Has an English rugby team, ever played American Football against an American football team?

Question

Has an English rugby team, ever played American Football against an American football team?

Answer 1

Why on earth would they?

Answer 2

Answer should be "No", although I cannot confirm that.  First thing, the number of players is completely different.  Second, the skillset is not even similar.  

Swapping rugby league for rugby union is enough of a challenge that it is not a fair comparison of skills, let alone rugby for american football.

As a number of people have already alluded to, american football is a collision sport, whereas rugby is, in principal, a continuity sport.

American football is not similar in any way to rugby, it is not really comparable to any other sport.  Professional

rugby players are not capable of playing professional american football, the only players I am aware who were even considered by the NFL were Gavin Hasting (solely as a goal kicker) and Jonah Lomu (due to his freakish athleticism).  Same would go for NFL athletes attempting to transfer to rugby union.

Answer 3

No.  Because the only people that play American football are Americans.

It's unknown in the rest of the world

Answer 4

I doubt it, but I know a few rugby players who have also played American Football. I like both and don't understand why people constantly compare them. They are two totally different sports, but with similar skill sets.

Answer 5

Not really answering the questions, but I played both football and rugby in high school, football at college, and now am back to rugby. I don't really understand the constant knock on American football for wearing padding. Yes, it is a lot of plastic and stuffing, but the hitting is much harder in American football then rugby because of it. I play at a high level for rugby, and I can tell you the hitting, although hard, in rugby is nowhere near the hitting in American football. Think about it, if you had all the padding, would you hit people harder than if you didn't? Of course you would, it protects both the hitter and the hittee. That said, I do love rugby more as I feel the athletes in football are too specialized - rugby takes someone who can do it all.

Answer 6

Not that I'm aware of but I'd like to see an American Football team play Rugby and see how they fare without all that padding.

Answer 7

The way the england team is playing right now i doubt if they could play the little girls under 12 team  of american football

Answer 8

Yes, I recall many years ago when the sport had some popularity here (mid 80s) that an 'England' teams toured USA. I only recall one result where they lost 86 - 0 to a College team!

Answer 9

No but England are a joke right now ! Although most American Footballers lack the endurance and capability of playing without padding. A better comparison might be playing a hybrid Rugby, League, Aussie Rules, NFL  game against Australia, i'm sure you boys wouldnt last ! Cheers.

Answer 10

Not as far as I know but Martin Johnson used to play American football before he went to rugby.

Answer 11

dont think so... they are completely different games and trained for in completely different ways.  Am. football is more set with plays and quick drives with blocking and massive hits requiring short bursts of power becuse play stops every few seconds.  rugby is more about a thought process of overlaoding and sucking in the defense to score and that takes more endurace and finesse and quick thinking.  sure there are hammering powerful hits in rugby but they dont get you anywhere if you can't win or control the ball.  tackling is different too.  am football players usually lead with their head down as a battering ram-- so dangerous... and ruggers go face cheek to butt cheek witha  head up.  ive seem some ex- football players split their heads open in their first rugby game.    the games are so different they really shouldnt be compared.

Answer 12

Yes..there was a team in the 90`s called london knights who had a few games agains some usa teams

Answer 13

Yes, not exactly a well known side, but our School in early 1980 feilded a 5 game tournament, Rugby, Cricket, American Football, Baseball and Netball against a visiting American School side.

As for more famous teams, well the 1920's Olympic games, where the Americans fielded an American Football Team in the Olympic Rugby Event (since banned) and became Olympic Champions.