A Comparison Of American Football Vs. Rugby

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Most of us have seen a football game on TV, but not everybody is familiar with a rugby match. Rugby is a European based sport, and played almost everywhere around the world, except in the United States. This is mainly because the United States developed and created a very similar sport called football. These two sports are very similar in the basic setup, but the equipment, rules, and history behind the sports vary in many different ways.
The equipment needed is quite different for each sport, and football requires much more protection. In football, players must wear a large set of pads that rest on your shoulders. These pads cover most of your upper body from your shoulders down to the middle of your chest. Also, players wear thigh pads and …show more content…

According to the article, “American Football vs. Rugby,” the authors state that “the time limit (of an American football game) is four 15 minute quarters with a half-time intermission after the second quarter. The game clock stops frequently between plays.” Sixty minutes is a pretty normal game time compared to other American sports. In football 's point system, there are many different ways to score points. The main way to score is by a touchdown. This is worth six points. Other ways to score is by a field goal which is worth three points, a safety is worth two points, or an extra point otherwise known as P.A.T., point after touchdown. To keep possession, each team has to move the ball at least 10 yards within 4 downs. If they fail, the other team gets the same chance to move the ball. The main objective is to score more points than the other team by advancing the ball into the opponent’s team end-zone. As for rugby, “the time limit is two 40 minute halves with a ten minute half time. The clock only stops for prolonged injuries.” A 40 minute half is the normal time for sports in Europe, soccer is almost exactly the same at 45 minute halves. Compared to the complex scoring of football, rugby is much easier to understand. When a team goes for a score in rugby, it is formally called a “try”. This is worth five points. To score, the player must press the ball to the ground inside the goal-area. After scoring a try, a player has to attempt a conversion by kicking the ball through a goal post, this is very similar to the football conversion. The main objective of rugby is to carry the ball and place it down on the opponent 's goal line, then kick it between the goalposts to score more points than the other

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