Bear in mind I am not a sports guy.
While cruising the foreign satellite, I saw a rugby game between Australia and South Africa.
How come only some of the guys wore helmets? Were they wusses, or what?
Is this the famous “Australian Football”?
Why do they pass differently than USA football?
Can you kick any time you want?
Does anyone ever get killed?
Head protection (their not really helmets, more like a webbed paddinbg) in rugby is a contraversial issue and some purists see it as slightly ‘wussy’, but rugby is a tough game and there is a very real danger of head injuries.
If it was Austrailian Rules football, they would of been playing on an oval pitch, they wouldn’t be wearing head protection and they wouldn’t of been playing South Africa. What you saw was probably the Rugby Union discpline (as opposed to the Rugby League discpline).
In rugby you are absolutely not allowed to pass the ball forwards with your hands, this means that when you pass the ball you’ll most probably be throwing sideways, at an angle opposite to the direction that your running in, which means the throwing technique is different.
If your running with the ball or it is lose on the ground you’re allowed to kick the ball.
Obviously there have been a few deaths, but not many in professional (or more strictly first class) rugby, though in the course of a game you should expect to be trodden on a few times.
Thanks!
I suspect the rules were confusing for you carnivorousplant, but did you enjoy the game? The South Africa/Australia/New Zealand Tri Nations is a particularly notable example of the code - invariably played at extraordinary pace and skill levels.
Also, my understanding is that American Football evolved from Rugby Union (which is the version of rugby that you watched). You may have seen the lineouts on the sidelines? They were moved into the centre of the pitch in American Football in the late 1800’s due to muddy conditions, and the line of scrimmage was invented. That’s my understanding of the history at any rate… of course I could be wrong…
When the forward pass was finally introduced, the modern game of American Football assumed it’s current incarnation.
I only saw a few minutes of it. Tackles looked like a bar fight, 
and three medics were helping some injured guy.
Those guys are tough.
American football predates the code split between Rugby Union and Rugby League and is infact more simlair to Rugby League than Union. AF is based on the game played out notable American schools and univesrities, which were themselves based on the version of football played at Rugby Public School.
In case you were wondering carnivourous plant South Africa won 26-22.
Here’s a match report. The rugby365 site is pretty good for all rugby news and has an extensive section on the laws and so on to help you understand the game.
Ohh and the US has a team in the World Cup later this year.
Hmmm might have to start up a Tri Nations thread…