What is the Difference Between Rugby and Australian Rules Football?
Australia is a country with a deep-rooted passion for sport. Football, rugby, cricket, are all games that the Australian people love to follow. However, a particularly popular game in Australia, which may be unknown to the rest of the world, is Australian rules football, or simply Footy.
What is Australian Rules Football
A contact sport, footy is derived from association football and rugby union. While its origins are murky, it is largely agreed that it developed in the 19th century in Australian private schools. The game quickly garnered massive popularity, becoming one of Australia's favorite sports.
From a very young age, Australians begin watching and playing footy. It is often thought and practiced in schools and children can join local clubs. Adults are huge fans as well. In fact, next to cricket, footy is the most popular sport in the country.
Footy has also developed a pretty significant betting industry. Sports betting is a very popular activity among Aussies, and certainly the most popular betting sports include footy, cricket, and rugby. So, if you have any interest in trying out an online bookie, you can find Aussie rules future matches odds and statistics bat sportsbet.io.
Aussie Rules vs. Rugby Union
At a glance, footy is very similar to rugby. Both are played with a similar, oval shaped ball. Both are played on a similar field. And both are a contact sport in which you score by kicking or touch the ball down over a goal line.
However, upon closer inspection you will find that the two sports are far more different than they are similar. So, let us examine some of the major differences that separate footy from rugby union.
The Time
One similarity between the two sports is the fact that in both matches last for a total of 80 minutes. However, there is a difference in division. You see, in Australian rules football, the game is divided into four quarters, each about twenty minutes long. Rugby fans will know that this is not the case in rugby, where a match is divided in two 40-minute halves.
The Ball
At first glance, the oval shaped ball used in Australian football is very similar to the one used to play rugby. And while that is certainly true, there is a major difference. The rugby ball is wider and stubbier than the thin and elongated ball used to play footy. While not a major difference, it does change the grip and technique players can use.
The Court
We mentioned before that the field on which the two games are played is rather similar. However, that similarity comes with a major caveat. Namely the very shape of the court. In Aussie football, the court is oval, whereas in rugby union, it is rectangular.
Carrying vs. Kicking
Rugby is a sport in which players get a hold of the ball and run towards the opposing goal with an intention to score. However, Aussie football is primarily a kicking sport. In order for a player to carry the ball, they must bounce it off the ground, or suffer a penalty. There are also no touchdowns in Aussie football. The way to score a goal is by kicking the ball in the enemy goal.
No Offside
Rugby fans will be familiar with the game's strict offside rules (which also exist in association football). The attacking players must maintain a certain distance and can only start in specific positions on the field. The case is not so in footy. There are absolutely no offside rules in footy, meaning players can take up any position at the start of the match. It is largely this lack of offside rules that ensures the game remains a primarily kicking sport.