Which sport is tougher American Football or Rugby (Union and League included)?
As an NFL fan in New Zealand, I believe it’s an apples and oranges thing. American football features a lot of hard hits that would be red cards in rugby. It’s a full-on collision sport…there is always contact going on. In rugby you can’t “block” for the ball carrier. Without the pads and helmets, serious injury or even deaths would occur on the American football field. Whereas for rugby, you’re running for 80 minutes, so it’s tough stamina-wise. While the hits are not as hard they can still be pretty brutal. You can never end this argument with a simple poll. American football followers will rip on rugby and vice versa. They’re two very different sports. Bryan Habana would not last a second in the NFL, and DeMarcus Ware would not last a second in the Super 14. Personally I believe American football is superior, mainly because it emphasises more on strategy and plays, whereas I find rugby is just bash, bash, bash. But “toughness” is in the eye of the beholder.
