22-metre lines These are lines 22 metres from the try-lines at either end of the pitch and are a safety net for defending teams who can kick the ball out on the full if they are behind the line.

The top edge of the cross bar on rugby goal posts must be 3m above the ground. The minimum height for each post is 3.4m and they must be placed 5.6m apart.

There is a range of acceptable dimensions for a rugby union pitch: the length of the field of play can vary between 94-100m, whilst the width can range from 68-70m. As we touched on above, the in-goal area at either end can be between 6 and 22m in length.

Rugby union fields are limited to a maximum length of 144 metres (157 yd) long (100 metres (110 yd) between goal lines) and width of 70 metres (77 yd), while American football fields have a fixed length of 120 yards (110 m) (100 yards (91 m) between goal lines) and a width of 160 feet (49 m).

According to their findings, rugby players suffered 4.6 severe injuries per 100,000 athletes. By contrast, football had an average injury rate of 1 per 100,000 athletes. But it’s not just concussions that make rugby one of the most dangerous contact sports.

The top speed recorded at the NFL combine for a 40-yard dash (36.6 meters) was 4.31 seconds in 2016. Taking a wider view of speed across all positions, research on elite level rugby union players had a 40m (around 40 yard) time on average around 5.3 seconds.

But football and rugby are not the only tough sports out there. Each sport is given a rating out of 10 for all six attributes, and then the six scores are added together to give a final “toughness rating” out of 60 for each sport. The higher the rating, the tougher the sport.

For their part, props occupy the toughest and most punishing position in rugby and take a lot of hits during the course of a match. Whether you’re a hooker or a prop, going in for physical contact is all part of your job, which requires a lot of physical strength.

COLLISIONS IN A single game of American football have a similar force to that of 62 car crashes, according to new research. According to the data collected, the average G-force of 10 of the 62 hits recorded was akin to the force the lineman would experience if he crashed a car into a wall at 30mph.

A new study reports that running backs and quarterbacks suffer the hardest hits to the head, while linemen and linebackers are hit on the head most often.

Cornerback is the hardest position in football. It requires not only near-superhuman physical skills but also extreme mental discipline. Great cornerbacks are fast, agile, and tough, and they quickly learn from their mistakes.