What is the difference between rugby balls and American football? How is rugby different from American football? Defining Differences Rugby and football are a mixture of

It is strange that such sports lists as American football and rugby are not widespread in our country. Both of these games are team games, both capture the attention of fans from the first minutes of the competition, and are designed for strong and resilient players. Be that as it may, many game lovers in our country do not even grasp their essence and difference. Let's find out together how rugby differs from American football?

What is rugby?

An exciting game in which participants pass the ball between themselves using their feet or hands with the sole goal of hitting the oval ball into the goal or scoring area. They first started talking about it at the beginning of the nineteenth century. At one of the football matches, which took place in the English city of Rugby, one player was tired of running according to the rules. He grabbed the ball and rushed, pushing his own and other players' players, towards the opponent's goal. This match is considered the day of the emergence of a new team lists. As the game developed, the rules were changed several times, and only in 1963 the Football Association approved new rules that are still in force today.

What is American football?

This is the same team game as the previous one, but it is played in a smaller area. The ball is not thrown in here; it lies on the field when the players enter. The essence of the game is to capture the ball (also oval-shaped) and advance it a certain number of yards into the enemy zone. To do this, each team is given several attempts, each lasting fifteen minutes. If the ball cannot be advanced within the given attempts, possession of the ball passes to the opponent. The more often the players of one or the other team hit the opponent’s goal, the more points the team receives. It should be noted that the ancestor of American football is considered to be an early form of rugby. That is why they are so similar to each other.

Let's summarize. Differences between rugby and American football

1. Field width. In rugby it is 100 by 70 meters, in American football it is 110 by 49 meters.

2. Maximum number of players. There are 15 in rugby, 11 in American football.

3. Match time. In rugby the playing period is forty minutes, in American football there are 4 sets of fifteen minutes each.

American football and rugby are spectacular team sports using a ball, which abound power moves.

These games are more common abroad than in the Russian Federation. But in Russia they are quickly gaining popularity thanks to their unusual equipment and rules.

American football

On this significant day teams from Rutgers and Princeton universities played according to their own rules, reminiscent of the rules of rugby and European soccer.

Initially, the new game did not have a clear set of rules. They appeared thanks to Walter Camp, dubbed the "father of American football."

The goal is to get the ball into end zone or hammer him into opponent's gate, thereby gaining the maximum number of points.

The game takes place on a special field with markings in the form lines. The team with the most points wins.

Reference! In the USA American football- the most popular sport.

Rugby

Rugby is a team sport that originated in England in the 19th century. The story began with ordinary competitions held in a small English town of Rugby in 1823. Attracted attention to the game member of one of the teams named William Abbott Ellis, who, breaking the rules, ran with the ball in his hands to the opponents' goal.

In 1845 an attempt was made to formulate a clear set of rules, but this idea was fully realized only in 1848.

At the moment, this sport is extremely popular all over the world and is part of Olympic Games programs.

The goal is to get the ball into the opponent's end zone or hit his goal. The projectile is inserted with a kick. The team with the most points wins.

Comparison

Comparison two games can be done using the following parameters.

How are the rules of the game different?

American football:

1. Task: get the projectile into the opponent's scoring zone.
2. Ball manipulation: the athlete is allowed almost any action: simply carry it in his hands, make a pass to a partner, make throws.
3. Glasses: 6 points, hitting the goal above the crossbar - 1 3.

Important! American football is listed in Guinness Book of Records, like a team game with the most confusing rules.

1. Task: not only hit, but also land the projectile in the enemy’s end zone.
2. Ball manipulation: passes only along the transverse line, passes of the projectile only backwards. The projectile is moved in any direction only by kicks.
3. Glasses: landing the ball in the opponent's end zone - 2 points, hitting the goal above the crossbar - 3 , successful free kick into the goal - 3 .

Differences in the number of teams and players in them

American football: two teams of 11 players each.

Due to the high level of injury, athletes on the field are constantly changing, so at a time can take part in competitions up to fifty representatives of one team.

Rugby: two teams of 15 people: 7 defenders and 8 attackers.

Differences in field sizes and markings

American football: playing area size - 110 by 49 m. Gate in the form of a slingshot. The crossbar is 3 meters above the platform level, and the distance between the posts is 5.7 m.

The field is divided into five-yard sections (numbered 10 to 50). Markers along the edges of the court indicate the distance that the athlete has left to run before landing. In the middle is the scrimmage line where the ball is kicked out. The most important part of the playing area is additional 10-yard end zones, located on both sides of the field.

Rugby: playing area size - 144 by 70 m. H-shaped gate. The crossbar is 3 meters away above the platform level, and the distance between the posts is 5.6 m.

The playing area is marked with the following lines: side, front, central, boundary lines 22-meter zone in the gate area. The dotted markings are carried out at a distance 5 m from the goal line and 15 m from the side lines sites.

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Time

American football: 4 periods of 15 minutes each. Total game duration - 60 min. Between second and third quarters a break is announced. Teams switch halves of the field after the first and third quarters. Professional competitions can last for 2-3 hours.

Rugby: 2 halves of 40 minutes each. Between halves there is break for 5-10 minutes. After the break, the teams change goals, moving to the opponent’s part of the field. In controversial situations, additional appointments are made 2 more halves of 10 minutes.

Differences in equipment

American football: jacket with sleeves or T-shirt(underneath there is a special frame to protect the back, chest and shoulders), trousers or breeches, a helmet, mouth guard, boots, open-fingered gloves, knee pads, thigh protectors.

Rugby: Mike, shorts, boots with spikes, helmet, knee and elbow pads, special gloves with open fingers, shin guards, shoulders, mouth guard.

Are rugby and American football the same thing?

American football: The shape and size of the ball have changed for a long time. Both a round ball and a rugby ball have been used .

In 1924, the N.F.L. established uniform standards for this playing equipment: it became lighter than a rugby ball and acquired a characteristic lacing. Its circumference is 72.4 cm, width - 34 cm, weight - 397-425 grams. Color: brown with white stripe.

Game for real men

One of the most exciting games in modern sports is rugby. She has thousands of fans around the world, and from 2016 she should once again be included in the Olympic Games program. Rugby is also gaining popularity in our country, so it’s time to get to know this game better.

How and where did rugby appear?

Rugby is a sports game in which players pass the ball to each other with their hands and feet, trying to kick it into the opponent's goal or send it into their goal area. It is believed that rugby appeared during one of the American football matches. In 10823, at Rugby School, one of the participants in the match - William Webb Ellis - instead of passing to a teammate, took the ball in his hands and ran with it towards the opponent's goal. There were no clear rules of football back then, so many people started doing this. It was only in 1963 that the Football Association was created, which created the official rules of the game and prohibited picking up the ball. So American football and rugby became separate sports.

The first international rugby match took place in 1871. In it, the national teams of England and Scotland met each other. Later the game became popular in other countries. From 1900 to 1924 this sport was an Olympic sport. It will be included in the Olympic program again in 2016.

How is rugby played?

Rugby is played on a field 100 meters long and 70 meters wide, with two end zones on the short sides. The essence of the game is to deliver the ball into the opponent's scoring zone and touch the ground with it - this is awarded 5 points and the right to kick on goal. Points are also awarded to a team for hitting the goal after a penalty kick or field goal.

In rugby, the way players pass the ball matters a lot. The ball can only be passed backwards or parallel to the baseline. It is allowed to kick the ball forward with your feet, but in this case, the next one to touch it must be either the player who made the pass, or the one who was behind him at the time of the impact.

A rugby match lasts two halves of 40 minutes. There are practically no stops in it - they are only possible if a player is injured or the referee needs to watch a video replay of the moment for its correct interpretation. Interestingly, after playing time has expired, the match does not stop immediately - the referee declares the match over only if the player breaks the rules by making a forward pass with his hands, or does not kick the ball out of bounds.

Today in the world there are several types of rugby, which differ in rules. In our country, rugby union or rugby-15 has gained the greatest popularity.

How is rugby different from American football?

Many people often confuse rugby and American football. These are indeed related sports, but they are not identical to each other. Here are their differences:

Field: American football is played on a field measuring 110 x 49 meters, while rugby is played on a field measuring 100 x 70 meters. At the same time, on the sides of a rugby field there are scoring zones 10-22 meters long, and an American football field is marked into five-yard segments, along which they determine how much time is left to run to the scoring zone.

Ball: a rugby ball is less elongated and heavier than a football ball, it is made not from genuine leather, but from synthetics and does not have characteristic lacing.
Team composition: rugby is played by 15 people, who can change with substitutes an unlimited number of times; the football team consists of 11 people.

Game time: An American football match consists of four periods of 15 minutes, while a rugby game consists of two halves of 40 minutes.
Power moves: in rugby, power moves can only be used against the player holding the ball, in American football - against any opponent on the field.

Passes: In American football you can only pass forward with your hands, and in rugby you can only pass with your hands and feet, but forward passes with your hands are not allowed.

Player equipment: Rugby is played in uniforms standard for all types of football, and American football is played in hockey-type equipment, since the speed and power of passing are very high in this game.

As can be seen from the above, American football and rugby, although similar, are still different sports, and they should not be confused with each other.

The beginning of the regular season in the NFL gives an opportunity to once again tell why you can love the main overseas sport.

Hello to all those who did not come in to read the title and write a funny “nothing” comment and proudly leave. In fact, I am not writing this text in order to hold a holivar on the topic of which sport is cooler. It is clear that curling.

My task is to interest the curious. Tell those who don’t know but are ready to find out. And even if you don’t like it, then at least you will fully know why you don’t like it, and not operate with monotonous and not always logical arguments.

In the end, I myself have loved European football for as long as I can remember and love it, I still watch it (you can click on the profile and see for yourself). And some time ago, my opinion about American football was very typical for a Russian sports fan. I'm now entering my fourth season in the NFL and I'm looking forward to it.

That is, I didn’t come from Mars, I didn’t fall on my head as a child, I wasn’t paid for by the State Department. I was a healthy person who was so hooked on American football that I was ready to stay up at night now. And if you accept that I’m really healthy, then that means there’s something in this sport that might be of interest. Well, either I was bitten by another American football fan.

Phrases about American football that make kittens die

Ugh, how can you call playing with your hands football? And why do stupid Americans call our football soccer?

A quick history lesson: all sports with the word “soccer” in their full name emerged from roughly the same chaotic mess with a ball. Such sports include, for example, rugby football (rugby, which was later divided into rugby union and rugby league), Australian football, Gaelic football, and our favorites – American football and Association football. The latter is precisely the official name of “football”, which is familiar to us.

Who made Association football the official name? The British in 1863, when within the framework of the formed Football Association, made a set of rules to distinguish their version of football from the one that was more similar to modern rugby. That's why it's Association Football. In Europe, it was Association football that developed most actively, so the long first word was removed, and by default, “football” began to be understood as just that. And in the United States, another version of the same sport took root, which they also simply called “football.”

And the word “soccer,” which is disgusting for many, was also introduced into use by the British, not the Americans. Soccer is a clever shorthand for Association. You can notice the same root for the words.

So do you ever kick the ball in American football?

Certainly. The initial kick in each of the two halves of the game (kick-off) is made with the foot. If a team gets close enough to the opponent's end zone but fails to score a touchdown, it can score 3 points thanks to its kicker (field-goal). If a team fails to complete 10 yards in their own half of the field in 3 tries, the Panther will most likely come out and kick the ball into the opponents' half of the field (punt). This is a fairly significant part of the game, and it is all done using the lower limbs.

Why do American football players have so much protection? And these leggings too? What are they, girls? Rugby players run around without anything, like real men!

Firstly, in rugby, contact with a player who is not in possession of the ball is prohibited. In American football, contact with the opponent begins immediately with the ball being put into play. You can’t just stop the receiver from catching the ball if the pass has already been made (as soon as he touched the ball, you can). There are an incredible amount of injuries in the NFL - every week is like a fight report. Important protective elements are also attached to leggings; everything should fit snugly to the body.

Secondly, rugby is played without substitutions (only injured players are replaced) and without such long pauses. Try running for three hours without rest in this outfit. The very dynamics of the game dictate the presence or absence of game “armor”.

Thirdly, rugby involves guys of approximately the same build. In American football, each position on the field requires a different physical ability. The defenders are strong, muscular guys, in the front line in front of the quarterback there are massive big guys with a belly, and the receivers are very agile and jump well, but do not have much weight. Only this off-season, with all the equipment, two guys ended their careers at 23 years old and at 25 years old, because they suffered about four concussions, and this is already a red light from the doctors.

Lord, why are there so many pauses in the game? 95% of the time nothing happens. It’s impossible to watch, I want to sleep.

I agree, it’s not easy to get used to the rhythm of the game. The average live match lasts about three hours. The GamePass system (an option to watch games in HD on the official NFL website) allows you to view past games in a “compressed” mode, where only clean plays are shown. In this format, you can watch the game in half an hour.

It will help here if you treat American football as a separate sport, and do not try to compare it with football in everything. There are pauses in tennis and basketball – these are also sports. Over time you adapt. Besides, let's be honest, many of us rather listen to regular football, and often pay attention to the screen only if the commentator raises his voice. “How can you run back and forth across the field for an hour and a half, and no one scores a goal” - this is how the opposite stereotype sounds.

Guys, seriously, then love baseball, wrestling, chew popcorn and go to your America, you will be better there.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, take it easy. Will we send hockey fans to Canada? Football fans to England, and tennis fans to France? And only the purely devout Lapta and towns will remain in Russia. You can have any attitude towards US politics or even its culture (we all don’t like American films and music, yeah), but what does this have to do with a specific sport? By the way, it has been played in Russia since perestroika times.

Personally, I perceive the playing of the US anthem before the match, airplanes flying in the sky, parades of bands, cheerleaders and honoring the military during the break of the match as national flavor, no more and no less. National flavor is everywhere. No one is asking you to wrap yourself in the stars and stripes and say in a nasal voice, “The only way out of here, Johnny, is through the roof.”

Well, okay, okay, let's say. But how to watch it? Matches are played there at five in the morning!

Well, it’s normal, I watched the game and went to work. Seriously, the vast majority of matches start either at 21.00 on Sunday or at midnight from Sunday to Monday. For fans of the Champions League and especially the Spanish championship, this is a completely normal time. The rest of the matches can always be downloaded from torrents or watched through the same GamePass at any convenient time. And the likelihood that your friends will spoil the result is much less.

Let's say I decide to watch the match on Sunday evening. But the rules are very complicated, the devil himself will break his leg.

It only seems so at first glance. In fact, the basic rules are remembered very quickly - go 10 yards in 4 attempts, but if you don’t get through in 3, then you usually kick the ball away. The ball is either passed or carried in the hands of the running back. A touchdown is worth 6 points, plus an extra point after the conversion. If they don't score a touchdown, but are close to the end zone, they can kick a field goal and get 3 points.

In a month you will learn all the nuances of violations in the game, how and why coaches throw challenges, how time works. But even in three years you may not learn all the subtle nuances that remain small discoveries. At the same time, you can enjoy the game if you only know the basic rules.

How is American football better than soccer?

Video replays. It is very important for Americans that everything complies with the spirit of the rules. In controversial situations, the referees pause the game and go to watch a video replay. Coaches of both teams have the opportunity to use video replays twice per game (if the referee's decision changes after a review, the opportunity remains). Yes, because of this the game may take longer, but justice will prevail.

Judging. The referees announce each of their decisions around the stadium - who is punished, for what and how. The arbitrators constantly consult with each other. In general, there is much less talk in the NFL about officiating than about the game. Well, only if there was no referee lockout.

No simulations. In three seasons of watching the NFL, I've seen three instances of player simulation. All three times the public condemned the offenders. Moreover, the league imposed fines on malingerers. It is non-Hispanic Americans who are complaining about soccer in terms of “ballet on the field.” American football values ​​toughness and masculinity.

Variety of options. There are not so many main “highlight” events in soccer - a goal, a penalty and/or an expulsion. In American football, you can throw a touchdown pass, you can make an interception or fumble (the offensive team loses the ball and passes it to the opponent), a spectacular sack of the quarterback (slammed to the ground with the ball in their hands), there are fake plays (when it looks like they were going for a field goal, and then suddenly there was a pass, everyone was shocked, and the guys scored 6 points), a touchdown after a kickoff or punt (you saw those cuts when a guy runs past the entire opposing team).

Short season. Your girlfriend will love that you're obsessed at night for only four months of the year, plus the playoffs in January. This is not 38 championship matches, European cups, and then the World Cup, and everything all over again. In addition, the limited number of games in the season (16 for each team) practically eliminates the possibility of “passing” matches. Here, every regular season game is played at Champions League playoff level. Because of this, huge stadiums are packed.

Salary ceiling. There will never be Manchester City or PSG here. If one team has been much more successful than another over the years, it depends solely on the level of management, scouting service and coaching staff. Yes, the New England Patriots are always one of the favorites of the season, and the Jacksonville Jaguars are one of the outsiders, but this is not at all due to the fact that someone has more money.

Everyone has a chance. NFL is often deciphered as “not for long”. Even if you support the notorious Jacksonville, you still start the season with, albeit timid, hope for a championship. Things really do happen in the NFL. The three previous Super Bowl winners—Green Bay, the New York Giants and Baltimore—barely made the playoffs during their winning seasons. And if you support Sunderland or Osasuna, your ultimate dream is to get into the Europa League.

Lighting. Highlights of each match directly on the official website. And all previous matches of past seasons. Pay for GamePass and watch games whenever you want, in any mode, from different cameras with parallel statistics, displaying your fantasy players. All statistical indicators are always before your eyes. If you speak English, a huge world of accessibility is open to you, which can only be remotely compared to the English Premier League.

Tactics. American football is like chess. The offense develops its plan, the defense develops its plan, and there is still a little room for improvisation. Quarterbacks have hundreds of different combinations in mind, and fans usually know the name of not only the team's head coach, but also the defensive coordinator and offensive coordinator. During repetitions of combinations, they will draw you a tactical express analysis right on the screen, who ran where, why, and why it worked out.

No draws.“They drove a draw” - such a concept does not exist in the NFL. Last season there was indeed a draw, the first in 5 years. Some football players don't even know that a draw happens in their sport. And not at all because they are stupid, it’s just that this is a really rare occurrence. You either win or you lose.

Friendly community. A newcomer to European football is faced with an extremely aggressive reaction from those around him - he is called a “glory hunter”, a “schoolboy”, and the chosen club is insulted and humiliated in the comments on almost any news. Fans of American football on the RuNet greet newcomers with joy, explain the rules patiently, and at worst sneer at the topic of their favorite team.

How to stop being afraid and love American football:

Many people who are interested in sports prefer playing football. Unfortunately, games such as rugby and American football are underrated among sports fans, but in this article we will tell you all the delights of these games, and also explain in detail what is so special about them.

Admit it, of course, it’s better for you to watch football than rugby and American football. These two games are considered very boring for Europeans. Let's be honest, if there is American football on TV, and on another TV there is an ordinary game of the Spanish championship, what will you choose? Of course the latter.

This is good for us, but the representatives of the USA love their kind of football very much, they are as fans of them as we are of our football. In this article we will write everything about games in the USA, for those who know little about sports in the USA in general.

In this article we will answer a number of questions, namely: what is the difference between rugby and American football, the difference between rugby and American football and what came before

appeared - rugby or American football.

In general, American football looks exactly the same as our regular football. The game takes place 11 by 11, the game process itself is based on movements with an oval-shaped projectile. The most important question for people who are not interested in sports from the USA is what kind of game is this American football of yours?

We answer, the essence of this game with a long name is that you need to advance the ball to the place of the end zone, which is located in the opponent’s half of the field. You are allowed to carry the ball in your hands, throw it, or pass it to a player on your team. Something similar is used in basketball, don't you think?

There are a variety of ways to score points in American football, such as getting the ball into the end zone, making an accurate pass into the end zone, and scoring between two goal posts just above the crossbar. The one who scores the most points in the allotted time wins.

Rugby has slightly different rules; there are already 15 players from each team. There are two halves of 40 minutes. Part of the 15-man team consists of 8 offensive linemen and 7 defensive linemen. The essence of this game is to pass the ball into each other's hands, deliver it to the end zone behind the opponent's goal, or score the ball into a special goal. The team with the most points during the entire game wins.

Now let's try to answer the question, what is the difference between rugby and American football?

In rugby, the main thing is to throw the ball into the opponent's end zone; in American football, it is important not to score or throw the ball, but to push the ball into the opponent's scoring zone and earn points that are so important for the game.

The ball for these two similar sports has the same oval shape. Only a rugby ball is much less elongated than an American football ball. The rugby ball is heavier than its American football protégé, which is actually the whole difference between them.

The rugby ball is made of materials that are synthetic and slippery. The rugby ball also has a brighter shade. The American football ball has completely natural leather with a slightly rough surface. This surface allows you to hold the projectile firmly in your hands. The American football also has a unique leather lacing.

Rugby and American football, the differences of which we have indicated in the balls for these sports, also have differences in historical form. After all, few people have thought about what came first, rugby or American football?

Rugby or American football - which came first?

A difficult question, but we will try to answer it. In general, most people from Europe are not aware of games such as rugby and American football. There are obvious reasons for this; people are simply not interested in these games. We have our own football and everyone is happy with it, but we don’t really want to learn about US games.

During one football match back in 1823, one boy of about 16 took the ball and went to drag it across the entire football field. In an ordinary game, this is regarded as a violation of the rules, but no one would have thought that such a game as rugby would be born this way. The match itself took place on April 7, so this day can be considered the founding date of this great game.

But already in 1869, two teams from different universities in Canada decided to hold some kind of battle among themselves. The guys changed the rules of the game of rugby and created their own mixed style of play. This is how the game of American football was born. Answering the question of what came first, we can safely say that it was a game of rugby.

In this article, we have answered all possible questions about these two games. You need to know everything about sports if you are a fan of everything sports in the world. Love sports, love learning new information and reaching new heights with