Could NFL players hold their own in a game of Rugby?
 

If you got a bunch of NFL badasses and taught them how to play Rugby do you think they could pick the game up quickly and do you think they'd eventually become dominant against other current competition? I know you have to be made of steel and tough as nails to play the sport and it's ridiculously physically demanding etc.

Or do you think they'd get roughed up too much since they're no pads etc...

Thoughts?

They could if they were paid enough money.

Their vaginas would break

The best rugby player in the world is 5'-10" weighs 195 lbs and makes less than $1M per year.

I'm sure a lot of players played no pad football with buddies growing up. You get Adrian Peterson and Charles out there and do you think a rugby player would be able to stop them?

NFL players would embarrass the shit out of rugby players.....at their own game.

Do you know what Dontari Poe would do on a Rugby field?

Rugby players would leave the field in ambulances if they played NFL players .
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Patrick Willis would go all HULK SMASH on a rugby field

I think top tier rugby players are being drastically undersold in this thread. Has anyone ever watched the All Blacks play live? When I lived down under I went to a couple All Blacks/Wallabies games. I had a similar view point as stated in this thread before watching the best in the world live.

Could NFL players dominate at rugby? Absolutely. Would they pick it up and be destroying teams/players that have done it their whole life quickly? No chance.

I think it would be closer than some
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I think we're assuming the NFL players get time to learn the game and train for a while before playing.
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I think the average NFL special team would destroy in a game of rugby. Think about how many drills a return team does just for lateral passes. they would maul rugby players just with blocking. forget about catching the KO returner when he gets the ball. Rugby players have never seen foot speed like that.

Jumpin' Kangaroo's - love watching me some good ol' Rugby mate!

The old "Who's tougher: Rugby vs Football players?"- talk...

damn that'd be some scary shit to see.

Succupp would wreck shit.

CP should put a rugby team together and challenge a professional rugby team to a match.

FIFY

Matt Cassel would suck

When I read the question in the title, I just thought about what James Harrison would do in a Rugby game.

My question was going to be how big rugby players typically are.

I wonder why they're not bigger. I don't know much about the game, but it seems like it's got a lot of football-like qualities. It seems like bigger players would naturally be better in the middle of the scrum, and a few linebacker-types would pretty much shut down the middle.

Silly thread. Completely different games which require different types of athletes. Rugby union and league have plenty of athletically talented players just as the nfl does. They however must have greater endurance as well as being good in space, sure tacklers. They aren't all jacked up, because the game doesn't always require that. Thats not to say that there aren't plenty of large rugby players.. Someone like poe would have to lose 50 plus pounds to be any good, and he still might not be agile enough.

May as well compare nba players and nfl players. All sports tend to prioritize certain physical traits over time. That is why rugby players are what they are. Not because other countries athletes aren't as talented or as large.

Can't lie id like to See Suh on the rugby field

Number 1. You can't block in rugby.

Number 2. If you think rugby players aren't drilled/dont have ser plays you need to step away from the topic you know nothing about.

Number 3. How often does a kr beat 11 guys by himself to score a td? That is what would be required for that to take place. Absolute idiocy.

Would last all of 15 minutes before he was completely gassed. He is a burst athlete with little to no long distance endurance.

I played some pickup Rugby games in Europe. They take their Rugby seriously and there are some real bad ass players. They are going to be in better cardio shape. In the OP there was time to train and learn the game before they met.

NFL DT's would eat those guys up in the scrum. NFL LB's would take it to the house on those guys. Come on man:doh!:

It'd be an entertaining 15 mins watching him stomp on peoples crotches

much more likely for an NFL player to be successful at rugby than a rugby player in the NFL

NFL and NBA simply have the best athletes in the world


gymnastics would be next imo


there are specialists that are better in areas, like cyclists and soccer excel at aerobics/endurance. MMA specialize at fighting ability but in general there are crazy physical specimens in the NBA and NFL

Some players like Patrick willis MAY be able to hold is own, but that would depend largely on his endurance ability and how he is able to pick up the offensive part of the game. Rbs would be the more likely players to succeed imo. Much better all round athletes.

you fail to realize that endurance is a physical trait which other sports favor.

A player like Adrian Peterson would dominate. There isn't a single player in Rugby currently with that ombination of speed and power.

and what you fail to realize is that endurance is simply training for a specialized factor

virtually any athlete can improve their endurance, not everyone can grow bigger,taller,faster etc.

True. It's the athleticism that makes these games so exciting. I'm watching a little bit of (American) football over here in Europe, and I can tell you: It sucks cause the players don't know how to move!

Fact is that some nfl players barely ever touch the ball. Rugby players are basically all required to have at least some ball skills if not a large amount. They also must have endurance as well as size. This makes them just as athletic as nfl players.

Yep. And losing mass would be required. Suddenly not so jacked.

Dumbest ****ing post ever.

So his strategy would be to kill all of the opposing players in less than 15 minutes.

LMAO. Ap is a great athlete. However he would have to tackle and pick up the ball skills required. Its not just ok ap heres the ball go run at these guys.

Christ why aren't there all these failed nfl players dominating the rugby scene? If it was so god damn easy and they are all so superior in athleticism then they'd be stupid not to if they cant get an nfl or cfl gig...

LMAO. Sooo size and speed are athletic traits, while endurance isn't? Gtfoh.

It would be great to see a bunch of rugby players make him run around without touching anyone for those 15 minutes.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Oh jesus dude, just stop.

I played rugby in college and it isn't even close how much more athletic real football players. Example: We had a running back that was cut from the U-M football team (this was when Ty Wheatley was on the team) and the guy came out for rugby to stay in shape before he transferred to another school to play football. He DOMINATED for the few matches he was in. It was ridiculous.

I really think cp is on to something here. Get on to the college players who dont expect to be drafted and tell then they could make millions a year by playing rugby. They are superior athletes apparently and must be able to become elite rugby players. If not that then they could become hockey players. They would all be much bigger and faster. Forget about the need to learn to skate and handle the puck.

we are not talking about over a weekend.

certain position in the NFL would translate to rugby very quickly


If you had to put a bet on who would be more successful, a rugby team fielding a successful NFL team or a NFL fielding a successful rugby team.

It's an easy bet on the NFL


Soccer would be a much harder bet

completely different skills sets ... both sides would be a train wreck imo

soccer would get crush at American football
American football would be laughable at soccer

Listen dipshit, I could train for 50 years and never be able to run a 4.3 forty. I can't make my physical frame bigger than it is. Yes, I could get stronger, but there is a genetic limit to that. I can however train to increase my endurance to the level I could have more than enough endurance to play an entire game of rugby.

I laugh at your constant harping about ball skills. 80% of the ball skills in rugby are short laterals to teammates. Most Americans learn that skill their first couple if years playing football in their backyards.

Among Australian Rugby League players and coaches, NFL guys are regarded as soft as shit, which is why they have zero interest in signing them. Some might be useful at league but they're going to have to be able to run for 80 minutes flat out. And be able to run with the ball. And tackle. Sorry to ruin the fantasy.

No one is saying that about hockey players. They are legit badass athletes with insane skills. Rugby players simply aren't in the same league as top athletes in the high PAYING sports.

Christ dude. You think a sport which is the countries most popular isnt going to produce more athletes and better than those from a sport that is barely played? No shit. Try playing him in europe of australia or south africa. He would be average. Its just common sense.

Of course the more popular sport in a said country is going to produce better athletes than a minor one. Just the same reason that other countries have gifted rugby players. You know.. because it is their most popular sport and thus has a greater talent pool to choose from...

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https://meanwhilejessie.files.wordpr...pg?w=300&h=300

Absolutely. He would be AVERAGE. Which tells you that rugby players are about at the level of 2nd tier college athletes. Not NBA,NHL,NFL caliber or even close.

So tell me this Mr. Wizard. If the NFL game is so soft and Australian Rugby League players are so athletically gifted, then why don't any of them come to the U.S. and dominate in the NFL? The incentive is there because the pay in the NFL is much better and since the game is so soft there would be less risk of injury.

Failed NFL players don't go play in the Australian league because the money doesn't justify having to live in that shit box of a country.

Could be true but this is a hypothetical question, if given the desire to convert to another sport, which would have the best chance.

desire mitigates 'soft' to a certain extent


Which is more likely ... an NFL player decides to toughen up and play rugby or a rugby player grows 10 inches/100 pounds and still run like a gazelle to play in the NFL?

easier to do 'get tougher' or 'change your body size'


since for an adult growing taller etc is virtually impossible, i chose getting tougher

This might draw a flag in the NFL...

http://gifshost.com/062011/1307451001_rugby__punch.gif

LMFAO. Ok dude. Ive played rugby, afl and and gridiron. Im telling you, that your shitty team you played in because yall couldnt get on the football team isnt a good gauge of rugby talent.

It's a tough game. Those guys play pretty dirty. I'd guess the NFL guys would beat the crap out of the first Irishman that tried to give him a "thumbs up" though.

I would think that Hockey players could convert to rugby at a fairly high rate.

most rugby players would fail horrible going on the ice

This is a pretty wicked shot, though

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JC6CFbeklT..._collision.gif

and i'm telling that most people in the world just aren't physically gifted enough to play in the NFL no matter how badly they want it

Hey junior. I love nfl. Im on an nfl board. I dont think its soft and do not think rugby players are tougher. However to call proffesional athletes of a sport which is played internationally not athletic or not as athletic as nfl players is simply wrong. It goes both ways. Surely if gridiron players were soo superior then the US would have a team of cats offs that play and dominate at the international level. But they dont.

If you cant identify in your close minded brain that other sports outside of the nfl and the US have equally athletic proffesionals too then you are simply a fool.

NFL safeties do that all the time, at least before the rule changes

not trying to insult rugby players, they are some tough mofos

Not rugby. Thats afl which is NOTHING like rugby.

Only the linebackers would do well. The rest would be looking for their armor. As soon as they got a hangnail, they would want medical attention. Rugby guys are badass.

LMAO. Man yep endurance isnt genetic at all. You have no idea what you are talking about bro.

I won't dispute that the U-M team was shitty (hell I was on the team for ****'s sake) but there was only the one ex-football player. The rest of the team was almost entirely made up of ex-pats who grew up playing rugby.

Rugby players are athletes, that is not a question. They just aren't even close to the level of NFL,NBA,NHL players. Asserting otherwise is simply ridiculous.

Hyperbole. I dont agree in the slightest. Sorry bro.

[QUOTE=Bowser;10768660
youre-doing-it-wrong-australia.[/QUOTE]
not Australian, you're doing it wrong.

The reason you don't see players from one game in the other is they have completely different skill sets. There's aussies in the NFL, mostly punters and that kid that plays NT somewhere, I forget his name.
Rugby League isn't Rugby, Rugby's for fat poofs.

Sorry man, but your just dead wrong on this. I'm a fan of rugby but I'm also a realist.

You're right nobody can train and significantly increase their endurance. That's why there are only about 20 contestants in the Boston Marathon each year. :rolleyes:

Oh and just to be clear. Aussie football is reeruned. There is absolutely nothing of redeeming value about it and I'm certain that the players all bugger each other after the matches. That sport is a complete joke.

Go Chiefs!! That Red N Gold Baby!!
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Judging by this post, what you consider to make one an athlete is different to myself. I cant argue with you if we aren't speaking the same language. Look dude you have no idea what real rugby is. In nsw australia there is something like 20 divisions from proffesional down. Your division would have been very close to the bottom. There is an enormous jump between the bottom and proffesional. Just as there would be 3rd division football and nfl. Ask anyone from a country whose rugby standards are internationally competitive. Ask them what they think of rugby players. Are nfl players on the reg maybe slighty more athletic? Maybe a small bit. Bit hey with the US population thats not surprising. There is a great pool to choose from compared to say an australia. Having said that anyone who thinks a nfl player walks onto a rugby field and destroys is fooling themselves. These are professional athletes selected from ultra competitive systems. They are athletic as ****.

Oh look a sane person.

Let's take notice that there are about 20 white guys on that field.
And then ponder this question again.

LMAO

I know exactly two things about rugby - 1) jack, and 2) shit. But I'm pretty sure that some of those players would make fine running backs, receivers, and safeties if given the chance from the very little of rugby I've seen.

HA! /thread

And a team could easily be made of LBers, TE's, WR's and DBs.

And they would DOMINATE.

You must be just trolling me. But ill bite. Oh look an arrogant american who thinks he is superior to everyone else because they are different and so scary.

Hey man Bray is pretty neat. I like you.

Wow, you took that post seriously. That really happened. Would never have guessed.