Comparison of American Football and Rugby Union - Attire

Attire

Rugby union players are allowed to wear modest padding on the head, shoulders and collarbone, but it must be sufficiently light, thin and compressible to meet IRB standards, and the vast majority of players play with only a gumshield for protection. Protective headgear is becoming more popular with players with a history of concussion or who wish to protect their ears from damage (usually front or second rows). Hard plastic or metal are prohibited in rugby kit. This includes hard plastic shin guards. No form of metal is allowed in any rugby kit, except for IRB-approved soft aluminium studs on boots.

The prohibition of metal resulted in one of the most unusual pieces of protective gear ever seen in any sport in a 2010 Heineken Cup semifinal between Biarritz and Munster. Biarritz star Imanol Harinordoquy had suffered a broken nose in a domestic encounter with Racing Métro's Sébastien Chabal, and had undergone surgery to repair it. He received approval to wear a mask to protect the injury, but had to have the frame covered by more than 2 inches (5 cm) of foam padding; at least one journalist likened Harinordoquy to the Man in the Iron Mask.

An essential part of the safety equipment needed for rugby is the gumshield or mouthguard. Players also have the option to use fingerless gloves which have been introduced recently to the game allowing players to better grip the ball.

American football players wear much bulkier protective equipment, such as a padded plastic helmet, shoulder pads, hip pads and knee pads. These protective pads were introduced decades ago and have improved ever since to help minimize lasting injury to players. An American football helmet consists of a hard plastic top with thick padding on the inside, a facemask made of one or more metal bars, and a chinstrap used to secure the helmet. An unintended consequence of all the safety equipment has resulted in increasing levels of force in the game which, unprotected and in current form, would now be extremely dangerous. An example of this is the trend for players tackling head first rather than leading with a shoulder, which has led to some serious neck injuries, including breaks, even with the helmets used. In previous years with less padding, tackling more closely resembled tackles in rugby union, with less severe impacts and less severe structural injuries.