BYOMSPM

In honor of the Super Bowl being today, for this post I’ve compiled a non-comprehensive list of key aspects of some major rugby & football variations that distinguish them from each other. The emphasis here is on non-comprehensive.

Some Highlights of Rugby Union

• This is the rugby you may have seen on TV. The famous “6 Nations” competition, an annual tournament between Ireland, England, France, Italy, Scotland, and Wales, is Rugby Union
• The famous “All Blacks” of New Zealand play Rugby Union
• 15 players on the field
• Rectangular field, oval-shaped ball
• Supposed to be the more physical variation between Rugby Union & League
• Score by touching ball to ground in goal area to get a “Try” for 5 points then kicking the ball through posts for an extra 2 points. Can also score off of a penalty or a dropkick.
• Cannot pass forward
• Play doesn’t stop when player with ball is tackled; the player must let go of the ball, and then anyone can gain possession. This chaos is called the “ruck”

Some Highlights of Rugby League

• 13 players on the field
• Rectangular field, oval-shaped ball
• Supposed to be the faster variation between Union & League, and of the two is more similar to American football
• Score by touching the ball to the ground in the goal area to get a “Try” for 4 points then kicking the ball through goal posts for 2 extra points. Can also score off of a penalty or a dropkick.
• Cannot pass forward
• Play kind of stops when player with ball is tackled; the team keeps possession but must move back 10 yards; they get to do this 6 times before the ball is turned over to the other team
• Was formed by generally more working-class Northern English players who wanted to be paid for playing; as a result, most professional Rugby League teams today are in the North of England

Some Highlights of Gaelic Football

• 15 players
• Rectangular field, round ball (more like soccer)
• Score by kicking or punching ball into a netted goal on the ground for 3 points or by kicking the ball into raised upright posts for 1 point
• Can move the ball forward via kicking, bouncing, carrying, or kicking it back to yourself. It’s kind of a combination of basketball, rugby, and soccer.
• Of the other 4 listed here, Gaelic Football seems to be the most similar to Australian Football

Some Highlights of Australian Football

• 18 players on the field
• Oval-shaped field, oval-shaped ball
• Score by kicking ball through 4 goal posts – between center two is 6 points for a “goal,” or between outer posts is 1 point for a “behind”
• Can only move ball by kicking or punching ball to pass, or if you’re holding the ball and running you have to periodically bounce the ball on the ground
• Professional Australian Football teams sometimes venture to Ireland to play Gaelic Football teams using Gaelic rules

Some Highlights of American Football

• 11 players on the field
• Score by possessing ball in the end-zone for a touchdown, 6 points, with the opportunity for an extra point if you then kick the ball through two upright posts; kicking the ball through posts any time other than after a touchdown is 3 points
• Can pass ball forward if behind the line of scrimmage, or can run with the ball
• Play stops when player with ball is tackled; teams get four chances to move up 10 yards at a time or else the ball is turned over to the other team
• Players are required to wear heavy protective gear

By the way, everything in this post is subject to being incorrect.

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Works Cited

“Gaelic Football – What’s Different To Other Sports?” Ireland Before You Die. 5 June 2019. https://www.irelandbeforeyoudie.com/gaelic-football-whats-different-to-other-sports/.

Ninh Ly. “The Difference between Rugby Union & Rugby League.” YouTube. 17 July 2014.

“The difference between rugby, Australian football and American football.” FinGlobal. 21 November 2017. https://www.finglobal.com/2017/11/21/difference-between-rugby-australian-football-and-american-football/

“The Similarities And Differences Between AFL And Gaelic Football.” Kuriositas. 11 March 2022. https://www.kuriositas.com/2022/03/the-similarities-and-differences.html.