Who are tougher rugby players or american football players?

Question

Personally I think rugby players make american footballers look like wimps!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc0Ut5y-GRc

Answer 1

Rugby no contest

Answer 2

both are impact sports but a rugby team only requires one team to play for the whole 80 minutes bar a few reserve changes towards the end of the game. American football wears protective pads etc and plays 2 teams each on attack and defence. Unions trump card is set piece toughness and stamina.  Forget modern rugby fink how tough the players were in the 50s 60s and 70s  with no pads at all (ie Colin Meads ring a bell?).

Answer 3

americans

Answer 4

The user above is right about NFL players being bigger and more athletic and yes the collisions are bigger with the protective gear. but the question was toughness and rugby wins that hands down iv seen american football players try rugby and they are skilled but to soft without protection.

usually dislocate a shoulder or similar

Troy poulamalu(forgive my spelling) a top NFL Safety played some sevens rugby(which is way softer than regular)for usa and he was rubbish

Rugby league and union players are raised on hard contact to the body and the pressures of scrummaging and so forth. thats why you dont see bohemoth muscle bound guys playing because they are just strong not tough

Answer 5

i've played both and i say american football is tougher. it is true that american football players have rests in between offense and defense but that also means that their players are more rested. the players don't slow down due to fatigue and so the quality and hardness of the hits don't weaken. as for american football wearing pads, this is for safety reasons as there are fewer rules relating to the way players come in contact.

Answer 6

rugby players!!!

everyone who have a brain know it...

Answer 7

Personally I think you have no clue what you are talking about. I'm a fan of both sports but only play Rugby (there are no American Football teams near me).

Yeah Rugby players are tough and they have to deal with rucks and mauls etc' and will get the occasional gash or stamp wound. But NFL players regularly suffer horrendous breaks despite the padding.

The reason is that the average NFL player is bigger, stronger and faster than the average Rugby player. As a result collisions are bigger. You also have to remember that there are not as many tackle rules in the NFL.

The reason for the NFL players being better athletes? The length of time American Football has been a pro sport. It has been for far longer than Rugby and as a result it has better systems to produce better athletes. Rugby is catching up every year but the NFL is still streets ahead.

Wide Recievers in the NFL regularly top 6'5in and run like an olympic athlete. Only one player in Rugby's history could claim that (Jonah Lomu). Most of our 6'5+ guys in Rugby are locks and run with the pace of my grandmother.

Most Linemen in the NFL could compete with some of the best powerlifters in the world. The only person in Rugby who comes close is Andrew Sheridan and he wouldn't stand a chance.

Give Rugby a few years, it'll catch up. It has the edge in stamina now and that is all.

Answer 8

american footballers are pussys. rugby is much tougher both in physicality and fitness. first answer could not be more wrong.

Rugby began in 1823.

p***y football began in 1879.

A. Football is clearly derived from rugby and was adapted when the english brought it over there. im irish and i say american footballers are tough, but only when theyre covered in armour.

Answer 9

american football hits are more physical. the illusion of safety from all the padding and gear gives the players a false sense of security. they go all out and injure themselves more horrendously as a result.

rugby is a tougher sport, as you play the entire 80 minutes. in football you only play offense or defense or special teams. and you don't even play all the plays unless you're the star quarterback.

in a nutshell, football is more brutal, but rugby is tougher.