8

As an American who enjoys our football as well as rugby the answer to your question is no because they're seperate games.  If the games were reversed do you think that rugby players could beat an american football players in a game of our football?

Answer 9

Not today.     However; the United States is the CURRENT Olympic Champions in rugby.     The U.S. team won  a gold medal against France[ 8-0] at the 1920 Olympics then beat France again [17-3] at the 1924 event.     Because this was the last time the 15 a side game was played at the games they remain the champions.

Answer 10

Rugby is not about brute force, it is VERY technical in a lot of the positions.

So the simple answer is no.

Answer 11

If American football never existed and if they started playing rugby in grade school like other rugby nations the USA could be a force in international rugby. if they had played all their lives they would have the skills of elite rugby players along with their great athletic ability

Answer 12

American Football players would have a heart attack playing rugby. They wouldn't get to rest every play and heaven forbid might have to come up with plays as they were playing and not have four different coaches telling them what to do.

I play rugby in NZ and when I was at University our team played the USA University team. They were big (obviously lived in a gym) and were good at set plays but after a couple of phases didn't know what to do. Got no imagination or flare.

Answer 13

Sure thing mate.

Straight after the Australian Cricket team beats the best Yanks at baseball.

Dream on mate