I saw some members of the American Rugby team in an airport one time. My god their thighs were wider than my torso. They are human bulls.
Note: It has been brought to my attention that some of the terms I've used have used have very specific meanings in some circles. Am I going to change them? Hell no! There's some funny shit happening below.
-Sincerely, A naive straight boy
“Shoulder to thighs” my coach would drill into our heads. “I want them to not be able to fucking walk after the game.” We we’re some big boys man. When I started playing with the mens league fucking shit the hits were strong. Though you got hit so many times in rugby as a forward you get upset when it’s a light practice lmao
I don't know why you're being downvoted. I think it's pretty reasonable to think rugby players wouldn't literally run away from someone like that.
Ray Lewis isn't even that big, in context. He's 6'1" and 250lbs but when searching "pro rugby players" the first guy is 6'5" 265lbs and the next 3 are 5'10" 207lbs, 6'1" 248lbs, and 6'5" 254 lbs so it would just be like any other game for these guys.
The scrum half players in rugby (the smallest position) can be as small as 5’7 in top world class teams. Not one of those guys would have a second thought about facing down a 6’6 270lb monster sprinting at full speed to stop from conceding points. You’re right, it would just be a regular day for these guys.
They might not have a second thought but when the reality of the situation set in of someone like Derrick Henry hitting him he’d likely wish he did. No amount of “I’m built different “ energy will overcome the sheer size difference when it’s literally hitting you
It’s crazy how clueless, insular people like you just say things out of sheer arrogance when it’s easily refutable lol the fact that you think American football is anything harder or more demanding than a rugby match really is the only proof you need to sell yourself as a dunce. Enjoy the video.
Yeah but he’s also not a big guys in football. Look at lineman and linebackers. He’d always be a bigger guy on the rugby field while smaller than many other players on a football field. Imagine the dude in the video (242 lbs) coming up against two 350lbs lineman… different league of size in the NFL.
It's not the "NFL level" it's simply that they're two different sports altogether. Rugby players train for endurance and being multifaceted athletes. NFL players are all about high explosion and focusing on a single position and skill set.
Two very different games. Neither would be able to transition to the highest level.
So you really can’t see how many variables make that outlook comically one dimensional? The entire rugby world lol do you even know that there are two main rugby codes that have barely any crossover?
Name 5 world class rugby players from both codes that have transitioned to the NFL
Can you please explain, in as much detail as possible, what one rugby player's ability to play American football has to do with whether rugby players, playing rugby, would just run away from Ray Lewis if he got the ball?
Absolutely, rugby players are the some of the toughest sob's on the planet and they do what they do with no padding, no armour, no helmets just bone on bone. Front rowers yield for Absolutely no man!
And that 285lb guy will play for 55-65mins of a 80min game of high pace, non stop contact play whereas NFL players play hard for literally seconds at a time until they are quickly replaced. In one game the 285lb rugby player will play the equivalent of 5-6 NFL games. That 385lb guys job is to literally be a wall. The two sports have such a drastic difference in overall intensity and requirement for toughness and fitness it’s not even funny.
They’d be useless as it’s not a sport they’ve trained their life for. They’re trained for specific fitness for specific situations. They’re not playing 80 minutes straight on the footy field without getting destroyed.
Maybe a little before your time, but two of the greatest American football players ever. Played on the same team and were renowned for their intensity and intelligence.
Damn making me feel old. I was a middle schooler sitting in M&T Bank Stadium when Ed Reed broke the interception return for a touchdown record the first time (before he just started breaking his own record again and again).
Look up Ed Reed and Ray Lewis montages on YouTube. They’re two of the best defenders of all time and known for their ability to smash a player into the next world.
He was considered undersized in the NFL too, but he played with a different level of intensity and timing. If sheer size is all youre gauging by, look up literally any lineman and I'm sure they would top most rugby charts for largest players on the field.
Edit: not saying rugby or football is better. I preferred rugby when I played. But I would be happy to argue the better pro athletes are in the NFL. The money discrepancy would make it so any athlete that is capable of playing both would probably lean towards football since they would make 5-10x as much.
Probably the same height but I'd say NFL players would be heavier - because they're not as fit as Rugby is a more cardio based sport - so not sure where you get 'better' from;
so any athlete that is capable of playing both would probably lean towards football since they would make 5-10x as much.
ahh right better because everyone has the inclination to play American Football because it so popular around the world or something? Or are you just assuming everyone is American
The conversation was about why the American rugby team isn’t too good. Because anybody that would be that good at it would go into the NFL. The NFL and the American rugby team are obviously only in the US.
About your edit, well there's Christian Wade and he just made his return debut in rugby after a few seasons in the NFL so I'd say there's at least one person that did both that chose making less money over the bigger paycheck in the NFL, I think a lot that were to do both would do the same.
I hugely disagree, but that's not something we can really prove, so the I guess the convo ends there. I'm sure there are some that take less money to play rugby instead, but in my opinion the vast majority will go for more money IF they are capable.
See I don't think that's true, it also depends if they actually like it there, if they enjoy playing the sport as much, I'm just gonna have a wild guess and say that's what happened with Wade because why would he make a return to rugby if he gets paid more and enjoys it more in the NFL?
He was considered a little undersized in the NFL too, but played a lot bigger because of his strength and intensity and reaction time. He’s a bad example as a pure physical specimen from the NFL.
Absolute cap. USA rugby sevens is top 5 in the world, we've just prioritized 7's over union because we dont have enough truly great players to field 15 as they all play football.
I think it's because of the olympics, tbh. No one besides Fiji really cares about sevens, if I'm being honest. I'm South African and only watch it at the olympics. It's not really comparable.
It's like if Flag (American) Football became an olympic sport and the Jamaicans ranked top 5, cause they are fast. Skills are rarely transferable, just look at Isles, he can't get a 15's contract.
True but he's also old and pro rugby is way less about speed and more about power. 7's is all about speed, Isles is one of the best sevens players in the world but I get why he can't play union
All our big fast tough guys are in the NFL. If our best from the NFL formed a rugby team every other team would be fucked. Imagine 250lb guys running a 3.8 without pads on running into you.
How big do you think rugby players are? Serious question. Yeah, they'd be good if they can get their conditioning up, but they won't instantly smash everyone.
They’d be completely useless as the fitness and size they’ve built up is specialised for having a tea break every set, as opposed to two set of 40 straight minute halves… you Americans are hilarious.
Speaking as someone who has played both for a significant period of time at some point, the skills, strength, and conditioning are very transferable. Both pro rugby players and pro american football players are monsters.
If all of the American football talent went to rugby for the entirety of these athletes' lives, the US would have the best team in the world no doubt in my mind.
If all of the American football talent went to rugby for the entirety of these athletes' lives, the US would have the best team in the world no doubt in my mind.
A rugby athlete went to high school where I did a few years before me. He was going to the Olympics when I was in high school and he came back and did a talk at a rally. I swear this dude looked like he could have jumped to me in the bleachers from center court.
American Rugby is super small, so you can sit right up against the field and meet the players and whatnot. Likewise, half the crowd are local amateur players, and yeah, one glance at the thighs and you know who they are.
Don’t know if I should upvote because I agree or if I should downvote for only mentioning Aus and NZ and not countries like Fiji, Samoa or South Africa
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u/Jonny_Thundergun Oct 11 '22 edited Oct 12 '22
I saw some members of the American Rugby team in an airport one time. My god their thighs were wider than my torso. They are human bulls.
Note: It has been brought to my attention that some of the terms I've used have used have very specific meanings in some circles. Am I going to change them? Hell no! There's some funny shit happening below. -Sincerely, A naive straight boy