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After years of these topics coming up, the easy conclusion is that the two games are completely different and it should be left at that, you get people who have no idea about rugby or people from my part of the land who have no idea about American Football who just put out stupid comments.
Which rugby teams were playing when you were watching??
I've played both pick-up rugby and organized football, albeit at a gradeschool/highschool level. They are two different games.
Football has downs and a maximum 30 seconds between snaps while rugby is almost constant running. The 300lb behemouths that excel as linesmen in football simply lack the speed and stamina to play the nearly non-stop action of rugby. As a result the rugby players are all similar in size. And because rugby players are smaller and more evenly matched, there's no need for the equipment found in gridiron football.
Rugby doesn't allow any form of blocking. If you aren't carrying the ball, then you aren't subjected to hits. Of course, if you ARE carrying the ball you are subject to being tackled...keep your head on a swivel and keep an eye out for a nearby teammate to lateral the ball.
The most violent part of rugby (imo) is the scrum. Helmuts are of absolutely no use in a scrum. Frankly, shin guards and tough shoes would be more important - things do get nasty in there. But we played without cleats nor shinguards in our rugby games.
Since I moved to Houston, I've had the opportunity of watching rugby for free through "Universal Sports".
Ever since I've been watching, I keep on wondering
"What's the point of wearing helmets in football"?
Any thoughts?
Helmets weren't manditory in the NFL until sometime after 1930. I've seen old black-and-white pictures of some players going helmetless. If you look at pre-1950 football footage it's really kind of weird looking. There are few if any head-on collisons. The tackler basically grabs the ballcarrier as he goes by and wrestles him to the ground. A lot of arm tackles. Using the head as a tackling tool (or "weapon", as I've heard it occasionally called), did not start until helmet technology was fairly advanced.
Anyway, I've wondered about a helmet-less game too. Unfortunately I think it's probably too late to go back. Players would have to un-learn current techniques. Even that might not do it, what with players bigger and stronger than ever. The first inadvertent kick to the head, or accidental head-to head collison and there could be fractured skulls on the field. Maybe death.
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