The National Football league (NFL) and the National Rugby League (NRL) are two completely different events in two completely different sports. However, there is ample reason to be confused between the two, which is why we will address the points of confusion in this post.
When Football is not Football
The term football is assigned to at least three different sports and rugby isn’t even one of them. What Aussies, Canadians, and Americans call soccer is known as football in most other parts of the world. However, there is also a stark difference between American football and Australian football.
Officially known as Australian rules football or footy, it’s a different game that’s closer to rugby than American football. In fact, footy and rugby also use the same ball (27cm), while American footballs are lighter, but longer by 1cm. Finally, the major leagues/championships centred around the three sports played with an oval football, which are known as:
- NRL – National Rugby League
- NFL – National Football League (American Football)
- AFL – Australian Football League
NFL Vs. NRL: Main Differences
Although American football did originate from rugby, they are two different games today, and so are their respective tournaments. Next, we are going to point out the key differences between the two.
The NFL is a Domestic League
The National Football League is a domestic league, meaning that only teams from the United States participate in the competition. Given that American football is only played professionally in Northern America, the scope of the game itself, just like the NFL, is quite limited. Nevertheless, that has not stopped the competition from becoming one of the richest sports competitions in history.
The NRL is an International League
Similar to the NFL, the State of Origin Rugby Series is an immensely popular Aussie interstate competition between the Queensland Maroons and the New South Wales Blues. On the other hand, the National Rugby League is an international championship event, given that both Aussie and Kiwi rugby clubs participate in it. In scale, however, the NRL and the NFL can be compared to some degree.
NFL is the Richer League
Despite being a solely American event, the National Football League is the richer league of the two and the NFL is one of the richest sports leagues in the world today. Consider the fact that the Dallas Cowboys (NFL) have a net worth of US$5.7 billion, making them the richest sports team in existence. On the other hand, the richest team in the NRL are the Brisbane Broncos, who have an estimated net worth of roughly AU$49 – 50 million.
Huge Difference in Pay
Not that national league rugby players are exactly lacking in riches mind you, but compared to NFL players, there is a huge difference. For example, Daly Cherry Evans (Sea Eagles) and Ben Hunt (Brisbane Broncos) are the two highest paid NRL players at the moment with annual salaries of AU$1.2M and AU$1.1 million respectively. Whereas Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs) and Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills) are the two highest paid players in the NFL with annual salaries of US$45 million and US$43 million respectively.
The NRL Follows a Straightforward Rule of Time
There are two halves in an NRL game, consisting of 40-minutes each. The break never exceeds 10-minutes under normal circumstances. The NFL games are divided into four quarters of 15-minutes each, with a 2-minute gap between two consecutive quarters.
NRL Players are True International Athletes
The best of the best National Rugby League players are chosen to represent their respective nations at the Rugby World Cup. For example, James Tedesco plays for the Sydney Roosters in the NRL, but he was and still is the Australian national rugby team’s fullback who played at the last Rugby World Cup. Since there is no American football competition on a global scale, no NFL player can claim to be an international athlete in the same sense.
Rugby and American football have their own pros and cons, but this post was focused more on the two major leagues rather than the sports themselves. Check the rulebooks to know more about how these related but different sports are played if you are interested in the differences between rugby and American football.