Last Updated on March 16, 2022 by
Sometimes when it comes to major sporting events such as American football, Australian football, and rugby, we get easily confused with some of the sports played. What makes it confusing is that football rules in America and Australia are similar to rugby and thus, Americans tend to get them mixed up with each other. However, what sets them apart is clear-cut. One of the main features that differentiate football from rugby has to do with sizes: the football goal dimensions are smaller than the ones used in rugby. In this article, we will look at the differences between them.
Comparison Table – Rugby Vs Australian Football
The table below contains the major differences between rugby and Australian football.
| Parameters | Rugby | Australian Football |
| Field Size | 100 meters long and 70 meters wide | 185 meters long and 155 meters wide |
| Field Shape | Rectangular pitch | Unique Oval |
| The shape of the ball | Egg-shaped with a smaller hump | Egg-shaped with a larger hump |
| Number of players | 15 players on the field | 18 players on the field |
| Substitution | A total of 7 substitutions | A total of 3 substitutions |
| Length of the game | 2 halves40 minutes each | 4 quarters20 minutes each |
Australian Football VS Rugby – The Differences
We’ve listed the main differences between rugby and Australian football. Let’s check them out!
The Shape Of The Field
Not only the rules but also the shape, of both rugby and Australian Rules Football are different. In Rugby, a rectangular pitch is used, instead of an oval one in AFL.
The Size Of The Field
The rugby field in standard measurements is 100m long and 70m wide, with goalposts both set at the two opposite ends of the fields that are 10m wide by 7.3m high. The size of an AFL field varies from the stadium to stadium and can vary in terms of length and width. For instance, for an AFL ground to be certified for competitions, the minimum length required is 135-185m with a width varying from 110 – 155m. This means that in terms of surface area, an AFL field may vary over time but it will more than likely be bigger than a rugby field.
The Shape Of The Ball
NFL footballs are easily distinguished from rugby, but American Footballs used in matches played in the Australian Football League are hard to differentiate from rugby. Both sport egg-shaped orbs, but compared to rugby, AFL balls seem to have larger humps. Also unlike most Rugby, they have laces which make them easier to run around with and catch and receive passes that are a part of the game.
The Number Of Players And Substitutions
In standard Rugby football, a sport originating in England but spread to other countries including America, a team consists of 15 people on the field and a total of 7 substitutions are allowed during one match (or “game”). In Australian Football League or Aussie Rules as it’s better known, there are 18 players per team and only three replacements for players who leave the field. Because there are more players in Aussie football than Rugby, fewer subs are allowed: only three.
The Length Of The Game
Although the game and the duration are the same for each of these sports, 80 minutes in length, they are played in different ways. In rugby, there are two halves or 40 minutes total time on the clock. In Australian Rules Football, however, there are quarters that last 20 minutes in total per quarter. The second quarter ends when time runs out on the clock.
The Rules: Scoring
Finally, there are different ways to score as an Aussie rules football team. In rugby, the ball has to be considered “carried” into the in-goal area. The team who is able to do so is rewarded 5 points. In AFL, however, there are two ways to score. One of the most common ways to score is by kicking the ball between goalposts and into ‘the onion bag’ which stands at ground level (this could also include behinds if you’re successful). This is worth 2 points.
The other way a goal can be scored in AFL is by directly kicking or carrying the ball between goalposts but this isn’t as common a practice as in Rugby and so carries no value, but what it does accomplish is getting you a lot closer towards another point-scoring opportunity. This kind of goal-scoring approach is referred to as a conversion in Aussie Rules Football because it converts how you might have otherwise scored or failed on that given kick had it been made differently.
The kicking team gets 1 point if the ball goes through the outer posts. We call this a “behind.” If the ball goes through the inner goalposts, that’s called a “goal” and the kicking team gets 6 points. These posts are not of comparable size, so it is common for AFL clubs to install only Australian-made goalposts which are suited for this specific sport. They don’t make much sense if you try to use your American ones instead LOL!
The Rules: Passing And Tackling
In both games, each set of rules regarding scoring, gameplay, and advancing the ball are different. For example, in American football players can only throw or punt the ball forward while things like setting up scrimmage occur at a line before going on to kick or dive for a cheerfully deflated pigskin called a “football”.
Everything about rugby is pretty awesome, but my favorite part of the way it’s played compared to other sports is that a tackle doesn’t necessarily mean the end of a play. The same goes for AFL, but someone can tackle players in this game without hurting them too badly by putting pressure on the ball rather than trying to bring the player down entirely. Although rough tackles do happen from time to time in both AFL and rugby, tackles don’t tend to be quite as harsh as those in many other contact sports.
Offside
The Australian Rules football has no offside restrictions. Aussie rules players have total freedom to explore the field, and can typically start at any section of the field. This permits a dynamic offensive style in which Aussie rules players are given numerous possibilities to interact with teammates and advance the ball upfield, placing them in a position from where they can score more easily than their opponents.
In rugby, unlike Aussie rules football, there are strong offside restrictions. With Rugby’s offside rules (meaning: you cannot cross your opponents’ ‘half line’ if 3 or more players are between you and the try line), it’s better for a rugby team to attempt long drop-goals than field goals. Meaning, success is often associated with either scoring lots of tries to win big numbers of points or scoring 1-3 points per match by making very difficult shots at goal.
To score a goal, the kicking team should have been behind the kicker when the ball was kicked. The absence of offside means that Australian rules football is pretty much a kicking demo. You may kick the ball 30 meters up the field to another member of your team.
Conclusion
We have looked at all the differences between Australian rules football and rugby. In rugby, you can score by kicking a goal, whereas in Australian rules your score by getting the ball over the line.
The rugby game is made up of two 40 minute halves, whereas an Aussie rules game consists of four quarters each twenty minutes long. One of the main differences between rugby and Australian Rules football is that the former is played on a rectangular field whereas the latter one has an oval shape.
A rugby ball is slightly wider than an Australian rules football and is also much longer, about 72 to 76 centimeters for a rugby ball as compared to 63 to 68 cm for an Australian rules football. In rugby it’s possible to play players from the opposition offside bypassing or kicking a ball behind their backs but not in the case of Australian Rules.
