How Rugby Makes Better Football Players

Alex Goff
Freelance Writer

Your High School season is over. Your players are already making plans to play other sports during the winter and spring. What should they play?

In the spring, especially, football coaches find themselves at odds with their players' choices. But what if your players could play a sport that not only keeps them in shape for football, but actually makes them become better football players? The sport is out there, its called rugby, and strangely enough some football coaches won't let their athletes play the game.

High-school age rugby is played throughout the USA, culminating in a national championship in late May. The game itself is an ancestor of football, and is similar to a no-huddle, wishbone gridiron game with all two-way players. Forward passing is not allowed, so the ball must be advanced by hard running and intricate lateral passing. After a tackle, play continues as teams form essentially a compacted line of scrimmage and try to drive each other off the ball. Players and football coaches who have been involved in both sports agree that playing rugby can make for better football players, and more dedicated athletes.

"The improvement in fitness, hand-eye coordination, and tackling technique after a season of rugby is phenomenal," said Mark bullock, who served as head football coach and head rugby coach for Kentwood High School in Kent, Washington before becoming the USA Under-19 rugby coach. "I always recommended that my football players play rugby if they weren't playing a spring sport."

Everyone Plays the Ball

In rugby, every type of player handles the ball at least a few times. Every player is expected to be able to pass and catch, tackle and break tackles.

You'll have players tackling and trying to break tackles which is great for contact skills in the off-season," said Dave Hodges, former pro football player and currently the captain of the U.S. national rugby team. "They will be working on fitness and should continue with their strength and explosive exercises. They will be handling the ball, which will benefit hand-eye coordination. If they want a sport that complements football, rugby is much closer than the other sports played in high school."

"The ball handling skills are almost unmatched in American sport," explained Tom Billups, who was starting offensive linemen for Augusta College during the school's 49-0-1 stretch in the 1990s. Billups later took up rugby and played professionally in Europe, and for the USA, a record 44 times. A physical trainer by profession, he is currently the USA Rugby strength and conditioning coach. The development of the sense of space, timing and teamwork are even greater than those in basketball. The total number of sets of hands that are involved in a well worked try [touchdown] is much greater than any in basketball."