American reacts to 'Rugby Explained for American Football Fans'
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- Опубліковано 16 чер 2024
- Thank you for watching me, a humble American, react to Rugby Explained for American Football Fans
Original video: • Rugby Explained for Am...
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I think chaotic is the wrong term. It is dynamic and free-flowing. It looks chaotic to you because you don't understand what they are doing. The slightest mistake in Rugby Union can cost you the game. You have to be aware of the rules at all times, be mindful of offside positions and be aware of the best place for you to be to help your team. Many high level rugby games are won or lost because of small mistakes that give away a penalty kick. It requires tremendous powers of concentration to be mentally focused for that period of time in such a physical game. I would suggest that it is the mental focus and the discipline that is the biggest difference between winning and losing teams.
Maybe "structured" is for League, and "free-flowing" is for Union.
Union is far too boring. Any sport whose main method of scoring is patiently waiting for the other team to commit a foul in their own half so you can kick for 3 points doesn’t have enough action. Rugby League and Rugby 7s are much better options.
The last way I would describe rugby union as is free flowing its probably a minute of action jammed between line outs, scrums, kicking the ball into touch or set shots at penalty goals. You have some guy with a whistle that pulls up play every few seconds because he saw an obscure rule in his 2 inch thick rule book breached. Then you have the spectacle of overweight men wrestling each other while constantly resetinng scrums which chews up another 5 minutes of play. Seriously watch a state of origin or NRL game to see what playing rugby for 80 minutes means or watch a game of AFL (Australian football) and see if you reckon rugby union players would have the stamina to play in either of those competitions.
@@loganleroy8622 South Africa has now won 4 Rugby World Cup finals. In three of those four games, they didn't score a single try!
@@loganleroy8622 Idk man, if you want more dopamine watching rugby just watch Fiji play or smth.
Something else to bear in mind is that you don't have an offence and defence that swap out. In Rugby Union the players are on the field for 80 minutes and the level of fitness is insanely high.
It’s not called a field goal, it’s a drop goal, named after the drop kick which is used to score it.
Yep, they don't get to sit down when they have played for 20 seconds.
@@andrewmorton9327 It's a field goal in Rugby League. Maybe he could have said field goal/drop goal depending on the code (although it is shown briefly in a couple of graphics). But it's hardly a huge error, considering he's an American trying to explain two somewhat similar codes (from the casual observers perspective) to an American audience.
Yeah I don't think the video made that point at all - they used the terms offence & defence & the American Football fan would implicitly assume they are different groups of players, perhaps even to the extent that the set pieces of scrum & line out in Rugby Union have "specialist" players who just do this aka Special Teams. In Union the 15 players have to do everything & there are 8 substitutes who can be exchanged tactically or for injury replacement over the 80 minutes - the key thing is that they can't swap back again, so at least 7 of the starting lineup have to keep up the play over the full 80 minutes.
As such they have to have strength for the competition for the ball, skills in running, tackling, kicking and extreme endurance to last a full game - very different athletes than the NFL guys.
FYI, here in the UK I would guess the number of people watching the NFL would be over a million - it is very popular with a good few leagues actively playing.
Sorry - should have said I am from the UK - I regularly watch both codes of rugby & NFL - each has it's own attractions & things to admire
One thing to bear in mind that in rugby (both codes) you may only tackle the player with the ball. This is one reason why injuries are not as great as they might be. Also, the way one tackles in rugby is highly regulated and some illegal tackles can result in a player being sent off if they endanger an opponent.
Good point. Unlike American Football, there are no forward passes and one can only tackle the player with the ball.
I was a rugby coach for kids, and we drill them with "The tackler is responsible for the safety of the tackled", which in essence, summarize the rugby laws about tackling.
@@VdFCatLord It was very frustrating trying to explain this to casual fans during the world cup, who kept thinking carded tacklers had been screwed over.
Yeah, he didn't mean it, but he's responsible for what happens when he goes into the tackle. He made contact with the head, he's still more or less upright, he's dead to rights. We can't know what we know about concussions and CTE and not have this "duty of care" approach to tackling IMO.
The biggest issue is upright tackles are effective at tying up the ball, and you usually get away without coming into contact with the head or neck. It's not unusual to see dozens of legal upright tackles in a game. When the head collision occurs and your player is sent off, I understand how it can feel like bad luck. I don't know what the answer is. Teams appear to have crunched the numbers and decided it's worth the risk.
There's also a judiciary from what I remember made up of ex-players, lawyers and referees (at least in League at a pro level) a few days after and you can be suspended for multiple games. Basically any foul that would fall under "unnecessary roughness" in Gridiron would be referred to to the judiciary. If you have a list of priors, suspensions would be likely and longer. Someone like say Vontaze Burfict/Bill Romanowski would've been suspended a lot times.
What would make it confusing for learners is the mix of (rugby league) videos, mixed with rugby videos…
'Scrum caps' are very slightly padded, and designed to let you keep your ears attached to your head in the scrum etc... 😊
Was about to say the same. When I played Rugby in school we didn't have scrum caps yet and it was very common for forwards to sustain ear injuries. In some extreme cases, even have their ear partially or even completely torn off. School Rugby was often more unregulated and violent than professional Rugby back then.
I saw a few broken noses and dislocated shoulders at our regular sports afternoon at Secondary School, fun times. The guys who played for the school team would always appear on the Monday morning with the usual assortment of injuries . black eyes , broken noses, swollen ears and sometimes teeth missing, they called it character building.
I went into a scrum once, blindside prop, didn’t hear a thing for the rest of the game. I was a centre😊
PS: there are 1400 high schools with rugby union school teams in the US, plus 900 college teams, 700 senior teams, and 10 professional teams. The US ranks 17th in world rugby union rankings, just above Uruguay and just behind Tonga. Your women's national team ranks 9th, just behind Scotland and ahead of Ireland. As with football/soccer, your women do much better than your men, it seems! 😅
The reason for rugby union being chosen by US high schools is to do with union's history as an amateur sport until 1995. League has always been a professional sport.
What is your point?
We're #8
*_VAAAAMOS PUMAAAAAAS LPM!!_*
proud mother of a 7 years old rugby girl here.
it's her 3rd year and she is still in love with this sport ❤
Well done you - she's been bought up well!! ;)
Pleased to hear it. She could be an international star in another 15 years or so.
Has she got a favourite player as a role model?
A phrase over here I love is Football is a game for gentleman played by hooligans and Rugby is a game for Hooligans played by Gentlemen, Rugby Union is better in my opinion than rugby league
I think a good game of union is better than a good game of league but a bad game of union is way way way worse than a bad game of league
Yeah, that's about right. I live in Wigan (rugby league country), but grew up in South Africa, so have experienced plenty of both codes. Twenty years ago I would have said that RL (rugby league) was a better game than RU (rugby union), due to the speed of the game, but now I think RU is a far better game when played at the top level. One thing that I didn't realise having watched plenty of American Football on the TV is just how many stoppages there are and have many changes of players are continuously coming onto and leaving the field. I only realised this watching the Patriots play the Steelers at Wembley. NFL games certainly take a lot of planning
@@seamus7054I'm Cumbrian but I support Wig-in as the locals pronounce just because my cousin is a Saints fan I like to be awkward haha but even though I think union can be the better code I watch more league games than union especially the NRL them boys are unreal compared to the English super league and I'm the same with American football I've tried my hardest to get into it but I just can't stand it bores me to death even the superbowl they have to put on a half time show just to keep you entertained says alot about the game itself
The NRL is the world's premier rugby competition.
@@salt1956correct 👍
He failed to mention that it mattters where you score the try. If you get it right between the goal then the conversion kick is easier as it is taken from the middle of the field while if you score near the corner flag then you have to kick from the side of the field too.
And the try is only valid if the player makes and up down movement with the ball before the touch down
@@franciscouderq1100what do you mean and up and down movement with the ball? The ball just has to be grounded and controlled? 🤔
@@mrjrountreethere needs to be downward pressure applied to the ball on the ground for it to be a try - no upward motion necessary.
@@GuardOfGaia that's what I said? Lol
@@mrjrountree I was replying to francis but didn't notice I had selected the wrong comment but the downward pressure is required - you can hold it and retain possession whilst its on the ground - i.e. grounded and controlled but if there is no downward pressure its still not a try. If for example you have a loose ball between the goal line and dead ball line and an attacking player picks it up then it was grounded and controlled but until he places it back down its still in play and no try. Its a fine distinction and in most cases if its uncontested it probably won't matter but with that example the attacking player can improve the place the try is scored by moving it closer to the posts and can be tackled taking him over the dead ball line. Or if the attacking player is holding it but the only downward pressure is from a defending player then still no try that can definitely happen if there is a maul which goes to ground.
My son used to play both Rugby Union and American football. He enjoyed the difference between them both but at the end of the day when he had to choose between them he chose Rugby union. More exciting, stricter rules and needing more concentration
Of course, you are right, as a typical NFL game can lat 3 hours..zzzzz lol
He chose rugby because he wasn’t good enough to start in football.
@@Ace-mw9pm I'd be curious to see american football players try rubgy, and vice-versa. I'd be ready to wager rugby players would fare much better overall xD
That being said, high-level athletes are high-level athletes, no matter the sport they practice. Respect to all.
@@Androvalius I disagree Rugby is a much more simple sport compared to football. Certain positions in football are simple like offensive and defensive tackles all they do is block or go after quarterback or running. But other positions are much more difficult.
@@Ace-mw9pm Muricans gonna murica.
The beauty of rugby union is that it can actually be refined if the players are good enough. Which makes the best games with the best players in the world absolute wonders to watch.
And its only 80mins plus stoppages not 4 hours long😂😂😂
It's only very very recently that professional athletes have been allowed to take part in the Olympic Games. Btw, the "helmet" is called a scrum cap, it's made of a soft material such as cotton, and is worn to protect your ears from damage in a scrum.
I also used to wear one to keep my hair out of my eyes.
Unfortunately that's a problem that sorted itself out on my 20s, when my hair migrated south.
The only truly protective bit of kit is a gum shield. Decent dentistry is far too expensive to risk leaving your teeth on the pitch.
its also called head gear in Australia
The Rugby club I used to play for regularly played against a team from one of the US Airbases in Suffolk, and they had some phenomenal athletes. While they were pretty good at the set-piece moves like scrum and line-out because their players were huge, they tended to run out of steam about halfway through the game as you have to be really aerobically fit for Rugby. Frequently, you'd get our fit little fat-guys, just using their speed to go around the big fellows. Because the ball is passed so much, particularly immediately after a tackle is made, it can be difficult for the opposition to see where the ball is, so that also catches people out. The only protection worn is normally a gum-shield, but scrum-caps are used to prevent 'cauliflower ears', which are both painful, and unattractive. You will often see players use electrical tape to bind their ears by passing it around their head. Because it is a hard sport, there are occasional fights, but these are normally over and done with quickly, and unless there is serious foul-play, the worst that anyone will get is a yellow-card, with 10 minutes in the sin-bin. The accepted convention after the match, is that you buy the person you had a fight with a beer. One of the biggest differences between soccer and Rugby, is how the match officials are treated. The referee is always referred to as 'Sir' or 'Ma'am', and ANY physical assault on a match official, will earn you a life-ban from the game. The referee's word is the law and if you argue, you are likely to have a penalty awarded against you for dissent. Keep arguing and the penalty will be moved forward by ten yards and you may also be sin-binned. Generally, only the team captains are allowed to talk to the referee during the game. What is not discussed in this video, is the general size and shape of the players in each position. The front tow, comprising the two props and the 'hooker' in the middle, tend to be under 6ft tall, often much shorter, and are frequently nearly as wide as they are tall. They come under phenomenal pressure in the scrums and need to be able to handle a quarter-ton of compression going through their back and neck. The locks, or second rows, are the main line-out jumpers and also provide the 'push' in the scrums. They are usually very tall, 6'4" - 6'10" and are also often 300lbs+ (please bear in mind that some of these guys can still do the hundred in under 12 seconds) The back row players, the two flankers and the number 8, tend to be powerfully built, but athletic and provide a link between the 'forwards (props, hooker, locks, and back row) and the backs, the fast and skilful players from numbers 9-15. 9, is the scrum half. These are often smaller, agile players, who can spin pass the ball from either hand, and are quick enough to dart through gaps.. They also need to be able to kick. The stand-off, number 10, is the distributor of the ball, and will often be the play-maker. They are usually very good kickers. You have two 'centres', numbers 12 & 13 whose job it is to carry the ball forward, often into contact with the opposition, exploiting any gaps they find, they tend to be more heavily built than the rest of the backs. Then you have the wingers. These are the out and out speed-merchants, but they need to be able to defend as well. Finally, you have the last line of defence, the full-back, who has all of the speed of a winger, but is usually a very good kicker, and an excellent defender. I hope that helps.
well explained!
The guy did a good job as an American explaining rugby.
Two things he didn't mention, one is the "sin bin." If a player commits a foul and he gets shown the yellow card he is sent off the pitch to the sin bin for 10 minutes, which means their team is down a man for the duration of the yellow card.
And the "helmet" that some players wear is a skull cap to protect their ears. "Cauliflower ear" is a rugby term and might help explain why some players wear them.
This is very easy to explain to those in the right parts of the US, because it's basically the same as the powerplay in ice hockey.
Cauliflower eat is also encountered in many martial arts and phisical sports such as wrestling, boxing and mma. Any intense friction can cause the ears to swell up, leading to a look similar to the large bumps on a cauliflower
Good to see you learning about both rugby codes mate . Just a heads up though Ryan , in union , league and AFL the game is played for the whole 80 minutes . Whilst in your American football with all the stoppages between plays , the average actual NFL game time is only between 15 to 20 minutes long . So guess which players have more stamina ?
And all of those American breaks for commercials!
How much stamina would a rugby player have if he has was subjected to 60 high impact collisions per game, instead of merely being dragged down to the ground?
actual ball in play time is around 40 minutes though for union, a little higher if its fiji japan, lower if its england south africa
Don't forget that they are tanks with all that padding and you don't seem to know how stamina works, ngl. And funny that you described it as simply being dragged down to the ground, you could say the same with AF.@@cygnusx-3217
@@cygnusx-3217Try playing the game - then you'll konw what a stupid question that is.
the reason why there are no smiles in older photos is because taking a photo took time and money. taking a photo could take up to an hour. a mistake caused by a movement, such as a smile, during the shot was fatal and meant that the photo had to be taken again. this cost a lot more money. so any emotion or movement was forbidden, resulting in emotionless or grim photos. also, smiling non-stop for up to an hour was a feat no one was willing or even able to do xD.
Although shooting times had already greatly reduced by the mid-19th century, the loss of time (it could still take minutes to take a picture) and the cost of mistakes remained high as the materials used were still expensive. The non-smile remained a stylistic device for photographs for a very long time, even though it was no longer necessary
Very technical but 100% accurate. Basically everything Americans need to know. Btw, the men’s Rugby World cup was held September/October this year in France. South Africa won for the fourth time…yeah! I was born in South Africa and live in England. England came third…also yeah!
2.4 million people attended, 48 matches, 50k people per match. I love stats :)
Don't get him watching Bok rugby it will put him to sleep! The Six Nations is the place to go = history and pasion.
@@timphillips9954 😂
Six nations rugby.... fabulous
American Football was supposed to be more like Rugby, but ended up courtroom drama on astroturf.
I've played rugby union since I was 9. Love the sport. Really appreciated seeing you reaction to learning about it. Couple of points that might help your understanding:
. Rugby Union is not a less refined version of the sport. It is extremely organised. Players need to be able to read the game very quickly and know what their role is in that situation. This is an ability that is drilled into us through training. It's easily one of the most challenging things about the game as a beginner.
. There is a great deal of strategy in rugby just like in american football. The main difference is that play does not stop. No time outs. So strategy is worked out "on the fly", usually using a combination of codes and callsigns. Its perfectly normal for teams to basically have their own language for these strategies so the opposition doesn't know what to expect.
. Essentially the idea behind most of the rules is that very inch of territory your team gains has to be earned through strategy, physicality and skill. Not through fluke. Which is why you are allowed to kick it forward (cause you are kicking it to the opposition, so at best it's a gamble), but you cant pass it forwards to you're own teammate.
. There is two sections to a rugby team, Forwards and Backs. The Forwards take part in set pieces and are usually the larger stronger members of the team. The Backs are usually faster and deal more with open play and scoring. Though both forwards and backs have to be interchangible if the moment calls for it. Basically there is a place in a rugby team for anyone of any size or shape.
. No, Europeans don't really watch any american sport in great numbers. It's rather an obscure oddity to us 😋Got to say though, found your shock at women playing the sport a little jarring though.
I think you should watch though matches they recommended. Make a good video to see 🙂 Anyway, nice video Hope you have a lovely day mate.
I played rugby in prep & secondary school in the UK, walked away with a chipped tooth, broken nose and broken wrist from around 7 years of playing. The broken wrist incident stands out - I was injury 2 of 4 in that same play (I shared an ambulance with a team mate who got knocked out cold), and the match had to be stopped 'cos we didn't have enough players left on the field. Fun times!
Sounds about right. There was a tirnament my old hs team went to and about 3-4 people got concussions that day and at least one was knocked out cold
I got my leg bent the wrong way playing a match. What always makes ne laugh thinking back on it was that as they were taking me to the car the team had to strip my shirt off me because we only had enough :)
The pads and helmets mean you use your body like a weapon, plus with it being about bursts of strength and explosive plays over stamina and endurance, the hits are much harder in American football. There’s also much stricter rules in rugby about how you can tackle and without padding it makes you protect yourself more. It’s like boxing - with gloves you do way more damage than in bare knuckle boxing because it hurts your hands more to hit too
The hits most definitely are NOT harder! though in recent years there are much tighter rules around head contact, and also not allowed to trample the shit out of people on the ground if they were stopping possession, like we could in the the good old days
Yeah, a lot of injury comes not directly from the impact, but from rapid sudden movement of the head causing the brain to essentially rattle around in the skull, the armour has been shown to cause players to make riskier moves as they feel protected, and while the helmets will protect against blunt form damage to the skull, they do nothing to protect its contents when you're full-force slammed into by another person and hit the ground, it's taken a lot of players becoming cognitively impaired in later life for this problem to become seriously addressed with rules rather than thinking that you can just add more protection.
It is similar to the problem of boxing gloves like you said, but not just because the gloves let you hit harder without hurting your hands, but also where you can hit, without gloves you avoid the face and head 'cause you will break your hands, the main injuries would be bruising to the arms and torso, at worst a damaged rib, but with gloves head and face blows are the main approach causing concussions and neck injuries
@@gilgamesh101 lol yeah i remember when players could "rake" a defending player out of the way, it was very effective! It took a while but I think that nowadays, referees are usually pretty good at not allowing players to fall on the wrong side of a ruck
'The hits are much harder in American football' ...
You keep deluding yourself with that 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
No, the hits are harder in American football than in Rugby, due to the padding and the rules of the games. You stand there in a line and bash into each other with no ball in sight, with the aim to stop the player moving. You have padding to protect yourself, which means you can try and hit harder.
Now in rugby you only tackle the person with the ball, and take them down to the ground and that's it, they have to then stop.
The use of "football" was to specify a game with a ball played on foot, as opposed to a mounted game played on horseback.
One thing that you will notice when you compare the rugby codes is that rugby league tends to be a faster, more structured and free flowing game. By comparison, rugby union tends to have more stoppages and set piece restarts. Rugby League would probably be a better place to start watching for most Americans. The rules are simpler and it's a faster pace, less technical game that rugby union, which can be confusing at times, even for rugby union supporters.
In theory, Union can be very free flowing. It just rarely happens for much more than short periods. Or it is just a period of big forwards battering the line, which is technically free flowing, and can be exciting considering the context of the game. Some referees can be very pedantic though. I prefer League, but I did watch the Wallabies back when they were good.
A key point about Union is that, while is it very unlikely, it is possible for a half of the game to go on without a single stoppage - the stoppage are dictated by what happens on the pitch, rather than after specific "plays" or turnovers, as with girdiron or league. If no one infringes, or mishandles or the ball doesnt go out, then it just carries on... and on and on. It's unikely though, never goes more than a couple of minutes - but it could, it just doesnt, but it could! It might feel like it does when you play it, but it doesnt! But it could and that is the point of it - any other form of the game (League, AFL, GirdIron) is structured for stoppages in comparison. It mikght feel chaotic, but its actually probably the most controlled and disciplined of all of them - but thats an opinion. :P
Hi Ryan, I enjoyed watching you learn about Rugby; your expressions of puzzlement and revelation were priceless.
Further, the lack of body protection is compensated by well designed rules. The amount of injuries in American Football, Rugby and Soccer are comparable, only of a very different kind.
Referees are trained to keep the game safe by not allowing certain plays.
My daughter played Union for a few years and loved it. Unfortunately she now has a disability (not related) which means she can't play but is hopeful that she can join a wheelchair team.
To put into context how physical it is she got 5 conclusions in 2 years and several other injuries. She was in the under 18s category.
She was a forward, usually the hooker
I think an American might not quite grasp exactly what you mean when you tell him that your daughter was a hooker! 😮😊😂😂😂
Wheelchair rugby is viscous
Far as I know, the reason multiple sports share the name football (American - Association (soccer) - Rugby (which has the full name rugby football) - Aussie and so on) is because they are played on foot, rather than on horseback. It doesn't really have anything to do with using the foot to kick the ball, or the length of the ball being a foot long. The players are simply on foot.
Though even I don't know why they have scrums in League. The only time we have non contested scrums in Union is when someone has a serious injury, and even then he will be given a slap and told to "put his f**king back into it, stop being a lazy c**t and push." Our skipper is a poet. I can barely watch League, it's too non competitive at the breakdowns. In union we hit each other, fight for the ball, get a few digs in and go back to brawling once the phase recycles. In League they reset, help each other up, dust each other down and check everyone is feeling ok before recycling.
But I'm a prop, essentially a human battering ram, I would be mostly useless in a League game where dancing past players is the goal. My job is to go through and over people, never around them. I signed for a local club team at 15 and loved it, then tried to sign for my school team but got in trouble for playing full contact... As though there is another way? So I stuck with the club and have played for them for 25 years now.
Kinda close, basically they are all versions of Football, just with different rules! As said Rugby was originally officially called Rugby Football, hence why the first Rugby governing body was call the Rugby Football Union (RFU), and the later called themselves the Northern Rugby Football Union, but with the introduction of the Cambridge rules of Association Football, it was decided the term 'Football' would be dropped to avoid confusing the two sports and they now just used Rugby to identify.
In the US, things happened a little differently, Rugby was very popular, but as mentioned in the vid, both names were used interchangeably, though rather than dropping 'Football' from Rugby Football, Rugby got dropped instead, as calling it 'Football' became the more popular option.
The Melbourne Storm did win a scrum against the feed from the Brisbane Broncos in the NRL in the 2023 season, mainly because the Broncos stuffed up. It is rare enough to be noteworthy. In theory, scrums lock the forwards together in a small area of the field, allowing more space for the backs to put on an attacking play.
Te reason they still have scrums in Rugby League is to take the forwards out of the defensive line and open up space for the backs to attack. This may be a strange concept to Rugby Union supporters but NRL fans dont actually get that much joy from watching 2 teams of fat men wrestling each other and constatntly repacking scrums for 10 minutes. The most influential person on a rugby union field seems to be a bloke armed with a whistle and a 2 inch thick rule book. Bad news for you if you were a prop and I dont care what competion or level that you played at you would not have been fit enough to play in the NRL. You think size is enough to go through or over people in the NRL good luck with that..
@@user-bi8wp6wy3l I know, to my cost, that a pro League player won't give a monkeys about my size. One of the teams we play is a prison side, guards and cons, and there was an ex pro League player doing a short stretch. He went through me like Lomu going through a scrum half, I dropped the shoulder and ended up 20 yards backwards in my arse. Would have loved to buy him a pint for it, but tea urns only when we played them and always an away game.
As someone who grew up in New Zealand (the nation that plays Rugby Union better than anyone else) I learned from coaches that you repsect your opponents, play hard but fair, and you don’t EVER attempt to occasion Grievous Bodily Harm to anyone on the field. Chat onfield was limited to calling for the ball, or lineout instructions, although back in my day, lifting in the lineout was a Penalty offence, as was changing your position in the LO. (Still should be imho) Scrum penalties in today’s game drive me nuts. Back in the day, if you truend the scrum YOU were penalised, NOT the opposition. The ridiculous amount of time wasted in the average RU game these days is also bloody annoying. The whole farce of the Ref calling out his four different commands is a surefire recipe for someone to get worn out waiting for the next command, as they spend too much time, balancing themselves before actually engaging with the otrher team. The Rugby Union I played as a teenager was a fast flowing, running game and the forwards were required to be as fit as the backs.
One other thing I am totally against in all sports, is the needling of the opposition. As I said above, chat was restricted on the field. I played No. 6, 7, or sometimes 8 and I know well that any front row CHAT would earn the offender a warning from the Ref.
From your words I gather that you are one of the ‘mindless thugs’ that critics of Rugby like to portray as an example of all Rugby players. I don’t know where you get the idea that there aren’t very large men in Rugby League who can run over the top of or through opposition players, but you are so wrong in your caricature of League players as softies that I doubt you reallly know half of what you’re talking about. The object of rugby UNION is ALSO to dance around the opposition and keep tghe ball moving. If you want to wrestle or box, go join those sprts and leave the game of Rugby to players who have the brains, fitness, and sportsmanship to be able to play without resorting to trying to harm the opposition.
As someone who loves Rugby Union, I can’t stand watching the games these days, too many stoppages, for far too long each time, not enough skill at passing and receiving, and far too many penalties for pedantic Referees or TMO’s. I played League a few times as a youngster and they hit MUCH harder than in any Union game I played in. I prefer to watch League, simply because the ball is in play for a much higher percentage of the time available and the fitness level of the players is FAR higher than most Union players, most of the time.
The sport is actually called "rugby football" not just rugby. With the other variant being "association football". Most ruby clubs are xxxx RUFC (xxxx rugby union football club)
by the way, asSOCiation football is where the name SOCer comes from... The Brits gave it that name, lets all get over it
The NFL’s popularity is all the more remarkable when you inspect the fare it has to offer each week on television. An average professional football game lasts 3 hours and 12 minutes, but if you tally up the time when the ball is actually in play, the action amounts to a mere 11 minutes The 11 minutes of action was famously calculated a few years ago by the Wall Street Journal. Its analysis found that an average NFL broadcast spent more time on replays (17 minutes) than live play. The plurality of time (75 minutes) was spent watching players, coaches, and referees essentially loiter on the field.. Peace out.
Can u drop the link pls
Why is hand egg so popular in The USA? I watched the ‘Superbowl’ this year. It’s laughable.
The two main things that were not covered in this video are how play in Rugby Union is restarted when a) the ball goes into "touch" (via a "lineout", where the ball is thrown from the touchline and players jump competitively to gain possession) and when a player passes or loses the ball forward (via a "scrum", where the forwards in each team push against each other competetively to try to regain possesion of the ball). Your education is just beginning, Ryan! 🙂 Also, kicking the ball is much more common in Union than League because the chances to regain possession are much greater.
The video is great. Loving that the presenter suggested a women’s World Cup final game as his recommendation 👏🏼 I recently watched some women’s football World Cup games live and it was action packed. Loved it.
Another cool thing about both codes is both are games for all body shapes & sizes, you also have to play both offence & defence
Europeans do watch American football; the games the NFL organises in Germany and the UK are sold out each year, even if the Jets play the Jaguars, and could've sold out many times over. Obviously, not nearly as many people watch it here as in the US, but sure more than watch rugbuy in the USA.
The main thing this video doesn't mention is the role of the referees in rugby; they are a lot more vocal than in almost any other, and take no lip from anyone.
The respect shown to referees in rugby is so refreshing compared to the mobbing of officials you see in football/soccer (as is also true in American football; in both sports, players must be respectful or they will be out of the game before they can say, "But, ref...."!) The rugby refs are miked and when watching on TV, you can hear everything they say, whether explaining their decisions or warning players of illegal positions such as offsides or after a kick (happens almost constantly). I believe that spectators in the stadium can rent/buy earpieces that allow them to hear the comments as well. There is also a VAR in rugby, but the videos are shown on the stadium screen for everyone to see, and you can hear the discussions between the ref and the VAR. No one is left in any doubt about the reasons for the decisions (which doesn't mean that you will always agree!).
I know Ryan was confused that after a score the scoring team receives the ball again. That disturbed me at first as well, but when you watch the game a little bit, you soon realize that playing in your own half is a distinct disadvantage (American football commentators talk a lot about "field position", and it is certainly important, but it is crucial in rugby union. Anytime you are in your own half, there is a distinct possibility that you will make a mistake that will give the other team a clear scoring opportunity with a penalty kick even when you have possession.).
I grew up in Texas where (American) football is the state religion, and I still enjoy watching games (especially college football). But after almost 50 years in Europe, my favorite two sports are rugby union and football/soccer. And yes, I usually call it "football" and will pretend outrage when someone uses the word "soccer", but that is a ridiculous argument, mainly used against Americans, although the term was originally used in Great Britain, was common in GB only a couple of decades ago, and is used in a number of other countries around the world who do not face the scathing remarks that immediately arise whenever an American uses the term.
Every match I play in everyone is so scared to say anything to the ref but there’s always that one guy
What the guy in the video described as a ruck is actually a maul. A ruck is when the players are on the floor but the ball must keep moving and not go "dead". Many mauls become rucks if the maul collapses.
Good to see you trying to make sense of this Ryan. As an Aussie from Adelaide, I follow Rugby League as that is more televised and have trouble myself following Rugby Union. The thing to remember is that in both forms of rugby the clock never stops unless the referee calls 'time off' in case there is a major injury that needs to be seen to whereas in American Football you have the 15 minute quarters with the clock stopping after scoring, interceptions, change of possession, the ball/player going out of play, timeouts etc. This makes the average game of Rugby played in less than 100 minutes whereas an NFL game can take a minimum of 2 hours but often 2 and half to 3 hours.
Also with all that padding there is more injuries for the simple fact that the players think they can hit harder so therefore the impact of each tackle is harder. I have followed the NFL since the mid 80's as a Packers fan and also UCLA and Michigan in College football so have a good idea of the differences between each. While I know the concept of rugby union though I still can't work out some of the penalties that the referees call against a player right in the middle of the ruck with 15 bodies around the ball.
BTW, a forward pass and knock on (touching the ball and not being in possession and it going forward by accident) are in fact a penalties and results in the opposition now being in possession of the ball usually by kicking the ball on the full over the sideline and then starting their attack from that spot. The exception to a knock on not being a penalty is when a player is 'charging down' a kick and then play continues just like trying to block a punt in American Football.
Another game you should watch at some point to get an idea of rugby union is the 1995 world cup final between South Africa and New Zealand as this was the first tournament that South Africa was allowed back into the game after the end of Apartheid and it was the one thing that united whites and non-whites together once Nelson Mandela got elected president. The movie "Invictus" is all about it.
The best way to understand either code without watching 100 short videos is to watch a classic match all the way through. The final stages of each code's world cup competitions would be a good start. Like all sports, the rules might seem contrary at first, but playing to those rules and using those rules to your advantage makes a fantastic technical spectacle and you'll be an "expert" before half of the game has passed.
Both codes are very refined and very technical at the highest international levels and even at local club levels. One of the most incredible things about rugby is the respect that is ALWAYS shown to the ref (you NEVER argue with the ref!!) and also how respectful the players generally are with each other (barring a few spill-outs from time to time)
the lack of pads and helmets makes this a brutal game. I't also worth noting that ligament injuries occur in the scrums as often as they do in the clattering tackles you will often see in compilations
A scrum, done properly, is like watching the 300 spartans pushing back a thousand warriors in the film 300 !!!
The physicality of rugby is only matched or beaten by Australian rules football, which is played on a much bigger field but has the same intensity and athleticism
Definitively watch the FULL match of the 2022 Women's World Cup Final, between New Zeeland "Black Ferns" and England "Red Roses" !!!
Just FYI its called touch because if you touch the line with any part of your anatomy while in possession of the ball then you are out of bounds or in touch. Also as explained to me by a rugby referee "Rugby is really simple you can only play when you are on your feet" hence the rule that when you are tackled you have to release the ball.
In the olden days, when football was played on open fields, when a ball went out of bounds possession was awarded to the first team to touch it. That's why it's "into touch."
The staying on your feet rule is a huge difference with American football. Almost as important as the no blocking rule. And the must-wrap-to-tackle rule.
Yes Ryan !!! Please watch BOTH of the matches recommended on this video. I think you would thoroughly enjoy both of them.
as a person who was born in nz and tried to learn another countries sport i respect you, i struggled to learn NFL and American football in general however now i love the sport and i play flag in nz. respect man
Ryan, you should definitely watch a video explaining Calcio Storico, it's basically a traditional/historical form of football mixed with boxing. Played in Florence, Italy. It's absolutely crazy !
you read my mind
It’s the reason football in Italian is called Calcio instead of being a translation of the word football like in most languages.
There is a Netflix show about this one. The "Someone lost an eye once" part was eeer... kinda interesting lol.
"Football mixed with boxing"?!? Isn't that regular Italian football? 😁😜
@@Sayitlikitiz101 the play is on, referee saw nothing
The woman is wearing a scrum cap, its not a helmet its just basic padding to protect the ears from been damaged, ie have you seen cauliflower ears.
Good, glad you’re watching this video. It’s a pretty good place for anyone who knows NFL to learn about how rugby works.
Hi Ryan, great review - I actually learned a lot about American Football !! Here in the UK I have one friend who likes American Football but don't know anyone who plays it. My husband watched the Superbowl once :) American football is very stop start where as Rugby Union just flows, also I find all the Armour you guys wear a little odd maybe over the top but it is Football and it is also Rugby so that's ok.
22:20 There are very few europeans that watch American Football in my experience. Me being from France, the only American football stuff that I have watched are "big sports plays compilations" with all sports thrown into it, and the Eyeshield 21 anime haha
Rugby Union Fan.. Hubby Welsh, I'm Irish, Live in England so always a bit of excitement when Ireland plays Wales...or when England plays, Ireland/Wales the 6 Nations games are great to get started on. England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and France.... played over many weeks in the Spring. We do get American Football on TV.. it's just got way too many stoppages to hold my attention though. Rugby Union two halves 40 minutes of almost non stop play each half, can be very exciting, it can be boring as watching paint dry.. hope you do continue to learn and watch....save World cup videos for a wee while until you get the hang of it.
When the touch down (try) mechanic is explained there is something missing from the explanation. The player must be in control of the ball. That is why you often see rugby players diving in the end zone as that action removes any doubt that he might not be in control of the ball. I've seen quite a few games where the player actually drops the ball when he tries to put it on the ground. That does not count as a touch down.
The graphics on the field, in NRL at least, are not actually painted. They are overlays produced in the studio. Pretty amazing as the players are seen to be running over them.
When a player is tackled on these graphics you can t see them in close up views , only distant views. Very clever technology.
I would also recommend watching the 2015 Rugby World Cup game between South Africa and Japan, it was an epic game.
I would actually recommend the South Africa - France QF in the 2023 RWC as probably the best game ever.
Over twenty years ago I was in a bar in the us , a bloke heard my accent 😊started talking, his son apparently played rugby I thought great a conversation starter, until he told me the us men’s team would soon win the football World Cup , I believe my words were , yes and I’ll grow a pair of tits 😂
That was very informative. I like it.
10:08 after kickoff from the halfway mark, while the kicking team usually concedes possession, this isn’t always the case.
The kicking team has the advantage of initiating the “set-piece” and is sometimes able to tactically retain possession.
And although the receiving team usually gains possession after the kickoff, it’s always within their defensive zone.
Having proper healthcare helps to be brave 😉
🤣I remember one day when our teacher had the glorious idea to let us play rugby in sports class without any equipment or safety regulations.
You bet we had the ambition and took this game VERY seriously! 💪
After 10 minutes half of the students sat injured on the bench and the teacher had to stop us from playing.
He never tried again. 😂
American football and rugby league are essentially territory gaining games. Rugby union is all about possession sion. Two concepts resulting in different philosophies.
My teacher once quoted someone : " Rugby is a game of brutes, played by gentleman, and football is a game of gentlemans played by brutes."! was introduced to Rugby in University, when i studing to become a sports teacher. I felt in love with game since the first class. It's an incredible game.
What is odd is that in US football you don't have to touch down to get a touchdown.
True, *now* but it didn't start out that way, back in the day you did have to touch down. It was changed to the current form in 1889.
@vtbn53 Any idea why it was changed?
@@haseenah2923 No. No reason ever given as far as I am aware, but would guess to take out the possibility of a mistake by the player who had crossed line making scoring higher.
@@vtbn53 Thanks for the reply. But it works in rugby by the player making sure to press it down visibly.
@@haseenah2923 Did I say otherwise? FFS
Union and League really are different - just look at the players. Yes, there's some crossover (big & fast is always good) but there are body shapes on a union field which you won't see in league, like props and lock forwards - short & wide vs very tall.
And while you will see the small agile slippery player nobody can catch to tackle playing wing in union half the players in league will be like that
Another thing... when you get a try then you have an additional punt... but... at least in Rugby Union, it does make difference where you put your ball down in the in-goal area.
Your team is allowed to kick on a line that is parallel to the side line and pass through the point where the ball was touched that time.
So you can see that sometime players pass the line, get into the in-goal area and still try to run near the centre: that is to facilitate the additional punt. If you release the ball too next to the side then the punt will be harder to be converted :)
A ruck may be formed when a ball carrier is tackled to the ground. But there is another common situation when a player is tackled but both the tackler and ball carrier remain on their feet. The ball carrier does not have to release the ball and when others join in on both sides a 'maul' is formed as they try to contest for the ball. If one side gets the maul moving forward it becomes a 'rolling' or 'driving maul. It can be a common ploy when the attacking team only a few metres (or yards) from the opposition try line.
I felt that the world lost a little something when Rugby Union became professional in 1995.
I think it did slow the number of union players switching to league, attracted by the money, especially in Australia.
@@salt1956 That's true.
Hi here, I got interested in US football for some time but I really got bored about it as it is very slow. In rugby, pace is so much faster and interesting in my view. However, you should try to dig in rugby best plays or best players. I really believe that US football is overlooking injuries (especially concussions) much more than rugby (which also deals with a lot of injuries).
Scrums happen when the ball goes out of bounds at a point adjacent to where the ball went out. Also when a try is scored the ball carrier will try to move toward the centre before touching down as the 'conversion' will kicked from a point perpendicular to where the ball was touched down behind the goal line. The distance out from the goal line is at the kicker's discretion.
Hi Ryan, here in Spain NFL games have been on TV (mostly pay) since the 80s. This season we have Thursday Night, NFL Red Zone and two full games on Sunday, Monday Night Football plus playoffs and SB. All narrated and commented in Spanish (or the original English). There is also a local league. Was a Redskin fan for decades, until they changed their name (Go Chiefs!). We will probably get an NFL game here in Real Madrid's new Stadium by 2025. Regards
American football players are known as "Five-second athletes". In Rugby, if a player goes off the field for anything other than a blood injury they stay off, and they can not come back on again.
Except if they play front row and there's no one else available through injury or yellow/red card, then they have to come back as a scrum cannot be contested without cultured front row players, it would be too dangerous.
@@branlotin That's right, the player goes off and is replaced by another front row player and another player is nominated to go off.
Rugby started because a bunch of kids were playing 'football' and one of the kids, William Webb-Ellis, decided that picking the ball up might be a good idea. A new game was created and because these were well educated kids they decided to make rules for for their new game. Rugby football is born. The Rugby Union World Cup trophy is named after him, the Webb-Ellis Trophy.
Commonly called Bill.
It is a cute legend but nowadays it is commonly reckognized as untrue, even if it still used to throw some magic in
Thats actually a total myth. In reality "soccer" or "association football" was created as a different sport FROM the already existing rugby football!
@@gilgamesh101 The Rugby Union was formed by a dissident faction who left the Football Association because the FA wanted to outlaw shin-kicking. Note that the FA rules at the time allowed limited handling.
that was more than just a great video, there was information in that, that even I hadn't learned about and I played mostly league, but had a season or 2 doing union at same time lol, rugby was not as fun for me, like you said, felt chaotic and never knew where or what I was supposed to do
Another channel worth watching for more 'in depth' looking at the rules of Rugby (union) and analysis of what is (was) happening at the time in the world of Rugby is 'Whistle Watch' where Nigel Owens (one of THE most respected referees) looks at a refereeing decision in a game played recently and goes through the rule(s) surrounding this and the decision the referee made, as well as some other news/insights in the games of the time. Also worth watching any of the 'Nigel Owens' compilation videos, great for a laugh 🤣.
Hey Ryan. American Football is watched in Europe, the NFL has done a good job broadening its appeal since the 1980s. For example that's why all the International games in London, and latterly in Germany, are always sold out. It's not as popular as domestic sport here in the UK, but there are grassroots leagues and a dedicated channel for it on our main pay cable TV channel, and it has a reasonably large and dedicated fanbase.
There are more players than it first seems that do wear pads on their heads. However, nobody wears those shoulder pads and knee pads like in American football. (It actually looks pretty comical to outsiders, the whole spectacle, with the cheerleading is so over the top) 😂❤
Can you explain the difference between a club and a team in American school sports? Is it just a money difference? I did my HS senior year in the States and the school's volleyball team I was in was "demoted" from "team" to "club" but I didn't know what it meant...
He didn't mention that Rugby is an Olympic sport, but only in the version of Rugby union 7's. That is 7-a-side on a normal field. The match lasts only 2 times 7 minutes.. Very exciting.
Rugby (union) is not chaotic, it's fluid and kinetic because except for a few occasions the ball is always contestable. Its a brilliant game! And you're correct, it's a game played by groups at a BBQ or party just for fun. Good to see Americans taking an interest in this great game. The US rugby team is call the American Eagles. Last year they played a game against New Zealand All Blacks (our national team) in Washington DC. NZ won, 107 - 14.
Fluid and kinetic, exaxtly
The first time i saw an american football game, i was really surprised to see that the game is stopped every time the player with the ball come to the ground.
The real time of a match can be so long..
I watched the superbawl some times , the game lasts all night
Rugby Union Football is to American Football what chess in to draughts/checkers. Of my 15 grandsons, all but one opted for rugby over either football/soccer, CFL, or AFL (in 🇰🇪🇦🇺🇨🇦🇬🇧). There's more constant play, fewer serious injuries, and sportsmanship is drummed into every boy, incl respect for the referees. Btw, the boys are 8-14 yrs old.
Yes but regardless NFL is more fun to watch and thats what matters.
No lol American football is much more like chess and Rugby is much more like draughts
NFL football is far more complex than Rugby. Do you have any idea how big an NFL playbook is? It's as thick as a phonebook. Play calling decisions are usually made by a team of coordinators sitting in the upper level in the stadium. The plays are radioed down to the coach and quarterback. All this is accomplished in less than 30 seconds. If the QB feels the need to change the play, he must do this is mere seconds. Meanwhile, the defense, is making last second adjustments based on what the offense is preparing. And each team runs nearly 60 plays per game. So this process is repeated 60 times. Every player, on every play, must know exactly what he's supposed to do and where he's supposed to be on every play. The amount of coordination and complexity in an NFL game is not understood by causal observers.
Rugby Union is more common around the world because it was an amateur sport until 1995. Rugby League has always been a professional sport and is played in countries which can afford a professional competition. Rugby League is a game with simpler rules, played at a fast pace by superior athletes who are not carrying excess body fat.
The main thing that puts union apart is that the ball is always able to be contested outside of penalties, which adds to the free- flowing nature, especially compared to gridiron or league.
Whilst your opponent might have an advantage at a scrum, ruck, maul, or line-out, there is a legal way to compete and take back possession against their advantage.
Another big difference in American football and rugby is that in rugby players play the entire game unless substituted out.
I watched the American Bowl between the Broncos and the Chargers in 1999 at Stadium Australia in Sydney. I made sure to do some pretty extensive read-up on the rules beforehand. I don't know if they were just treating it like preseason (which I think the American Bowl essentially either is or was) but it didn't seem like they went that hard at it. And to a rugby union fan, it was tough getting used to a game with that much stoppage time. Something different though!
Can't remember which team now, but one of the teams' cheerleaders were training at UNSW and I was living on campus at the time. So that was something different as well.
10:10 -> you don't really get possession after you score because the engagement kick you have to do forces you to kick the ball in opponent's field (10+ meters). This means you get to decide where you'll play on the field but opponents will likely have the ball in hands.
The basic idea of the scrum is to concentrate all the big ‘forwards’ in one place. As specific positions must take part in the scrum. Opening up opportunities in the defensive line for the winners of the scrum.
The position of scrum-half is the player that is the link between the forwards and the backs and is the player you will see most often pass the ball/kick the ball out any tackle and out of a scrum or penalty kicks.
I suppose the quarterback would be the closest American football equivalent. The play maker of the team.
In Rugby Union, it is essential to always have at least one teammate (preferably more) directly behind/beside the player in possession of the ball, to prevent a loss of possession at any tackle. Therefore it is also typically more concentrated (there are more players close to the ball than in League and I guess American).
If you want to watch a live Rugby Union match, try the Six Nations Championship every year around february. They are usuly amongst the best international matches excluding World Cups.
Possession from kick-offs in rugby doesn't automatically go to the 'receiving team', it is frequently contested and may end as an advantage to the kicking side. In the short rugby union version of 'Sevens' (seven-a-side and two 7-minute halves), the team that scored kicks-off because possession almost always goes to the 'receiving team' with far fewer players on the field and there is a high-percentage chance of scoring from that.
There is also another variant, Rugby 7. It is played the same as rugby union but with 7 players per team. It's excellent too, it's much more dizzying.
Pretty simple.. In League is more like Gridiron.. When tackled, you stop, and take another go to move forward (like American Football) you get 5 "plays" to get up the field to goal, and on the last one you either play on (Hail Mary Style!) one last time, or kick the ball as far to the other end as possible, and turn the ball over..
Union is more flowing with scums and lots of slightly more complicated stuff..
10:10 you hand over possession when you score to the other team..
My adult son has watched American football on UK tv since he was very young, I bought him 49ers shirts and the ball for his 8th birthday. But the timing is terrible, he has to stay up all night now cos the games are so long. We went to the San Francisco Nike shop to buy stuff in 2015 and he and my daughter went to the Pier 39 Sports Bar to see the Superbowl....well timed !!
Unrelated to the topic (rugby) I just wanted to state that the graphics painted upright on the field that you're talking about are actually only visible on TV broadcasts and not actually painted on the field. The actual field/ground just have the line markings for the sport. The graphics are inserted for the audience watching on TV. Don't know if this was what you were referring to.
On the hat you noticed, it's called a scrum cap, it protects your ears from collyflowering and your head from cuts which happen quite a bit in certain positions in rugby.
In the UK, the Superbowl has been shown live on TV in the small hours of the morning for quite a while now, and since there are a couple of regular season NFL games played in London each year they get an audience. Tottenham Hotspur, one of the main (association) football clubs, built their new stadium with the clear intention of using it for American Football. I believe they now play regular season NFL games in Germany too.
I’m not sure what the connection is but I believe their is some sort of connection between Spurs and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
@@Sofasurfa The owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars is also the owner of Fulham FC, so that’s the connection to the EPL.
@@loganleroy8622 Many thanks, I’m an Arsenal fan myself, but my hubby supports Spurs, Derby day is somewhat fraught in this house hold. And I have been a Steeler supporter since I lived Pittsburg 40 years ago, he supports the Jags, he has never told me this so I don’t believe he knows that tit bit of info, I will take great pleasure in informing him 😊
The occasional head pads you see are to protect the ears of the forwards in the scrum, the ears take a hammering during scrums, and head gear is optional
Great explanation video.
Danish tv show 1 or 2 games during the week and 3 on sundays (all of them live) all through the season and playoffs and I know a lot of other countries in Europa are similar. So we do know NFL quiet well in most parts of (western)Europe.
We get pretty much all the major network NFL games on Sky Sports. Live games have been a thing since the 1980's when I started to watch (Go Dolphins!). On a Sunday you can start to watch late afternoon and continue to very, very am. If you can access BT Sport in the US they carry several live games every weekend. Games take around 100 minutes including halftime with pretty much continuous play. These days the women's competition in England has several televised games per week and these girls take no prisoners.
my first introduction to Rugby (league) was to hear which team was to play who and where each Friday during session. What I later learned that one of the locations- Beetson oval was significant. Artie Beetson was a local son and had 6 more years to play as Australia's captain but the premier football field in town already bore his name. this town later spawned six more international players, two of which I was at school with. Not bad for a small town of 6000.
There have been active American Football leagues in the UK since the mid 1980s. There's even an NFL academy here now.
I'd add that Rugby League is much more similar to NFL. In League you have six downs (which we call phases) in which to score. So if they haven't scored after 5 phases, most teams will either take a drop goal (kick at goal) or they will punt the ball away.
Also in Union if the ball goes into touch (out of bounds at the side of the pitch) then it is a lineout, but in league it is restarted again by a cuddle in the middle of the pitch.
Also when you say "scrums get crazy" - only in Union. Also Americans confuse Scrums (a set piece where players are in set symmetrical positions and are bound together) vs a Maul when the ball is contested in open play and is off the ground vs a Ruck when the ball is contested on the ground. I get very cross when I hear the Philly tush push referred to as a rugby scrum because it's actually more like a Maul.
The NRL(Australian Rugby League) are playing two games in Las Vegas this weekend 2nd, 3rd March.
One of the reasons theres a high injury rate in American football vs rugby is if you hit somone really hard in American football your pads absorb some of the force(by extension pain) but in rugby both sides get the full force without pads to absorb anything. Also the pads themselves can like the helmet can cause damage in America football
The goal of play is to advance the ball, if you are ahead of the ball then you are offside! Hence, passing must be to players behind the ball carrier resulting in 'backwards' pass.
Even though the kick-off/restart is to the opposing side, the ball in the air is for anyone's collection, meaning if you have a team mate that is capable he can recollect your kick-off. Also, as has been probably commented, you only play the player with the ball, and you cannot obstruct any player from the opposing team to tackle your team mate with the ball. That could result in a penalty, or given field position, a penalty try. So no one can "clear the way" for you. As was stated in the video regarding league where you are permitted to get tackled six times before you automatically lose possession, with rugby union there is no limit as long as you maintain possession within the rules. With the recent World Cup, the All Blacks vs Ireland match, there were 47 phases of play at the end of the match, and maybe good to watch and see the physical demands on the players. The Springboks vs France from the World Cup also a recommendation, to see some other technical aspects, plays and rules to the game (charge downs, tap backs, calling marks for example). Too very intense matches and shows that as long as the ball is alive, you need to get back up onto your feet and keep going. Good video 👍