American Footballs top team vs Rugbys top team

[Rob_the_Celt]

Just had a thought, say theres an attempt made at an exhibition game where whoever the best American Football team is plays the best rugby team going, in my opinion the All Blacks. Maybe an all star selection from both games would be better, but I'll go for this. Say its on a rugby field, with 15 vs 15 but blocking players off the ball is allowed and the yanks are allowed to have all their padding. Obviously the rules would need to be thought out a bit better and I'd like to see opinions on how exactly people would go about doing it but anyway, who do you think would win it?

[JP226]

what!? they don't play the same sport.

given the other thread, you probably want to know, "who hits harder"

[Justinian]

Is the hit from the Pro Bowl on that punter in this one? That was one hell of a hit, to a punter too.

[JP226]

Is the hit from the Pro Bowl on that punter in this one? That was one hell of a hit, to a punter too.

I didn't see it. But they did have a bunch of old old school hits where facemask was allowed. That was brutal.

[the_mango55]

What the hell kind of question is this?

The football players would dominate at football.

the rugby players would dominate at rugby.

It's pretty simple really.

[ajm317]

What the hell kind of question is this?

The football players would dominate at football.

the rugby players would dominate at rugby.

It's pretty simple really.

Exactly.

They're different sports, they require different kinds of players. You think offensive linemen are 300 pounds because they're lazy? You don't get a $40 million contract because you're lazy. They're that big because they have 1 job and only 1 job, to push people around. Christ, why don't you ask who would win in a "compromise game" between rugby players and Sumo wrestlers while you're at it?

[Rob_the_Celt]

No **** they're different sports, its hypothetical. If I was interested in hits I'd go watch a boxing match too.
They are the most similar games to each other that I'm aware of though, Irish or Gaelic football and Aussie Rules football came up with a compromise game to play against each other taking particular rules from each game to make a hybrid. Those games use two very different rules, one uses a round ball, the other oval for example, one is on an oval field, the other a square one, one has goals, the other has 4 posts, one has marks for catches and a decent tackle more like rugby, the other can't pick the ball off the ground with your hands and is like a mix of basketball and soccer. Arguably further apart than rugby and american football, but they got them on the same field (a square one) and they made a pretty good series of it. Depending on the tactics and type of players used the games are either fairly fluid and entertaining, completely one sided or a team version of UFC.
I'm interested in what way you could potentially make a fair and even hybrid of rugby and American football thats not biased to one or the other and who you'd fancy to win it. Not interested, don't post!

[JP226]

No **** they're different sports, its hypothetical. If I was interested in hits I'd go watch a boxing match too.
They are the most similar games to each other that I'm aware of though, Irish or Gaelic football and Aussie Rules football came up with a compromise game to play against each other taking particular rules from each game to make a hybrid. Those games use two very different rules, one uses a round ball, the other oval for example, one is on an oval field, the other a square one, one has goals, the other has 4 posts, one has marks for catches and a decent tackle more like rugby, the other can't pick the ball off the ground with your hands and is like a mix of basketball and soccer. Arguably further apart than rugby and american football, but they got them on the same field (a square one) and they made a pretty good series of it. Depending on the tactics and type of players used the games are either fairly fluid and entertaining, completely one sided or a team version of UFC.
I'm interested in what way you could potentially make a fair and even hybrid of rugby and American football thats not biased to one or the other and who you'd fancy to win it. Not interested, don't post!

if you know all this, why start such a stupid thread. The only logic I could find was the "who's tougher argument."

[Rob_the_Celt]

Because I know sweet **** all about American football, I'm interested to know if theres a conceivable way to do it, what rules to take from each one.

[ajm317]

Because I know sweet **** all about American football, I'm interested to know if theres a conceivable way to do it, what rules to take from each one.

No, there isn't.

Basically American football IS rugby, with a couple minor tweaks that lead to massive gameplay differences. The most notable of these is the down and distance system. If you add the down and distance system to rugby, you basically get early American football. Take it away from American football, you get a warped version of Rugby.

There's not really any middle ground to work with.

EDIT: I mean, rugby players are all, more or less, around 200 pounds and can run. American football has guys like that, but it also has guys who are 400 pounds. When one team is entirely small fast guys, and the other team is half small fast guys and half huge strong guys, you're never going to get a fair game. Either the rules will allow the big team to maul the little team, or it will allow the little team to run circles around the big one.

If you look at all the variants of soccer, the players are all at least of the same body types with similar skill sets.

[danzig]

Id be more interested in seeing a NASCAR/Pole Vault hybrid sport then any attempt to mix Rugby and American Football which are basically the same game as pointed out above.

[JP226]

and we for the most part know jack **** about contact soccer. So... it's the blind leading the blind

[the_mango55]

The games are superficially similar, but as pointed out above, the down and distance system makes it impossible to merge without giving a big advantage to the other.

It's like comparing hockey and lacrosse, sure, they look pretty similar, but if you wanted to make a "compromise" game, you would have to put it either on grass or on ice. The decision that you made would pretty much determine the outcome of the game.

[JP226]

nice analogy!

ps X will eat wolf for dinner come tomorrow

[Khamarios]

Rly depends, football has stronger ppl (steriods ) but rugby players will have a lot more stamina and speed then football players.

[MadBurgerMaker]

Where's the option for "This is a stupid poll" ???

[hungry_hungary]

Rly depends, football has stronger ppl (steriods ) but rugby players will have a lot more stamina and speed then football players.

This steroid thing is so dumb and played out
NFL tests its players almost ever other week and the few that were caught with "illegal substance" usually used a dieting pill that is considered illegal

Although American Football linemen are amazingly fast for such big guys, they're running 4.3, 4.4 in the 40, I'm not sure what the average for rugby is though.

have you ever watched a minute of the combines?
the fastest guy in the combine runs 4.3-4.2 and the linemen run 5.3-5.4

[Richard]

I'd personally like to see a rugby team play a US football team in a game of elephant polo.

[VALIS]

It's totally impossible to compare them.

Just because they involve a oddly shaped ball and 200lb-300lb men running into each other doesn't mean they are anywhere alike.

Rugby is free following and more 'loose' while American football is alot more tactical and every little thing is planned by the coach.
It would probably turn into a free for all, with nobody knowing what the hells going on.

This poll is really dumb.

[shadepanther]

Well there was an attempt quite a few years ago of a tournament between the best Rugby Union team in England against the best Rugby League. Although it involved them playing Union in one game and League in the other.