1) Rugby is an adaptation of Football by some posh guy that didn’t have the skill to control a ball with his feet and, therefore, picked it up with his hands and ran off the pitch (see picture). He then realised that if he pushed other players out of the way then he could get closer to running off the pitch and maybe even hurt them. In turn, the other players realised that if they got massively fat they could dive at the feet of the oncoming player and stop him from running off the pitch. Then they built Twickenham.
2) In football there are 17 simple laws leading to a more expressive, creative game. This compares to countless stupid laws in Rugby such as the knock on or forward pass. In the beautiful game you are encouraged to do things that move the game forward.
3) Football is simple. All you need is a ball and four jumpers and you've got a full blown game. This means the beautiful game can be enjoyed across the globe by all classes. Not just posh people.
3) In Rugby fans often cheer when the ball is kicked off the pitch.
4) In Rugby it is forbidden to project the ball forward unless, it seems, you are trying to kick the ball off the pitch. In which case everyone cheers. Maybe because they are bored.
5) In Rugby the offside rule doesn’t actually mean you are offside, it means you are further forward than you should be (but there are still defending players in front of you) which is another example of restricting attacking play. Something you'd never see in the beautiful game.
6) In Rugby you get points for a try. In football, trying is not always enough. Take England at last years world cup. Every England player had a try but they didn’t all get points for it.
7) In Rugby if you do score you dive to make it over the line. In football, diving is increasingly frowned upon.
8) In Rugby if you hit a player you are sent to the sin bin but if your mates jump in then it is ok and nobody gets in trouble apart from the captain who was probably not even near the incident because he's the only player with a brain and, therefore, wont be seen diving at a 20 stone man's feet.
9) In Rugby the referee points the wrong way if he awards a decision to the attacking team. Showing that Rugby is more defensive than the beautiful game.
10) In Football we've had players such as George Best, Pele, Maradona, Eusabio, Glenn Hoddle and Johan Cruyf to name a few. Rugby didn’t.
11) If you play Rugby it is frowned upon to be in any bar, pub or club unless you have a polo shirt on with the collar up, and your trousers around your knees with your (often fat and spotty) arse stuck against the front window.
12) There are no nets on Rugby posts, meaning no net-busting strikes.
13) Rugby fans lack such passion that they are more then happy to sit amongst each other, supping on white wine and discussing horse boxes.
14) In Rugby the ball is shaped like an egg and therefore adds an extra element of luck to the game, taking away from the skill required to truly call yourself a great player or team.
15) Nobody at all is interested in Club Rugby. Club football is all most of the heterosexual men in the world think about for at least 55 minutes of every hour. The other 5 minutes is spent thinking about girls.
16) In football commentators never have to get confused with double barrelled names. For example, John Motson will never have to stumble through the name of William Wavell-Wakefield, 1st Baron of Kendal’s full name as he cauliflowers his ears up on the pitch. (Source 82ASK, Rugby’s poshest name in history).
17) Fat people cannot play football, and never will. One of the only factors keeping the number of fat people on TV down.
19) Rugby followers will tell you it's a real mans game. If their idea of a real mans game is sticking their head in between their mates legs and grabbing his shorts then we suggest they seriously consider their sexuality. Not that there is anything wrong with being Gay of course.
20) Football fans come up with unique songs for their teams players to show their appreciation for their efforts. Rugby fans just sing about some sugar coated form of transport from the Roman times.
21) Rachel Unit.
22) They STAMP on each other, even their studs are made especially to allow this. How is that Sport?
22) Rugby players wear football boots. Jonny Wilkinson wears Predators, created by, and for footballers. Ever see Gazza in a pair of rugby boots?
23) Footballer's wives are far more attractive than Rugby player's wives. In fact, it is very easy for a professional footballer to pick up an attractive woman, e.g. Peter Crouch and Abi Clancy.
24) The Football world cup is knows as THE WORLD CUP, the Rugby World Cup is known as The Rugby World Cup.
25) In football you can see the ball during the game. You can't see that giant peanut when they are rucking and mauling or whatever it is they do - Dom Johnson
26) In rugby it's easy to run with an egg and place it on the floor with your hands but to put a ball in the top corner of a net from 40 yards is a bit more difficult and takes a lot more skill - Matty Trower
27) Rugby World Cup crowds never ever involve Brazilian beauties in bikinis - John Spinks
28) Catching a Rugby ball on your neck is a simple skill - Ben Richardson
29) Maradona, one of the greatest ever players of the beautiful game, has got the skill to do keep-ups with a golf ball:
YouTube - Maradona juggling with tennis & golf ball!! - Ben Richardson
30) Wembley is a better stadium than Twickenham. Fact - Ben Richardson
31) The football World Cup is not only known as the World Cup it IS a World Cup. The Rugby World Cup is 10 countries that actually play Rugby plus some others to make up the numbers - David 'Bestie' Larking
32) In football England beat Germany 5-1 in Munich. In Rugby that's not possible.
YouTube - WCQ02 Germany vs England - David 'Bestie' Larking
33) You can be any shape or size to play football. From a little midget (Zola) to a big freak (Crouch) to a ginge (Dave Kitson). And if you are fat (Jan Molby) you have to have amazing skill. In Rugby you have to be fat with stupid ears and no skill - David 'Bestie' Larking
34) Football is a game of the people, created by the people, for the people. Rugby is the bastard child of football after football was raped by the toffy nosed element of society - Ben Jones
35) One kid on his own can play keepy ups for hours on end. One kid on his own with a Rugby ball will get very very bored - Ben Richardson
36) The Rugby World Cup is so tin pot you don't even have to qualify - Luke Moore
37) There are fewer goals in football which means when one happens it is a huge thing with feelings of jubilation from the fans and players alike (sometimes leading to hugging and kissing), in Rugby there are so many goals and they are so easy to score that the fans get a bit bored of it - Rod Little
38) Rugby is popular in just a few outposts of our formerly great empire and in our public schools, football is truly global - Rod Little
39) The football doesn't lie. It's a sphere (ball) and everything the player does to it is reflected in its flight. The rugby ball just bounces all over the place - Stephen Campbell
40) Most international football matches are not foregone conclusions. Take, for example, Namibia and Ireland this weekend, at 20-3 after 25 minutes Ireland were considered to be struggling - Stephen Campbell (edited by Head of the Beautiful Game)
41) In an 80 minute game of rugby, which is 10 minutes less than football, the ball is in open play for a minimal amount of time - Stephen Campbell
42) Truly courageous results such as Scotland's 1-0 win in France last night happen very rarely in rugby - Ben Richardson
43) If a football team played the way a rugby team plays, booting the ball down and out of the field at every opportunity, there'd be an outcry - Stephen Campbell
44) At university a friend of mine went to the rugby team initiation ceremony, this involved everyone going to a room above the student union in boiler suits and drinking for ten hours. the only catch was that no-one was allowed to go to the toilet. Twats - Stephen Campbell
45) Oscar Wilde once said that rugby is the ideal way to keep 30 bullies out of people's way for two hours - and he was right - Stephen Campbell
46) Chris Kamara - John Spinks
47) Merlin Football Stickers played a major role in the lives of most Britain's males. I mean, does Rugby make you jump up and down in celebration at unwrapping a Steve Ogrizovic shiny? - John Spinks
48) Compare Johnny Wilkinson's drop kick in the rugby world cup final with Maradona's second against England in 1986 - Stephen Campbell
49) In Rugby, you get points for kicking the ball over the bar, in fact, some players even use a tee to do it and are given legendary status for being able to do so to a good level. Emile Heskey has been doing that for years and he isn’t very well respected in the beautiful game - Barney Slater
50) You absolutely cannot play Rugby indoors. Some of my happiest childhood memories involve kicking a ball around indoors, either in 5 aside games or in the living room using the radiator for a goal - Rico
51) Football stadiums are generally filled with good lads up for a luagh and a drink. Rugby stadiums are filled with 40 odd year old men wearing fleeces who've brought their wife and kids along - Joshua Morgan
52) You dont have to drink a pint john smiths, raw eggs and the captains semen to join a football team (I think we've established that Rugby initiations are stupid but this is funny so it goes in - Comedy Ed) - Joshua Morgan
53) Swing Low Sweet Chariot is a shit song - Joshua Morgan
54) John Hopoate - Joshua Morgan
55) England doesn't need to win a world cup just for people to start taking interest in the sport - Joshua Morgan
56) Soccer AM! One of the best shows on tv....never heard of a rugby am? There's even a cricket am now...that says it all - Mark Johnson
57) Rugby rules are so complex, changeable and down right stupid that there needs to be two codes to cater for those that can't understand the game but like the idea of throwing themselves under a group of 20 stone men or stamping on someone's head - K1
58) There's nothing better than watching a game of football in the pub with your mates. I just cant imagine the same experience whilst watching rugby - Ben Jones
59) The endless fun debates you can have about football, i.e. best player, best goal ever, best match ever etc. What can you discuss about rugby? Greatest tackle ever? - Ben Jones
60) Goals can be scored in many different ways, e.g. goalmouth scramble, 30 yard screamer, jammy deflection, they are all entertaining. Diving over a line or kicking a ball high in a straight line is the most repetitive thing imaginable - Ben Jones
61) The lack of technology in football adds to the enjoyment of football. I'm still talking about Pedro Medes 'goal' at Old Trafford 2 years ago, yes I am still angry about it but football wouldn't be the same without the debates and arguments over refereeing decisions. Back off technology… stick to Rugby - Ben Richardson
62) The thrusting of one's hand or head between another man's legs is thankfully frowned upon in football.
63) Just because a sport allows ritualistic beating of the opposing team doesnt make it a better game....if this was the case Ulitmate Fighter would be the best sport in the world
64) You can´t play "My World All time EVER EVER EVER top eleven" game in Rugby for hours on end because the only people anyone has ever heard of in Rugby are probably Johnny Wilkinson and Big Bill Beaumont off a Question of Sport
65) Rugby will never attract such lucrative sponsorship deals and corporate investment due to the fact it is just not football. Even Preston North End makes you proud with their enduring partnership with Baxi Boilers. -- Jude O'Hara
66) The food at Football is unequalled. Nowhere will you find a more delicious half time snack than a Peters Pie (Tikka flavour) that they serve at Villa Park. -- Jude O'Hara
67) Football is better because at least the referees have songs in their honour (Graham Poll) which is more than can be said for Rugby referees. -- Jude O'Hara
68) In football when you pass the ball 70 yards to a players feet or smash in a 25 yard shot for the goal of the season it is regarded as an amazing acheivement. In rugby, if you run 5 yards and get taken out everybody tells you how well you have done. Which is a harder acheivement??
69) Football in the community projects run by local clubs all around the country give so many young kids something to occupy their time and energy. I may be wrong but i have never seen anything like this with rugby. -- Joshua Morgan.
70) The facts undeniably show that FOOTBALL IS THE GLOBAL SPORT:
Number of Registered Nations in FIFA: 208
Number of Registered Nations in IRL: 115
- Henry Gunn
71) Football is far more competitve than rugby at international level. Qualifying for the Rugby World Cup is a joke. All of the teams who finish in the top 3 out of 5 in the group stage of one World Cup immediately qualify for the next. Of the remainig nations who actually go through with the qualifying process, exactly half will qualify.
Compare this to football where only the holders and obviously the hosts are guarenteed a place in the World Cup, and of the teams who participate in qualifications, 1 in 8 make the tournament. - Henry Gunn
72) Footballs beauty lies in its simplicity, Rugby is too complex and therefore marginalises a significant amount of people who just want to crack on and have a laugh.
-- Ben Jones
73) The most celebrated players in rugby, (Jonny Wilkinson/Dan Carter) KICK the ball. So the most popular players are really footballers anyway. - Josh Memour
74) Soccer Saturday with Lord Jeff Stelling lasts 5 hours and never gets boring. Meanwhile "Rugby Club" gets an hour on Sky Sports 2- Richard Smedley
75) Clive Woodward: Destroyed everyone else as rugby coach then became a football coach at Southampton and failed miserably-Richard Smedley
76) in the midst of the worst war in history on christmas day 1914 the opposing sides of England and Germany down their weapons in an unofficial truce and played a game of football. There was no sign of a game of rugb, or even a rugby ball, and yet a football was ever present, and for a short time the beautiful game even stopped a world war. - Andy Partridge