Toughest/'manliest' ball sports

[stibz]

Rugby is for Real Men.

[NARCsnake]

heres some equal
Football hits to Rugby


[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl0rtJJRovs"]YouTube- The Hardest Hits In Sport[/ame]



[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ze8U646uhn8"]YouTube- 5 Hardest Football Tackles[/ame]

[monaroCountry]

Rugby players don't wear pads but their hits aren't nearly as bad as NFL hits, they do have a good number of big hits in games but alot of it is just wrapping a guy up and jumping on him to reset the ball. With the wearing of helmets you really need to have pads since certian players (John Lynch for example) like to exploit it.

I think the real defining factore on impacts is that in football defenders how the ability to use angles and timing alot better then rugby since in rugby the ball can change hands very frequently.

Don't know what Aussie football is so can't comment on that.

There are also quite a few "wrapping a guy up and jumping on him" in gridiron. Also there are many more restrictions with gridiron, especially with the nfl unnecessary roughness penalty etc. Now Americans SHOULD distinguish between the two rugby codes. Rugby Union is the one where a tackler must wrap his hands around, this game is more about possession. Rugby League is the one where you can just shoulder charge an opponent, this game is more about gaining ground.


Now Rugby players are far better and more competent tacklers than gridiron players. The ball in rugby chages hands more quickly and more often, especially when "laterals" come into play. If you cant tackle an opponent effectively then the ball will continue to be in play. Also rugby players doesnt have blockers to pave a corridor for them, they actually have to find and pass through a wall of defenders all by themselves. This also makes them far metter angle runners.

Rugby - Buck Shelford played through a game with the base of his scrotum torn, stapled it (or something similar) back and kept playing. Richie McCaw plays through 'head-knocks' and concussions alll time. No need for an 'Injury Report' *ahem* NFL *ahem*.

There are many rugby and league players that play through broken bones and concussionsand what not.

John Sattler - continued playing with a smashed jaw.
Alan Prescott - played 77 minutes with a broken arm, refused to play with pain killers.
Andrew Johns - played a day after being released from hospital from a punctured lung.
Dave Parkinson - played for 73 minutes with broken bones in his ankle.
Dan Dempsey - continued playing with a broken arm.
Jason Croker - played despite serious knee and ankle injuries. A day later he was ruled out for the season with a ruptured cruciate ligament, a torn medial ligament and a damaged ankle.
Clive Churchill - continued playing with a broken arm.

There are many many more examples of players continuing to play with injuries and or just walking off a concussion instead of being carted off or even going to the sidelines for a bit of a breather.

ok who voted for american football?
but seriously most manliest ball sport is rugby union, diving in getting ur head stomped in a ruck dangerous but fun as hell

Gridiron actually changed the rules because the rugby scrums and rucks (present in the early days) were deemed far too dangerous and caused too many deaths. So instead of a rugby scrum they now have the line of scrimage.

American football. If you think those pads make it where it doesn't hurt, you're very wrong.

If you put the manliest man from rugby in american football gear and he gets hit like that poor chap in the black jersey, he's still gonna be lying on the ground a while too.

The best athletes from Polynesia play rugby, the cast offs go to the NFL, even then they are still regarded as very very hard hitters and love the collision aspect of the sport. That hit is akin to a hospital pass in rugby, player do get winded but in most cases they are expected to walk it off and not be such a baby about it.

[monaroCountry]

That's why rugby players in the NFL are punters.. Seriously.. The average NFL linebacker/hitter is probably 230 pounds +, that can run 40 yards in less then 5 seconds, pretty easy too for them.

Shows how much you really know, those punters that you talk about are mostly RETIRED Australian Rules Footballers (AFL) and not rugby league or rugby union players. If you look at your your Polynesian players im sure that youll find a handfull of them with an amature Rugby background. Oh by the way, none of them are punters.

Old videos don't show many helmet to helmet hits. In fact, a lot of the tackling then resembled the 'spear' tackle in league nowadays.

Ive always thought that spear tackles in rugby league is when you lift up a player, turn him upside down and drive him head first into the ground, sort of like the piledriver in pro-wrestling.

[Tambob]

Hardest hits are probably in American Football, purely because you feel safer.
But for that same reason I think Rugby is the tougher sport. Takes balls to jump in without pads.
Lacrosse is madness on a stick. But interesting.

I used to watch Rugby with my nan, she loves it. Since I live in Germany I love American Football. Jets, Pats and my local team Aschaffenburg stallions. Can't wait for Spring!

[richie217]

Sure, they're play with no pads, but those guys are tiny compared to NFL line men. It looks like a bunch of NFL quarterbacks trying to tackle each other. Admittedly I couldn't watch the whole video because the music was just terrible, but I didn't see any truly bone shattering hits in the minute or so I did watch. It kinda reminded me of high school football. Maybe the NFL just 'looks tougher' on TV, it certainly has better production values.

Having never seen a rugby match, that video (at least for me) fails to convey the superior toughness of rugby players versus that of American football (NFL) players.

You serious? The front rowers in League are pretty much all in the 100kg + region. It's only the play makers that are "little" guys, and most of them would be 80kg+.

Ive always thought that spear tackles in rugby league is when you lift up a player, turn him upside down and drive him head first into the ground, sort of like the piledriver in pro-wrestling.

Yeah not allowed to take a player over the vertical in the air, for fear of them landing on their necks. That and head high tackles are about the only thing your not allowed to do (tackles must be bellow the shoulder).

[jinsoo]

Players in the NFL hit harder than they do in Rugby. Much harder. And plus in American football you have the rough physical contest between the O-line and the D-line. Quick, powerful players trying to bull their way through a wall of 300+ lb men all for the soul purpose of slamming the QB to the ground. NFL is a more dangerous sport to the athletes involved too. A 50 year old retired rugby player is better off than a 50 year old retired NFL. If you want to talk about toughness this is all that needs to be seen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T7iqxTH2yg

Steve Smith's arm shatters on the hit. He holds onto the ball and fights for a few more yards for the TD.

And just because I love Brian Dawkins so much

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8cxgiLViNk

[DonMare]

The toughest sports in the world have to be Rugby and American Football. You could also probably include Ice Hockey in there, but the manliest sport in the world has to go to Rugby, as much as I hate it.
These guys take massive hits from 120kg men without wearing any padding/helmets.

[V3nom]

Rugby, hands down. Even though I'm not a fan I really admire these guys for do!

[QuantumIguana]

Rugby may have massive hits, but the hits in American football are hyper-massive. The fact that Rugby players play their sport without pads and are still alive is proof of this. If they tried to play American football without pads, they wouldn't need a stretcher, they would need a hearse. American football was nearly banned in the early 20th century because too many players were dying.

[knz87]

i dont think the answer is straightforward, in rugby the ball is only allowed to be played sideways or backwards, in american football they play it forward aswell, imagine running full pace forward looking over your shoulder, catchin the ball and getting clattered, that is much mroe dangerous than throwing sideays or backwards as that tends to be at a slower pace , i do think that in general play, rugby is more tough though

[bayster]

i dont think the answer is straightforward, in rugby the ball is only allowed to be played sideways or backwards, in american football they play it forward aswell, imagine running full pace forward looking over your shoulder, catchin the ball and getting clattered, that is much mroe dangerous than throwing sideays or backwards as that tends to be at a slower pace , i do think that in general play, rugby is more tough though

The first example is why I picked afl. While the majority of the players my not be massive the hits come from any direction and they are brutal. I disagree with what arm chair critics say with it getting weaker, it actually more brutal than ever. Yes there isn't as much biff but the players are a lot quicker and athletic and run into each other at high speeds.

[=Tac=]

Well sideways passes (screens/dump offs) can get pretty brutal in football.

Here's Reggie Bush showing his awesome elusiveness
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8H39WOsBGM&feature=related"]YouTube- Reggie Bush just got JACKED UP![/ame]

And heres a hit by some small high school kid, I don't think the jersey fits him lol
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dORIEVuWlLI&feature=fvw"]YouTube- Crazy Hit[/ame]

oh and P.S., heres there some good hits in this too () and one nasty little kid breaking ankles
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFMyP2VlmV8&feature=related"]YouTube- Next Reggie Bush[/ame]

and some bonus, from a Gator fan! Every action has an equal and opposite reaction?
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuG3uM0RwLA&feature=related"]YouTube- Major Wright of Florida Gators - Big Hit on Manny Johnson in 2009 BCS National Championship[/ame]

[bash]

American football

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR91LunuY_s

it can be very manly, sadly the XFL died after the first season.

[Kxizm]

i know its not a 'ball sport' but i would vote for hockey

[=Tac=]

American football

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR91LunuY_s

it can be very manly, sadly the XFL died after the first season.

lol XFL, I remember that, you could hear in the "huddle" and they always were cursing about this or that, funny stuff!

Too bad it isn't around anymore, it's like they Adult version of NFL!

[bayster]

It's been awhile since I've watched rugby but I'm watching aus beat nz and man I wouldn't last a second

[Poida]

Rugby, its American football without the padding!

And without the forward passes

[SuperWog16]

rugby.

[UCONN for life]

I would think that ice hockey would be the toughest sport to play. You've got 250+ pound men moving at 25 miles per hour at each other over a rock hard artificial frozen pond. Oh, and these guys are regularly slamming into each other. Also, each guy has a stick which he's swinging around. Add to that a little black slab of rubber which is dense as hell and flying around at 100+ miles per hour. Now, factor in that these same guys must have the stamina to skate around for an hour with all of that heavy gear on. Yea, I think hockey takes it.

Wait, NVM, its golf.

[NoodleGirl]

LMFAO table tennis? you gotta be freakang kiddin' me right? LOL

[boogey]

just felt like posting video from my college team.. The U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpDNr-2JIDw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTer8GrkYMo

^^ both ncaa videos

[Metfanant]

Rugby without a doubt!

American football is pansyness.

obviously you never played...

I love AFL Football and I don't really like Rugby, but Rugby is definatly the toughest sport out there.
No padding and massive hits.

No offense to any Americans out there, but NFL is a joke when it comes to toughness.
They wear padding, run a play, take a minute break and then run another play.

again its obvious you never played...

That isn't the debate.

But there are two sports, Union and League that are pretty identical in terms of hits taken and the size of players where they don't wear any sort of padding.

the hits are NOT the same for very many reasons....

- the players in American Football do not just use their pads for protection, but also as weapons...
- the momentum that is created on an American football play is not equaled in rugby at all...
- the position that some players are put in...a Quarterback for the most part has to stand still while the defense tries to get to him...often being hit from the blindside....receivers are often left in positions when trying to catch the ball that leaves them completely defenseless and unable to prepare to be hit...

Rugby - Buck Shelford played through a game with the base of his scrotum torn, stapled it (or something similar) back and kept playing. Richie McCaw plays through 'head-knocks' and concussions alll time. No need for an 'Injury Report' *ahem* NFL *ahem*.

There are many rugby and league players that play through broken bones and concussionsand what not.

do you think the players want to stop playing??....face it...NFL players are worth a ton more than rugby players...their teams are committed to pay them a lot more money over the course of their careers and therefore it is within the best interest of their teams to not allow players to play when they are injured....playing a physical game like rugby or american football after receiving a concussion is not a sign of toughness, but rather sheer stupidity...and anyone who argues that is just as stupid...

still rugby players get up from concussions like every match, best thing is they dont come off either

see above...

1. they are stupid, not tough
2. NFL players often attempt to get back in the game as well...but are held back by doctors or coaches...because they are paid so much money the teams don't want to risk an already injured player becoming injured for the rest of the year, or his career...

I don't get this "they aren't missing half their teeth so they're pansies" argument. The fact is, a quarterback in the NFL is tougher than any of you.

im glad someone mentioned quarterbacks...these guys have to STAND and take hits...

And NFL players deserve to be paid more than Rugby players. Not because they're tougher, or more athletic. It's because they bring in more money. The NFL players get paid what they do because the American public supports the sport and pays a lot of money to watch it. If rugby brought in more money, the players would get paid more (unless the owners are shafting the players, then it's the owner's fault).

"The NFL is the most popular professional league in the world in terms of per-game attendance, and the most popular in the U.S. in terms of TV ratings and merchandising. Its championship game, the Super Bowl, is the most watched annual event on U.S. television."

BTW I voted for American Football because it's my favorite sport. Anyone who thinks it's for pansies needs a few good blindsided hits while trying to catch a high pass.

correct on all accounts...

Sports Science answers this. Love the show.

[embed]http://www.youtube.com/v/W7tGY-VDx3o&hl=en&fs=1&
[/embed]

Quentin Jammer!!??...really? thats the best they could do!?....a CORNER BACK!!...christ...that is the least physical position in all of American football outside of the kicker...dude only weighs 204lbs!!...he is a bigger corner...but not massive at all...

Why did they use dummy for american football but live person for rugby. I don't doubt generally the force of hits from football generally more but it is the skam down and concentration of force that makes rugby tougher imo. Although I would still get cained I'd rather take 6 or even 8 american football tackles over 18 rugby tackles, which give same force as 6 football hits. However they only did one test on each not really much evidence.

the dummy actually takes AWAY from the hits of the NFL player....the force would be greater if the thing he hit was moving towards him....

I noticed that.

and why did they use a set of mickey mouse armerican "rugby players"? why not use a line up of all blacks, or 'boks? those numbers would be a lot higher if they had used proper rugby players.

that show leans heavily towards their own sport, the bias in it is astounding

you think the American Football player is an example of the hardest hitters in the NFL??...not at all...Jammer is a corner back which are known as the least physical (and softest hitting) players in the entire league (outside of kickers)....

How much money is involved in college football?

BAZILLIONS...unfortunately it all goes to the schools...Division IA (the top division) college football teams can generate millions upon millions of dollars a year in revenue for the schools....The University of Notre Dame for instance has its own television contract with NBC for its football games

You can't argue against Rugby..that sport will crush the players of those other puny sports, those guys need protective gear !!

ignorant much? lol...

Rugby, AFL then last but by no means least is NFL. The moment you start wearing padding onto the field, you lose credibility. Man up and lose the pads boys.

Now Rugby players are far better and more competent tacklers than gridiron players.

in regards to form tackling, yes i would agree 100%

This also makes them far metter angle runners.

better runners???...oh man idk...

i present
Mr. Reggie Bush

Mr. Barry Sanders

and Mr. Noel Devine

I'm really sorry, but there aint too many people ive seen playing rugby that combine the speed/power/agility/balance that these guys show....

take the last guy for example...dude is only 5'7 and weighs like 175lbs...bench presses 430+ Squats 500+ and can power clean 300+...all while running a sub 4.3 second 40 yard time...

oh and just for the hell of it...because i can watch this video all day long...

Mr. Cody Paul



my little man was like 11 or something at the time haha...i love him lol

player do get winded but in most cases they are expected to walk it off and not be such a baby about it.

ive already explained the reason most players don't get back on the field...held out by teams that have too much money invested in them to see them get hurt worse...

You serious? The front rowers in League are pretty much all in the 100kg + region. It's only the play makers that are "little" guys, and most of them would be 80kg+.

100kg?? thats what 220ish lbs yes??...

offensive lineman in the NFL AVERAGE 6'4 300lbs
linebackers in the NFL average is 6'2 247lbs
even Quarterbacks average just under 220lbs

Yeah not allowed to take a player over the vertical in the air, for fear of them landing on their necks. That and head high tackles are about the only thing your not allowed to do (tackles must be bellow the shoulder).

such rules do not exist in the NFL...basically as long as you don't lead with your helmet then you're good...although the league is cracking down a lot to try and stop concussions

American football

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR91LunuY_s

it can be very manly, sadly the XFL died after the first season.

the XFL was a joke...and an embarrassment to the sport...

[Bostonmess]

Personally I find it all a bit gay. It's just an excuse for grown men to jump on other grown men.

They should all just be honest and come out of the closet.

[John25]

@Met damn the kid is fast is he you're son ?

The thing with the NFL is the hits are'nt as bad now as they were years ago especially these types of hits

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuP0Cldbn10

or this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GXHymTIRG8

They even just changed the rules again to give even more head protection.

Dont get me wrong they still hit hard in the NFL as they also do in Rugby But the NFL seems to have the harder hits due to the momentum fact as where in Rugby the games/plays are much slower.

And thats also the main reason why NFL players HAVE to be faster than Rugby players especially the running backs (as they usually have to try and run past the whole opposite team to gain good yardage and also the Recievers have to be extra fast to not only catch the ball but to also skip past defenders and score the points as the NFL is a forward passing game as were Rugby is a back passing game.

But to be honest unless you have played Both sports then you cant really say who hits harder as yes the NFL has momentum in their tackles and yes they use their protection as a weapon but they do also wear Protective gear to protect them.

as were Rugby players wear no protection but there tackles are usually slower wrap around type tackles But still have Big hits.