Who are tougher/harder: American Footall players, or Rugby players?

Question

Who are tougher/harder: American Footall players, or Rugby players?

Answer 1

Rugby...

Answer 2

It as to be rugby players we've had a few American football players come over and try to play rugby but they wasn't tuff enuff to play it lol.

Answer 3

Look at it this way. Could a rugby team go and play a game of American football? I would say yes. With all the pads and helmet etc I reckon the only problem for them would be moving around. Not the actual physicality of the game.

Now take an American football team. Give them nothing but a gumshield and a pair of shoulder pads and see how they get on with 80 minutes of rucking, mauling, scrummaging with few breaks, no time outs and no facility to change teams according to whether you are attacking, defending or kicking and I dont think many would hack it.

Answer 4

Ha,ha,ha@ fozzi. They have a saying in rugby, it don't matter how big you are , I will still put you down, just like that, well unless you happened to be Jonah Lomu Lol!!!! Rugby players are not protected nor do they have blockers to run in front of them or watch for any opponents trying to tackle them. Imagine a wide reciever or a running back with the ball in a rugby game looking at maybe 5 or 6 defensive players targeting him/her, with no blockers? lord have mercy!!!!

The only up for me about american football is you get more rest and just chill drinking gatorade on the sideline,  than playing time. You go in and play for a couple of seconds and you come out again and rest for half an hour. Is that easy money or what ? ha,ha,ha,haaaa sweet as !!!!!!

Answer 5

rugby players... they go out in the FREEZING COLD wearing just shorts and a top...

americans go out in the nice warm covered in padding and helmets and protective clothing. wimps. x

Answer 6

Rugby players. They don't wear all that padding that the American footballers wear.

Answer 7

It's got to be rugby. Ok, rugby players wear some padding (have you seen Bryan Habbana's shoulder's? That's not a normal shape!), but nowhere near the stupid amount that American footballers wear

Answer 8

Everyone thinks that American footballers are whimps because they play in body armour and only play for 10 seconds at a time but there are some big hard blokes who play that sport. Just be thankfull that there is more money in American Football than rugby because with the size of Americans they could have a great rugby team if they wanted.

Answer 9

rugby players clearly

Answer 10

The games are very different so difficult to say.

Take american football first. The players get to rest, and so they can run each play at a flat out sprint. This means the collisions are much harder. They were the padding becuase so many people used to get killed playing. The game was nearly banned!

The padding is needed as when people run at you with every intention of hitting you it will hurt (quite a lot).

Rugby players do not get the breaks in play. So they have a different muscle set and have to have a 'good engine' to last a whole game. The collisions tend to be hard but not as hard. Also the decline of being able to give somone on the floor of a ruck a 'good shoeing' means there is less violence.

Both games are hard. Both can cause serious injury. Both require a high degree of mental toughness, but overall I think the american football is tougher.

Just look as this video clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHxFzwfIc...

Answer 11

apples to oranges

Answer 12

Difficult to tell as you are not comparing like with like!!!!!!!!!!!

American Football players are cocooned in harness and protectors round their shoulders, legs and brains???? and there are thousands of them on the pitch at once!!!!

Rugby players have no artificial protection and there are only a maximum of 15 players on each side at any given time.

Answer 13

American Football players wear padding. They also wear cold weather uniforms.

Rugby players will wear scrum caps, but that doesnt protect much. Rugby players also only play in shorts and shirts.

I think that Rugby players are much tougher, and the sport is tougher.

American Football stops after someone gets tackled. Rugby keeps going.

Answer 14

Quite obviously rugby players are harder. They don't wear helmets and massive pads and also don't get a little rest in between each play. Also they play both offense and defense so are more skilled.

Oh yeah and rugby players think on their feet a lot more. They don't have five coaches calling plays on the sideline. We had the USA university team come and play us (I live in New Zealand) and after the first two phases they ran out of ideas and didn't know what to do. Big b******s I'll give them that but they must have lived in the gym all day. They had no flare.

Answer 15

Rugby players of course. No need for all that prancing about in body armour, they just get stuck in.

Answer 16

Watch the NY Giants Super bowl run. They played Green Bay in sub zero weather. Then see what they did to Tom Brady in the Super Bowl, and tell me rugby players wouldn't want pads if they got hit like that. Football players don't have to wrap their arms when they make a tackle. If you don't think that makes a difference, let someone run at you, lower their shoulder, and hit you at full speed. If you get up, I'll bet you get some pads.

I love rugby, but I got hit harder in high school football then I ever did in rugby. Those little breaks you get between plays just let the defense rest up so they can hit you harder.

Answer 17

WHO wears the padding? lol

Answer 18

RUGBY!!!!!

Answer 19

i play rugby... ive never played american football before though, but i feel that they are totally different sports and every player is talented at what  they do so i feel they are all tough in there own way

Answer 20

Rugby Easily, anyone who thinks otherwise cant of played rugby. Come and watch provincial rugby here in NZ and youll have a new respect for rugby players, none of this northern hemisphere stuff.

Still, american football has some pretty brutal tackles

Answer 21

I would imagine, Rugby players. They play until there is a foul or the ref stops play. American footballers huv a few seconds on each play, then a break. They also wear a huge amount of padding!! Maybe I'm biased as I live in the U.K.  I huv tae admit that I enjoy watching "highlights" of American football more than rugby. It's a total pain watching American football live. It take years tae complete a game!!!

Answer 22

aha no doubt its rugby!...

Answer 23

My answer will not be a dissertation like some people responding. Hitting hard does not mean being tougher. It's more about how it feels to get hit. Plus, I would take a hit from anybody rather Henry Tuilagi. He's a beast. (Tonga)

Just like to add something. The pure fact that football players "get to rest" makes rugby TOUGHER, doesn't it?

Answer 24

Rugby of course.

Those Gridiron geezers need helmets and pads.  Then they stop and start all the time.

Gridiron blokes are a pack of fairies compared to Rugby players

Answer 25

HANDS DOWN rugby. really. no doubt. Most of the defense for football has been that people run really fast to hit another player hard and you don't do that in rugby....well, then...have you watched REAL rugby game??? have you seen or played on good teams???? i ASSURE that  the team I'm a part of, and every team we've played will sprint full speed to knock someone over, wrapping their arms around the player simple to turn them to turn over the ball. The hit is VERY hard. Hard enough to make you black out for a second, but you know what? you get up and keep going. There's no stopping on a tackle in rugby. No one leaves the field unless they are gushing blood or have major injuries. All done with an intensity and passion for the sport, without padding. Don't get me wrong, its fine that football is the all American traditional sport, but I think America needs to make room for a game that anyone who knows it loves it, or at the very least has an appreciation and respect for the players that put it all on the line every time they hit the pitch. SATURDAY"S A RUGBY DAY!