What's the difference between rugby and Australian football?

Question

I'm an American and we don't have either one usually.

Answer 1

real men play Aussie Rules

Answer 2

I'm an American as well living in Tasmania for the year, and have been watching both now for a while, and loving it.  There is a hug difference between Rugby and Aussie Rules.

1) Rugby is mostly a bunch of fat guys running two metres (yards) and then getting hammered, and then they do the same thing like 4 more times and the other team gets the ball.

Aussie Rules is much more involved and interesting, there is much more movement, and takes a lot more skill.  Basically in Aussie Rules you have 18 players from each side, spread out over an enomous oval.  You have to kick the ball to eachother or hand pass (dont ask me to explain its really confusing).  If you kick the ball over 15 metres (15 yards or so) and someone catches the ball they get to stop play and no one can tackle them, if they drop the ball they have an enormous fight over it.  Also if a player runs for over 15 metres (yet again 15 yards) they have to bounce the ball, not unlike basketball, except much harder.  

2) In rugby the game is more like Gridiron Football (thats what aussies call American Football) you have to get the ball into an endzone and touch the ball to the ground while u are still holding it.  Then you get to take a kick to get an extra point (except its much harder because deepending on where the ball is touched on the ground in the endzone, is where u have to take the kick from).  

In Aussie rules there are 4 poles at each end of the oval the two in the middle are much higher then the two on the ends...if you kick the ball through the middle uprights u get 6 points, if you kick the ball and hit the post or get it through the side posts you get one point.  

Thats all for now, hope that helps

Answer 3

Rugby is much tougher and far more physical than Aussie Rules which has very athletic but lighter framed players running, kicking and passing a ball around an oval field to kick a goal between uprights at the other end, they even get a point for missing which is called a "behind".

Rugby is an International game where as Aussie Rules is mostly played in Australia, although they do play a hybrid version competing against Irish Gaelic teams.

Rugby is more like Gridiron, however "Rugby League" which is different again to Rugby (which is called Rugby Union) is far tougher and faster again. Different movement patterns involved. The hits in both Rugby League and Rugby Union are more like the blocks or tackles in Gridiron except without the pads for protection.

In Rugby League you have a limit of 6 tackles to advance the ball through team members down field to score a "try". This ensures more of an even flow of posession than Rugby Union. It also means the play will be at different ends of the field while running the ball. Much tougher and harder and actually have real tackles to take out the man not the acrobatic "aerial ping-pong" you see in Aussie Rules.

Answer 4

Rugby is rougher, slower, and uses a larger ball. Aussie Rules is fast paced, is very high scoring, and uses a smaller ball(only slightly larger than an American football). Rugby is played on a rectangular field only slightly larger than our American fields, whereas Aussie Rules is played on a huge oval field that can be over 200 yards long and over 150 yards wide. There is no offsides rule in Aussie Rules, there are 18 players to a side on the field at any one time, Aussie rules players only advance the ball, or 'footy' down the field via a kick or a handball- it resembles an underhanded volleyball serve- and sometimes use teammates backs as a springboard to leap high in the air to 'mark' the ball. Visit the website afl.com.au for all things footy. G'day from a fellow American Aussie Rules fan.

Answer 5

there are`many differences between the two. Go to the sites www.afl.com.au to read about afl and the same with rugby league   www.nrl.com.au

both have two sides

both play with an oval shapped ball

AFL is faster and the players are fitter and leaner

where in Rugby league there is more stop start and the players are more ruggard and bulkier.........

Hope thsi helps a bit