Comparison of American football and rugby league
Encyclopedia
A comparison of American football
and rugby league football can be made because of their shared origins, resulting in similarities and shared concepts in terms of scoring and advancing the ball. Aside from Canadian football
, rugby league is the sport most similar to American football. Both sports involve the concept of a limited number of 'tackles'/'downs', and in both sports scoring 'touchdowns'/'tries' takes a clear precedence over goal-kicking.
Generally, American football games last much longer than 80-minute rugby league matches. Because the field is reset after each tackle in American football, it is much slower paced than the more hectic rugby league, in which play stops for only as long as it takes the tackled player to get back to his feet and return the ball to play. Another major difference is that only the player with possession of the ball may be interfered with in rugby league. Defending players interfering with any other attacking player (and vice versa) will incur a penalty. Passing in the two sports also differs in that American football players are allowed to throw the ball forward
(subject to some restrictions) whilst in rugby league forward passing is illegal unless the pass is performed with the foot and the receiver is behind the kicker when the ball is kicked.
Another obvious difference is the players' attire, with helmets, gloves and large amounts of padding around the body being the norm for American football. Comparatively little padding (if any) is used in rugby league, with a small fraction of players opting for light headgear as hard helmets are not allowed
to North America. It, along with association football, became popular in American and Canadian universities. At the time soccer and rugby were not as differentiated as they are now and teams would negotiate the rules before playing a game. The sports of American football
and Canadian football
evolved from these intercollegiate games.
Meanwhile in England a schism developed in rugby football between those who favoured strict amateurism and those who felt that players should be compensated for time taken off work to play rugby. In 1895 this resulted in the formation of a break-away sport, rugby league
: the rules of the two codes of rugby (union
and league) would themselves diverge over time.
American football is played on a rectangular field 120 yard
s (110 metres) long by 53 1/3 yards (49 metres) wide. Near each end of the field is a goal line; they are 100 yards apart. A scoring area called an end zone
extends 10 yards beyond each goal line. Yard lines cross the field every 5 yards, two rows of hash marks run parallel to the side lines near the middle of the field. At the back of each end zone, there are two goal posts that are 18.5 feet apart (24 feet in high school). The posts are connected by a crossbar 10 feet from the ground, and may be in the shape of the letter 'H' or the letter 'Y'.
A rugby league field is very similar, it is 120 metres (131 yards) long and about half that in width, there is a line across the field every ten metres. An in-goal area extends six to twelve metres beyond each goal-line. At the goal line are a set of goal posts in the shape of the letter 'H', used for other forms of point scoring: drop goal, penalty goal and conversion.
On some American football fields artificial turf
is used for the playing surface, however rugby league is played exclusively on grass.
An American football team has 11 players on the field at a time. However, teams may substitute for any or all of their players, if time allows, during the break between plays. As a result, players have very specialized roles. Thus, teams are divided into three separate units: the offensive team, the defensive team and the special teams. While each team in the NFL has a 53-man roster, only 48 players can dress for a game.
In rugby league the same players have to both defend and attack. There are thirteen players and four replacements in a rugby league team, with only twelve interchanges of players allowed to be made throughout the game (ten in the Australian NRL). If the interchanges are used up and a player becomes injured and cannot continue, the team simply has to play a man short. Unlike American football, all players must attack and defend and there is no equivalent of special teams.
Broadly speaking, offensive and defensive linemen in American football correspond to forwards in rugby league and other players are somewhat similar to backs. Basically the job of the forwards in rugby league is to get the ball over the advantage line and give the backs space and a chance to be creative and move the ball around, which will hopefully result in points. However, rugby league players are far less specialised than American football players.
Many of the positions have similar names but in practice are very different. A fullback in American football is very different from a fullback in rugby league. However, some of the positions are fairly similar: for instance, the stand-off/five-eighth and halfback carry out a similar role to a quarterback
in American football.
", to advance the ball 10 yards towards the end zone. When the offense gains 10 yards, it gets another set of four downs. If the offense fails to gain 10 yards after 4 downs, it loses possession of the ball.
A down ends, and the ball becomes dead, after any of the following:
This closely resembles the six-tackle rule in rugby league. The team in possession has a "set of six" tackles before having to hand over possession. A key difference is that there is no automatic way of earning a new set of tackles in rugby league. Each set is effectively a chance to score, with failure to do so resulting in relinquishing possession. Another major difference is that play stops briefly when the player in possession of the ball is tackled and resumes once he gets to his feet and returns the ball to play.
Players can advance the ball in two ways in American football:
In rugby league the ball cannot be passed forward, so players can advance the ball by either running with it, or kicking it ahead and chasing it. This concept is preserved in American football; any player may pass the ball backwards, regardless of player position and location of the field. In addition, a ball passed backwards remains live, even if not caught, so long as it remains in play, similar to rugby league.
Following a down, the ball is returned to play within a restricted time limit by a "snap" in American Football. All players line up facing each other at the line of scrimmage. One offensive player, the center, then passes (or "snaps") the ball back between his legs to a teammate, usually the quarterback
and play commences.
In rugby league the ball is returned to play following a tackle via the "play the ball", in which the tackled player gets back to his feet and rolls the ball back to a teammate, usually the hooker. The tackled player will usually try to return to the ball to play as quickly as possible before the defensive line can re-form.
Possession may change in different ways in both games:-
In both codes, tactical kicking is an important aspect of play. However kicking in general play is more common in rugby league.
is a distinguishing feature of American and Canadian football as it is strictly forbidden in rugby league.
The ball can be thrown sideways or backwards without restriction in both games. In American football this is known as a lateral
and is much less common than in rugby league.
In both codes, if the ball is caught by an opposition player this results in an interception
and possession changes hands.
In both games it is permitted to bring down the player in possession of the ball and prevent them making forward progress. Play then restarts from the next down or tackle. In rugby league, it is common for the player in possession to 'off-load' the ball, passing out of the tackle (before forward progress is halted) in order not to use up a tackle and to keep the play alive.
In American football, players are allowed to 'block
' players without the ball, within certain restrictions. This is not permitted in rugby league and would be considered 'obstruction'. Players not in possession of the ball may not interfere with each other.
is the American football equivalent of rugby league's try
. Ironically, a try requires the ball to be 'touched down' to the ground, whereas a touchdown doesn't. In American football it is sufficient for the player carrying the ball to cause the ball to enter the end zone
(in-goal area) while still in bounds, by carrying it in or holding the ball in or through the imaginary plane of the goal line. In rugby league the ball must be pressed to the ground in the in-goal area. An American football touchdown scores 6 points and a rugby league try is worth 4 points.
In both games, following a try / touchdown, there is the opportunity to score additional points by kicking the ball between the posts and over the bar. In American football this is called an extra point
or a "point after touchdown" (PAT) in the NFL (worth 1 point), in rugby league it is known as a conversion (worth 2 points). There are two key differences between an extra point and a conversion, conversions cannot be charged down like an extra point attempt but they must be taken from the same position as the try was scored. Hence it is important to score under the posts rather than in the corner, which makes for a difficult kick. Rugby league has no equivalent to American football's two-point conversion
, in which the scoring team chooses not to kick at goal, but attempt a second touchdown from short range.
In American football teams often opt to go for a field goal
(worth 3 points) rather than attempt a touchdown. The rugby league equivalent, also called a field goal, is worth only one point and is much less common. The key difference between a field goal in the two sports is that an American football field goal attempt is normally kicked with a team-mate holding the ball, whereas in rugby league the field goal is attempted using a drop-kick.
A similar concept in rugby league is the penalty goal
. Following the award of the penalty, the attacking team may opt to kick for goal rather than advance the ball by hand or punting. This scores 2 points in league. The penalty goal is similar to a field goal in American football in that the ball is kicked from the ground and may be held by a team-mate (although almost never is), but it cannot be charged down. The nearest equivalent in American football is the rarely used fair catch kick
.
American football has one further method of scoring which does not exist in rugby league. If a ball carrier is tackled in their own endzone (in-goal area) with the ball or steps out the back of the end zone with the ball, this results in a safety which scores 2 points. In rugby league this does not result in any points but causes the team in possession to kick the ball back to the opposition from under the posts.
of the AMNRL played the Jacksonville Knights of the Florida Football Alliance. The first half was played under American football rules, the second half was played under rugby league rules. The score at half-time was Jacksonville Axemen 6 - Jacksonville Knights 27. The final score was Jacksonville Axemen 38 - Jacksonville Knights 27.
http://www.unitedrugbyleague.com/
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and rugby league football can be made because of their shared origins, resulting in similarities and shared concepts in terms of scoring and advancing the ball. Aside from Canadian football
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
, rugby league is the sport most similar to American football. Both sports involve the concept of a limited number of 'tackles'/'downs', and in both sports scoring 'touchdowns'/'tries' takes a clear precedence over goal-kicking.
Generally, American football games last much longer than 80-minute rugby league matches. Because the field is reset after each tackle in American football, it is much slower paced than the more hectic rugby league, in which play stops for only as long as it takes the tackled player to get back to his feet and return the ball to play. Another major difference is that only the player with possession of the ball may be interfered with in rugby league. Defending players interfering with any other attacking player (and vice versa) will incur a penalty. Passing in the two sports also differs in that American football players are allowed to throw the ball forward
Forward pass
In several forms of football a forward pass is when the ball is thrown in the direction that the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line...
(subject to some restrictions) whilst in rugby league forward passing is illegal unless the pass is performed with the foot and the receiver is behind the kicker when the ball is kicked.
Another obvious difference is the players' attire, with helmets, gloves and large amounts of padding around the body being the norm for American football. Comparatively little padding (if any) is used in rugby league, with a small fraction of players opting for light headgear as hard helmets are not allowed
Origins
British colonists and the British military in Canada brought rugby footballRugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
to North America. It, along with association football, became popular in American and Canadian universities. At the time soccer and rugby were not as differentiated as they are now and teams would negotiate the rules before playing a game. The sports of American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and Canadian football
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
evolved from these intercollegiate games.
Meanwhile in England a schism developed in rugby football between those who favoured strict amateurism and those who felt that players should be compensated for time taken off work to play rugby. In 1895 this resulted in the formation of a break-away sport, rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
: the rules of the two codes of rugby (union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
and league) would themselves diverge over time.
The field
Yard
A yard is a unit of length in several different systems including English units, Imperial units and United States customary units. It is equal to 3 feet or 36 inches...
s (110 metres) long by 53 1/3 yards (49 metres) wide. Near each end of the field is a goal line; they are 100 yards apart. A scoring area called an end zone
End zone
In gridiron-based codes of football, the end zone refers to the scoring area on the field. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on an opposite side of the field...
extends 10 yards beyond each goal line. Yard lines cross the field every 5 yards, two rows of hash marks run parallel to the side lines near the middle of the field. At the back of each end zone, there are two goal posts that are 18.5 feet apart (24 feet in high school). The posts are connected by a crossbar 10 feet from the ground, and may be in the shape of the letter 'H' or the letter 'Y'.
A rugby league field is very similar, it is 120 metres (131 yards) long and about half that in width, there is a line across the field every ten metres. An in-goal area extends six to twelve metres beyond each goal-line. At the goal line are a set of goal posts in the shape of the letter 'H', used for other forms of point scoring: drop goal, penalty goal and conversion.
On some American football fields artificial turf
Artificial turf
Artificial turf is a surface manufactured from synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass. It is most often used in arenas for sports that were originally or are normally played on grass. However, it is now being used on residential lawns and commercial applications as well...
is used for the playing surface, however rugby league is played exclusively on grass.
Players
- See also American football positionsAmerican football positionsIn American football, each team has eleven players on the field at one time. Because the rules allow unlimited substitution between plays, the types of players on the field for each team differ depending on the situation...
, Rugby league positionsRugby league positionsA rugby league football team consists of thirteen players on the field, with four substitutes on the bench. Players are divided into two general categories: "forwards" and "backs"....
An American football team has 11 players on the field at a time. However, teams may substitute for any or all of their players, if time allows, during the break between plays. As a result, players have very specialized roles. Thus, teams are divided into three separate units: the offensive team, the defensive team and the special teams. While each team in the NFL has a 53-man roster, only 48 players can dress for a game.
In rugby league the same players have to both defend and attack. There are thirteen players and four replacements in a rugby league team, with only twelve interchanges of players allowed to be made throughout the game (ten in the Australian NRL). If the interchanges are used up and a player becomes injured and cannot continue, the team simply has to play a man short. Unlike American football, all players must attack and defend and there is no equivalent of special teams.
Broadly speaking, offensive and defensive linemen in American football correspond to forwards in rugby league and other players are somewhat similar to backs. Basically the job of the forwards in rugby league is to get the ball over the advantage line and give the backs space and a chance to be creative and move the ball around, which will hopefully result in points. However, rugby league players are far less specialised than American football players.
Many of the positions have similar names but in practice are very different. A fullback in American football is very different from a fullback in rugby league. However, some of the positions are fairly similar: for instance, the stand-off/five-eighth and halfback carry out a similar role to a quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
in American football.
Advancing the ball
In American football, the team that's in possession of the ball (the offense) has four "downsDown (football)
A down is a period in which a play transpires in American and Canadian football.-Description:A down begins with a snap or free kick , and ends when the ball or the player in possession of it is declared down by an official, a team scores, or the ball or player in possession of it leaves the field...
", to advance the ball 10 yards towards the end zone. When the offense gains 10 yards, it gets another set of four downs. If the offense fails to gain 10 yards after 4 downs, it loses possession of the ball.
A down ends, and the ball becomes dead, after any of the following:
- The player with the ball is tackled.
- A forward passForward passIn several forms of football a forward pass is when the ball is thrown in the direction that the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line...
goes out of bounds or touches the ground before it is caught. This is known as an incomplete passIncomplete passAn incomplete pass is a term in American football which means that a legal forward pass hits the ground before a player on either team gains possession. For example, if the quarterback throws the ball to one of his wide receivers, and the receiver either does not touch it or tries to catch it...
. The ball is returned to the original "line of scrimmageLine of scrimmageIn American and Canadian football a line of scrimmage is an imaginary transverse line beyond which a team cannot cross until the next play has begun...
" for the next down. - The ball or the player with the ball goes out of bounds.
- The player either goes or is forced out of the field (out of bounds)
- A team scores.
This closely resembles the six-tackle rule in rugby league. The team in possession has a "set of six" tackles before having to hand over possession. A key difference is that there is no automatic way of earning a new set of tackles in rugby league. Each set is effectively a chance to score, with failure to do so resulting in relinquishing possession. Another major difference is that play stops briefly when the player in possession of the ball is tackled and resumes once he gets to his feet and returns the ball to play.
Players can advance the ball in two ways in American football:
- By running with the ball, also known as rushing. One ball-carrier can hand the ball to another; this is known as a handoff.
- By passing the ball forwardsForward passIn several forms of football a forward pass is when the ball is thrown in the direction that the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line...
to a team-mate. This can only be performed once on a down, and cannot be done if the ball crosses the line of scrimmage.
In rugby league the ball cannot be passed forward, so players can advance the ball by either running with it, or kicking it ahead and chasing it. This concept is preserved in American football; any player may pass the ball backwards, regardless of player position and location of the field. In addition, a ball passed backwards remains live, even if not caught, so long as it remains in play, similar to rugby league.
Following a down, the ball is returned to play within a restricted time limit by a "snap" in American Football. All players line up facing each other at the line of scrimmage. One offensive player, the center, then passes (or "snaps") the ball back between his legs to a teammate, usually the quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
and play commences.
In rugby league the ball is returned to play following a tackle via the "play the ball", in which the tackled player gets back to his feet and rolls the ball back to a teammate, usually the hooker. The tackled player will usually try to return to the ball to play as quickly as possible before the defensive line can re-form.
Possession may change in different ways in both games:-
- An automatic handover takes place when the team in possession runs out of downs / tackles.
- When the ball is kicked to the opposing team. This can be done at any time but it is normal to puntPunt (football)In some codes of football, a punt is a play in which a player drops the ball and kicks it before it touches the ground. A punt is in contrast to a drop kick, in which the ball touches the ground before being kicked....
on the last down / tackle. - Following an unsuccessful kick at goal.
- When an opposing player interceptsInterception (football)An interception, intercept or pick is a move in many forms of football, including Canadian and American football, as well as rugby league, rugby union, Australian rules football and Gaelic football, which involves a pass, either by foot or hand, being caught by an opposition player, who usually...
a pass. - In rugby league the opposition are awarded a scrumScrum (rugby)Scrum , in the sports of rugby union and rugby league, is a way of restarting the game, either after an accidental infringement or when the ball has gone out of play...
if the player in possession drops the ball forwards or makes the ball go forwards with any part of his body other than his feet. This is called a knock-on. - When the player in possession drops the ball and it is recovered by an opposition player. This is called a fumbleFumbleA fumble in American and Canadian football occurs when a player, who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed or scoring. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking or successful handing that results in loss of player possession...
in American football and a knock-on in rugby league. - In rugby league if the ball goes out of play, the opposition are awarded a scrum the "loose head and feed" of the scrum. Penalties and 40/20 kicks are exceptions to this rule.
- In American football possession changes hands following a successful score and the team scoring kicks off to the opposition. In contrast, in rugby league the team who conceded the points must kick off to the team who scored. (In some amateur levels of American football, and in Canadian football, the team who conceded the points has the option of kicking off to the opposition rather than receiving the kickoff, but this option is extremely rarely invoked.)
In both codes, tactical kicking is an important aspect of play. However kicking in general play is more common in rugby league.
Passing
In American football, the offense can throw the ball forward once on a play from behind the line of scrimmage. The forward passForward pass
In several forms of football a forward pass is when the ball is thrown in the direction that the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line...
is a distinguishing feature of American and Canadian football as it is strictly forbidden in rugby league.
The ball can be thrown sideways or backwards without restriction in both games. In American football this is known as a lateral
Lateral pass
In American football, a lateral pass or lateral, officially backward pass , occurs when the ball carrier throws the football to any teammate behind him or directly next to him...
and is much less common than in rugby league.
In both codes, if the ball is caught by an opposition player this results in an interception
Interception (football)
An interception, intercept or pick is a move in many forms of football, including Canadian and American football, as well as rugby league, rugby union, Australian rules football and Gaelic football, which involves a pass, either by foot or hand, being caught by an opposition player, who usually...
and possession changes hands.
Tackles and blocks
- See also tackle (football move)Tackle (football move)Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....
In both games it is permitted to bring down the player in possession of the ball and prevent them making forward progress. Play then restarts from the next down or tackle. In rugby league, it is common for the player in possession to 'off-load' the ball, passing out of the tackle (before forward progress is halted) in order not to use up a tackle and to keep the play alive.
In American football, players are allowed to 'block
Blocking (American football)
In American football, blocking is a legal move occurring when one player obstructs another player's path with his body. The purpose of blocking is to prevent defensive players tackling the ball carrier, or to protect the quarterback while attempting to pass or hand-off the ball...
' players without the ball, within certain restrictions. This is not permitted in rugby league and would be considered 'obstruction'. Players not in possession of the ball may not interfere with each other.
Scoring
A touchdownTouchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
is the American football equivalent of rugby league's try
Try
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
. Ironically, a try requires the ball to be 'touched down' to the ground, whereas a touchdown doesn't. In American football it is sufficient for the player carrying the ball to cause the ball to enter the end zone
End zone
In gridiron-based codes of football, the end zone refers to the scoring area on the field. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on an opposite side of the field...
(in-goal area) while still in bounds, by carrying it in or holding the ball in or through the imaginary plane of the goal line. In rugby league the ball must be pressed to the ground in the in-goal area. An American football touchdown scores 6 points and a rugby league try is worth 4 points.
In both games, following a try / touchdown, there is the opportunity to score additional points by kicking the ball between the posts and over the bar. In American football this is called an extra point
Extra Point
Extra Point is a twice-daily, two-minute segment on ESPN Radio that covers generic sports-related topical news and opinion. The AM edition airs Monday through Saturday at various times between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. ET, and the PM edition airs Monday through Friday between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET...
or a "point after touchdown" (PAT) in the NFL (worth 1 point), in rugby league it is known as a conversion (worth 2 points). There are two key differences between an extra point and a conversion, conversions cannot be charged down like an extra point attempt but they must be taken from the same position as the try was scored. Hence it is important to score under the posts rather than in the corner, which makes for a difficult kick. Rugby league has no equivalent to American football's two-point conversion
Two-point conversion
In American and Canadian football, a two-point conversion is a play a team attempts instead of kicking a one-point convert immediately after it scores a touchdown...
, in which the scoring team chooses not to kick at goal, but attempt a second touchdown from short range.
In American football teams often opt to go for a field goal
Field goal (football)
A field goal in American football and Canadian football is a goal that may be scored during general play . Field goals may be scored by a placekick or the now practically extinct drop kick.The drop kick fell out of favor in 1934 when the shape of the ball was changed...
(worth 3 points) rather than attempt a touchdown. The rugby league equivalent, also called a field goal, is worth only one point and is much less common. The key difference between a field goal in the two sports is that an American football field goal attempt is normally kicked with a team-mate holding the ball, whereas in rugby league the field goal is attempted using a drop-kick.
A similar concept in rugby league is the penalty goal
Penalty (rugby)
In rugby football, the penalty is the main disciplinary sanction available to the referee to penalise players who commit deliberate infringements. The team who did not commit the infringement are given possession of the ball and may either kick it towards touch , attempt a place kick at goal, or...
. Following the award of the penalty, the attacking team may opt to kick for goal rather than advance the ball by hand or punting. This scores 2 points in league. The penalty goal is similar to a field goal in American football in that the ball is kicked from the ground and may be held by a team-mate (although almost never is), but it cannot be charged down. The nearest equivalent in American football is the rarely used fair catch kick
Fair catch kick
The fair catch kick is a rarely used rule in some forms of American football that allows a team, after making a fair catch of an opponent's kick, to attempt a field goal freely from the spot of the catch. It is one of the three types of free kicks; the other two are the kickoff and the safety kick...
.
American football has one further method of scoring which does not exist in rugby league. If a ball carrier is tackled in their own endzone (in-goal area) with the ball or steps out the back of the end zone with the ball, this results in a safety which scores 2 points. In rugby league this does not result in any points but causes the team in possession to kick the ball back to the opposition from under the posts.
Cross Code Matches
At least one cross-code match between American football and rugby league has been played. On August 1st, 2009 the Jacksonville AxemenJacksonville Axemen
-Southeastern Rugby League Championship:In 2011 the Axemen launched a reserve grade competition, the Firehouse Subs Southeastern Rugby League Championship, which acts as a feeder club system for the Axemen to further develop players...
of the AMNRL played the Jacksonville Knights of the Florida Football Alliance. The first half was played under American football rules, the second half was played under rugby league rules. The score at half-time was Jacksonville Axemen 6 - Jacksonville Knights 27. The final score was Jacksonville Axemen 38 - Jacksonville Knights 27.
Gridiron Rugby
A version of rugby league played on American football fields by teams of 11 (rather than 13) players is known as Gridiron Rugby. A professional league called the United Rugby League is planned for North Carolina and nearby states to begin in Spring 2013. http://www.gridironrugby.com/http://www.unitedrugbyleague.com/
See also
- American footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
- Rugby leagueRugby leagueRugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
- Comparison of rugby league and rugby unionComparison of rugby league and rugby unionA comparison of rugby league and rugby union is possible because of the games' similarities and shared origins. In English rugby football, towards the end of the 19th century, a schism developed over the way the sport was run; one of the major disputes was between those who favoured strict...
- Comparison of American football and rugby unionComparison of American football and rugby unionA comparison of American football and rugby union is possible because of the games' shared origins, despite their dissimilarities.-Blocking:...
- Comparison of Canadian and American footballComparison of Canadian and American footballAmerican and Canadian football are very similar, as both have their origins in rugby football, but there are some key differences.-History:Football was introduced to North America in Canada by the British Army garrison in Montreal, which played a series of games with McGill University...
- Comparison of Canadian football and rugby leagueComparison of Canadian football and rugby leagueA comparison of Canadian football and rugby league football can be made because of their shared origins, resulting in similarities and shared concepts in terms of scoring and advancing the ball. Aside from American football, rugby league is the sport most similar to Canadian football...
- Players who have converted from one football code to anotherPlayers who have converted from one football code to anotherThere are many players who have converted from one football code to another or even changed from other sports at a professional or representational level....