Rugby v Football

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Rugby is a barbaric game played by gentlemen. Football is a gentlemen’s game played by barbarians.

This is a popular quote often uttered by fans of the game with the oval ball.

Comparing the two games would be akin to comparing nasi padang to wanton mee and asking which is better.

They are just different. Very much different.

Let’s look at some of the characteristics.

Blood

in football, game stops if there is even a tiny drop of blood on the face, body or kit. Kit must be changed before player can resume.
in rugby, the play will continue even if the player breaks his head in two and his kidney is by his side. Treatment will be given on the pitch without stopping play.

Team

VAR

VAR is very disruptive to free flowing game of football. Like Tun Mahathir, many goal celebrations will do a U turn after a video review. Stoppage time of 5-10 minutes is common.
VAR is only used to determine tries and over the top tackles. It has minimal impact on the game as a spectator sport.

Dive

When you dive in football, you are carded. In rugby, you score a try or 5 points

Physique

the typical footballer is lean and slender, to add pace and endurance to a fast sport.
the rugby player spends hours in the gym toughening up to withstand the heavy contact sport. Some even carry excess bulk to be more effective battering rams.

Yellow Card

in football, the yellow card is greeted with a sinister smile, a hokkien vulgarity or a protest before the game resumes.
In rugby, a yellow card sends the offender to the sin bin for five minutes and the team is temporarily down by one man. The Malays call this the relac one corner chair.

Looks

by and large, the footballers are prettier and better looking. Think Beckham and CR7.
Many rugby players look like rejected exhibits of Madame Tussaud’s Museum, disheveled looking and some with teeth missing.

Haka

Money

one can make tons of money playing football. The figures are much smaller in rugby.

Can you think of more jarring differences between the two sports?