Rugby vs Football: Which Sport Reigns Supreme?
by James Kevin Stott
- Where Does Rugby Have its Origins?
- Where Does Football Have its Origins?
- How Many Players Are on a Rugby Team vs. a Football Team?
- How is a Rugby Ball Different Than a Football?
- How is Scoring Different in Rugby Compared to Football?
- How Are Rugby Goalposts Different Than Football?
- How is Tackling and Ball-Handling Different in the Two?
- How Long are Rugby and Football Games?
- What Are the Biggest Rugby and Football Leagues?
- How Can I Get Tickets For These Pro Leagues?
Thumbnail: ST_vs_Gloucester_-Match-_23 by PierreSelim (CC-By-3.0-SA)
Where Does Rugby Have its Origins?
Like many sports, Rugby has its roots in England, in a town actually named Rugby, in Warwickshire in the West Midlands region. Legend has it a pupil at Rugby School named William Webb Ellis first ran with the ball in a football game in 1823.
Although there is a plaque for Ellis at the school’s front gate, there is no solid evidence this really happened and most Rugby historians consider it just a myth.
Where Does Football Have its Origins?
While Rugby started in England, (American) Football has its roots in the Northeastern US in the late 1800s. Football is a derivative of two English sports—Soccer and Rugby. The first College Football game was played on November 6, 1869 when Princeton played Rutgers in New Brunswick, NJ before a crowd of about 100 people. Rutgers won, 6-4.
The rules were different then. Teams had 25 players on a side, and the object was to kick the ball into the opponent’s goal. Players could actually bat the ball with their hands. The evolution of the game is credited to Walter Camp.
How Many Players Are on a Rugby Team vs. a Football Team?
There are two main types of pro rugby, Rugby Union and Rugby League. In Rugby League, there are 13 players, in Rugby Union, there are 15 players, and in the Olympics—both Men and Women—Rugby Sevens is played which sees seven players on the pitch.
In Football, there are 11 players on the field. National Football League (NFL) teams carry 53 players on their rosters while in College Football (NCAAF) the new roster limit is 105 players.
How is a Rugby Ball Different Than a Football?
A rugby ball (Size 5, international size) is the official one used for Men’s and Women’s teams and measures 27 centimeters in length (285 mm,10.6299 inches) and is 585 mm in girth.
Smaller sizes are used for younger players with ages 10-14 using a Size 4 (Junior) ball which is 275mm (10.8 inches) long with a girth of 545mm, and players ages 6-9 using a Size 3 (Mini) ball which is 255mm and has a girth of 535mm.
The size of footballs used in NFL games is 27.9 centimeters (11 inches) to 28.3 centimeters (11.25 inches) in length with a (long) circumference of 71.1 to 72.4 centimeters (28 to 28.5 inches).
Footballs used in NCAAF are smaller and are 10.5 to 11.5 inches in length with a circumference on the long side of around 27.75 inches and 20.75 inches on the short side.
An NFL football weighs 14-15 ounces (396.89–425.24 grams), a College Football also weighs 14-15 ounces while a Size 5 rugby ball can weigh a little bit more, between 14-16 ounces.
How is Scoring Different in Rugby Compared to Football?
In Rugby League, you can score points four different ways; when you get the ball into the opponent’s end zone (4 points, like a touchdown in football), a goal (3 points from a drop kick or a penalty kick mid-game or 2 points after a try), and a drop goal (1 point), when a player kicks the ball from their hands and through the goalposts.
In Rugby Union, a try is worth 5 points, a conversion kick is also worth 2 points, a penalty kick is worth 3 points, a drop goal is also worth 3 points, and a penalty try is worth 7 points. A penalty try happens when a player would have scored on a try, but was stopped by a foul by the opposing team.
In the NFL and College Football, getting the ball into the opponent’s end zone for a touchdown is worth 6 points, a kicked extra point through the goalposts is worth 1 point while a successful 2-point conversion getting the ball into the end zone is worth 2 points.
When the defense tackles the opponent in the end zone, the opposing team commits a foul in the end zone or steps out of the back or side of the end zone, a safety occurs. This is worth 2 points.
If team’s have an extra point blocked or a 2-point conversion intercepted or returned on a fumble recovery to the opponent’s end zone, this is worth 2 points in the NFL, NCAAF and in the Canadian Football League (CFL). This is the rarest way points are scored.
How Are Rugby Goalposts Different Than Football?
Goalposts in rugby are in the middle of the goal lines. In Rugby League, these goalposts need to be at least 52.5 feet in height (16 meters) with the crossbar 9.84 feet (3 meters) above the field with the posts 18.04 feet (5.5 meters) apart. Some clubs use posts 55.77 feet (17 meters) high. The bottom of these posts are equipped with 4 inch thick padding.
In Rugby Union, the posts are also 52.5 feet high (16 meters) and also have a 9.84 foot (2 meters) crossbar with the posts slightly farther apart at 18.37 feet (5.6 meters).
The goalposts in the NFL and NCAAF are the same width at 18 feet, 6 inches (5.6 meters) while in High School, goalposts are wider at 23 feet, 4 inches. The heights of NFL and NCAAF are slightly different with the pros having goalposts 35 feet from the top of the crossbar (45 feet total). NFL and NCAAF goalposts are on the end zone back line.
The height of College Football goalposts are shorter at 30 feet (9.14 meters) from the field up but they have the same 10 feet (3.05 meters) crossbar. The lower parts are also protected with high-impact padding.
So the rugby crossbars are slightly shorter (9.84 feet) than the American Football crossbars (10 feet), making kicking the ball through the posts more difficult.
How is Tackling and Ball-Handling Different in the Two?
In rugby, players run with the ball, which may also be kicked forward, and the ball must be released once a tackle is made. In football players can run with the ball or pass it from behind the line of scrimmage and a tackle or running out of bounds ends plays. In football, teams have four downs to get 10 yards (a first down) to keep possession.
How Long are Rugby and Football Games?
How long is a rugby game? Traditional rugby matches are 80 minutes in length, divided into two 40-minute halves. If the two clubs are tied after 80 minutes, then overtime is played.
Both College and NFL football games are 60 minutes long and are divided into four 15-minute quarters. If games are tied after 60 minutes, overtime is played.
What Are the Biggest Rugby and Football Leagues?
The two largest professional rugby leagues are the Australian National Rugby League (NRL) and the British Betfred Super League. Rugby Union is played in more than 100 nations with Rugby League contested in over 70.
The largest professional American football league is the NFL NCAA Division I is divided into the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS, 129 teams) and the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS, 134 teams).
And what about rugby vs. football popularity worldwide? Rugby is the more popular of the two sports in Europe, Australia and Asia while Football is bigger in North America.
How Can I Get Tickets For These Pro Leagues?
You can purchase tickets for the NRL at the league’s website and for the Betfred Super League at their league website. Tickets for NFL games can be bought at the 32 teams individual websites or at the NFL website.
The championship game in NRL is the NRL Grand Final and is played at Stadium Australia in Sydney Olympic Park, Australia, The 2024 NRL Grand Final will be held on Sunday, October 6.
The Super League championship game is the Super League Grand Final and it will be on Saturday, October 12 at Old Trafford in Manchester. England. Tickets can be found here.
The NFL championship game is the Super Bowl and Super Bowl LIX will play on Sunday, February 9, 2025 at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. You can find tickets here.
NFL tickets for teams like the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans can also be found at secondary markets like TicketX where first-time buyers get 10% off using this August promo code.
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