Rugby League has 13 players, and is a stop start game similar to American football. Teams get 6 tackles (downs), at the end of which they must give the ball to the other team unless they have scored (they usually punt after 5). After each tackle, the tackled player is allowed to freely get to his feet and roll the ball under his legs to teammate (likely a snap by a centre). Rugby Union has 15 players, and does not stop when a player is tackled. The tackled player must release the ball, and both teams can contest for it. There are a number of more technical differences, but that is the key. The scrum is much important in Union, and Union has the lineout when the ball goes out of bounds. League broke away from Union in the late 1800's, although the difference in rules came in in the early 1900's. Up until the mid-1990's Union was an amateur game, League professional. League is played only in Northern Australia, New Zealand, Northern England, Southern France and Papua New Guinea. Union is played to some extent in most countries.
How much interest does American Football generate amongst Aussies, particularly the NFL??? Can Aussies follow the NFL in Australia??? Do ANY of the Aussie rules football or rugby fans, league or union take ANY interest in the Super Bowl??? Do ANY Aussies play American football??? From the little that I have seen, it seems that Aussie rules football resembles American Football. However, if I'm incorrect please explain. How much does the highest paid Union Rugby, League Rugby, or Aussie rules players make? One million, ten million, or more American dollars???
Hi Mr.Cam NFL is probably followed here to the same extent as Aussie Rules in the US - ie. it is a cute curiosity that appears on cable. Very few people know the rules. If you have cable you can follow it a bit. Super Bowl falls on a Monday here, so it is hard to watch it usually. But sometimes it falls on our national holiday, Australia Day, Jan 26, and is the only game shown on free-TV. But very few people actually "watch" - it is more on in the background at barbeques etc. Like Aussie Rules in the US, small groups of mainly expats from the US play American Football, and drag a few mates along. Very amateur level. Aussie Rules is more like soccer with handling and tackling added. It is very free flowing - one of the rules is that if you are tackled with the ball you must immediately kick or punch it away. the biggest similarity is that you can block for the ball carrier within 5 yards of the ball - unlike rugby or soccer. Like most non-US sports, coaches play little part in the game other than substitutions, positional changes etc. The actual game is too chaotic to control. Remember that our economy is much smaller than the US, but a top player generally makes about $500,000 Aust Dollars, excluding media and endorsements. Some are up around $750,000. The average would be around $120,000, at least in Aussie Rules. As an indication, the average workers wage in Australia is about $35,000 Aust dollars.
Dear Craig the Aussie Do you think that NFL football players could learn to play Aussie rules football at a high level? Do you like the NFL and can you see the athletic talent and skills that many NFL players exhibit? BTW a low paid NFL player makes at least $125,000 American dollars and the high end tops 5 MILLION. Click on this link for the team salaries from the 1999-2000 season. http://www.newschannel2000.com/sh/sports/nfl/stories/nfl-51704120010301-110342.html
I never could figure out the appeal of the League. It just seems like the forwards simply run into contact, restart and repeat ad nauseum. Union seems to be a more open game. Then again, I guess some people like the flowing nature of the League game while Union can get a little too tactical at times, i.e. kicking for position.
Always preferred League to Union myself. No great interest in the sport, although given we share a ground with a club in the former code I do like to see them going well.
Thanks guys. It sounds like what I've seen is Union. Craig, there's an Australian punter in the NFL named Darren Bennett, I think. I'm pretty sure he used to play Aussie Rules professionally. Do you know anything about him or how good he was at Aussie rules?
One think I don't like about Union is they kick the ball back and forth to each other way to much. A guy kicks the ball down the field and the guy receiving it instead of running with it kicks the ball right back down the field trying to get it out of bounds. This sometimes goes on an on consectutively for a while. This is a major turn off to me while I'm watching rugby. I thought the idea was to keep the ball in play not keep kicking it out of bounds. They shouldn't be allowed to keep kicking it back and forth like that. Do they do that in League too, I haven't noticed
They do it less in league as being tackled for the first 5 times doesn't carry the same amount of risk of losing the ball as running the ball does in union. Its all about percentages. A punt in union may well result in gaining more yards than running it as running it will invariably result in more effort being expended along with the added risk of losing posession close to ones own try line.
Hi nowhere Bennett was a lower to middle ranked player with the Melbourne Demons and West Coast Eagles clubs. He had a good long kick, but only fair hands and mobility. Never going to be a star. He does a bit of publicity work for NFL here, and usually co-hosts the Superbowl coverage when his team isn't involved. He got a bit of coverage in the sports magazine TV shows early on - mainly because 1) noone believed that a player could get paid to just kick a ball then walk off have a smoke and a beer for an hour or two, then stroll back out and kick again, and 2) he made a few tackles which was apparantly a big deal over there.
Hi Mr Cam I don't think NFL players would make it in Aussie Rules - the game is too different, particularly the need for players to be able accurately kick a ball 40-50 yards with either foot while running. It is also an aerobic game, with some players running up to 8-9 miles over a 2 hour game. They would be able to make a huge impact in Rugby League however, especially the running backs and receivers. They would need to learn how to pass the ball, and tackle within the rules but that wouldn't take long. Rugby union would be a bit harder, as it is a more technical game, but they would still do well because they are such good athletes. Lineman etc would struggle because they wouldn't have the endurance and ball handling skills. I am surprised that more college football guys who don't get drafted to the NFL or go to Canada don't look at playing pro rugby in Australia or England. They would make good money - not great but if they weren't playing pro ball anyway it would be better than getting a real job. It is common for college basketballers who don't make the grade to go to Australia or Europe. A couple of Americans have come out here but didn't do very well, but I don't think they were very credentialed players in the American game.
Actually,Craig,USA Rugby does look for recruits from gridiron.Dan Lyle was an American football player who has captained Bath. Cal Berkley has a huge prop who has played for the USA.He was a school footballer. At one point Dallas Cowboys were interested in giving Jonah Lomu a trial.He was reportedly attracted by the idea of not playing defense...
It was a big deal since kickers and/or punters rarely make tackles on returns. Some of the efforts are laughable, but in kickers defense, many of them are smaller, and they do not participate in contract drills as far as I know.
I would say the same is true for the USA. Most people don't watch it here either. It is an excuse to party, just like St. Patrick's Day, Cinqo de Maio and a host of other things nobody cares about but is widely used as an excuse to drink beer.
League at club level is much better than union....but union is about a million times better at international.... Up the Leeds Rhinos!!!
I remember Darren Bennett hit on a Steeler's return man. He gave the return man a forearm to the head and dropped trhe dude. The Steeler sideline pratical fell over laughing. In fairness Bennett is pretty big guy. He also has a cannon for a leg.
If anyone is looking for a punter at the moment, there is a guy called Ben Graham at the Geelong club who is about 6'5", 190 pounds and punts about 60-70 yards.