Players from other sports playing rugby

[formerlyfastwing]

Steve Nash would be an insane 10

actually I think he played 9 growing up on the island

 

[LittleGuy]

actually I think he played 9 growing up on the island

Him and his brother are great soccer players as well, his brother is a capped international for Canada in soccer.

 

[igy]

i'm not sure a NFL player would do well in rugby. rugby has way more contact, you never stop, you got to attack, defend, kick...but of course it would be interesting.

 

[smartcooky]

There are some football players that would have been great rugby players, if given the chance (ie: introduced to the game at a young age), Barry Sanders, Bo Jackson (Bo knows), to name two of the top of my head.

I have found that basketball players, if they can take the phsycial side, transfer well. They already understand how to pass a ball to a moving target in a flowing changing game. Same goes for hockey players, used to the game devloping "off the cuff", most hockey players can read a game very well.

Ever heard of Miles Craigwell?... no.... well watch this.

[textarea]

Until July, Miles Craigwell had never touched a Rugby ball. Now he's playing sevens for the U.S.A. Eagles.[/textarea]

 

[HowieLO6]

Ever heard of Miles Craigwell?... no.... well watch this.

[textarea]

Until July, Miles Craigwell had never touched a Rugby ball. Now he's playing sevens for the U.S.A. Eagles.[/textarea]

http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=89361&draftyear=2009&genpos=SS

I feel vindicated!

Looking at his stats, and his college team, this is a player who is (was?) nothing special at his chosen sport and played at one of the lower tier of college sports. Incredible to think that there are plenty of kids out there with no future in the NFL with even better measurables. An un-tapped resource if ever there was one.

 

[ranger]

The point is that i'm not referring to the American football extremes, those whose bodies have essentially been tailor-made for a specific role within a very specific game, but considering those linebacker-esque players and defensive back/wideout-type players.

Whereas nouse is something you could concievably teach (bearing in mind just how complicated American Football is in every interation), whereas explosive speed, agility, etc, is something that is, generally, a genetic gift.

Watch some/any half-decent kick-returner and tell me that they wouldn't be an exciting prospect at fullback or the wing, given a half-decent grasp of the game. And for those suggesting that where's the ability to tackle or kick, you find that special teams players often have a good grasp of tacking (defensive backs very much so) and that the "skill" players playing at college are generally the types of players who have played a number of positions at high school, such as QB, as well as kicking duties.

They'd essentilly be works in progress, but with 100o's of first-rate athletes in the top tier of college footbll alone, with the vast majority under the age of 21, why couldn't they learn the necessary skills?

This is one of the biggest misunderstandings in Rugby. It is far easier to get a guy with a gifted rugby brain and give him a gym programme than it is to teach athletes how to think. The decision making and natural nous for what to do, where to go, when to pass, when to kick etc, that is a far rarer genetic gift than just pace.

Look at the likes of Varndell, Chavaga, Kinikinilau, Stapleton etc. They are some of the most naturally gifted athletes on the planet pace wise, but no matter how much coaching they were given/continue to recieve, they were never really that good at rugby.

Then look at the finest rugby players on the planet; McCaw, O'Driscoll, Carter etc. They are all fairly average athletes really, they aren't too fast or too strong compared to other players, but they have rugby brains that others can only dream of competing with. New Zealand has a whole truckload of huge, quick, agile Islanders and Maori wingers that could probably impress NFL and College Scouts with raw metrics, but our best winger is a ratty little bogan named Jane, who just happens to always make the right decision on the field.

The complexity of Football doesn't really count or translate to rugby either; yes it is complicated as a whole, but the players are glorified chess pieces, its not really too complicated for the players themselves. The offensive and defensive coordinators make the reads, the players just run the route they were told to remember. There are exceptions in every case of course, but thats what i beleive on the whole.

I would much rather take a pointguard with insane courtvision or one of the very few soccer attacking midfielders that arent pussies than these athletic freak footballers.

 

[big ginger 8]

In my opinion a lot of gaelic footballers would make good rugby players. Mick Galwey played for and won an All-Ireland with Kerry, Moss Keane played at a high level, Rob Kearney played for Louth minors, I'm sure there are more. Luke Fitzgerald played for my club but that probably wasn't at a high standard because I'm playing for, by far, the clubs best team ever and we're only a Dublin Division 2 side.

And Tommy Bowe for Monaghan. Your hero To'l was also tipped to be a Cork hurling captain. LeBron James would be unreal as would Brock Lesnar. Would say AFL players would be good.

 

[formerlyfastwing]

Ever heard of Miles Craigwell?... no.... well watch this.

[textarea]

Until July, Miles Craigwell had never touched a Rugby ball. Now he's playing sevens for the U.S.A. Eagles.[/textarea]

that's kind of my point actually. An athlete is an athlete. If you were to but a rugby ball in Bo Jackon's hands at his prime it would be all over. Remember he is a reject from the NFL......

 

[formerlyfastwing]

And Tommy Bowe for Monaghan. Your hero To'l was also tipped to be a Cork hurling captain. LeBron James would be unreal as would Brock Lesnar. Would say AFL players would be good.

LeBron would be fine till the last 1/4 of the game

 

[big ginger 8]

Good point

 

[JW.]

that's kind of my point actually. An athlete is an athlete. If you were to but a rugby ball in Bo Jackon's hands at his prime it would be all over. Remember he is a reject from the NFL......

An athlete is an athlete indeed, does that make them good rugby players? No. They'll have the power and pace, but they won't have the brain. The rugby brain that is, you can sort of coach that especially for a forward at an alright level but a back, no. Good example of that is Italy. Altought they've nearly grown out of that.

 

[formerlyfastwing]

An athlete is an athlete indeed, does that make them good rugby players? No. They'll have the power and pace, but they won't have the brain. The rugby brain that is, you can sort of coach that especially for a forward at an alright level but a back, no. Good example of that is Italy. Altought they've nearly grown out of that.

"the rugby brain" can you market that? SA, NZ, Aus, Eng Fra do not have the only players that can "think rugby". If you look at a sample size as big as college football in the US, there is going to be players that can easily addapt to the sport.

 

[JW.]

"the rugby brain" can you market that? SA, NZ, Aus, Eng Fra do not have the only players that can "think rugby". If you look at a sample size as big as college football in the US, there is going to be players that can easily addapt to the sport.

It's not market? Not sure what you mean by that. It's about playing rugby from a young age and being coached at a high level from a young age. You can't expect someone to be pick up Rugby a 100% if they start playing at the age of 17-18+. See it here all the time in Holland. They've got big, fast and powerfull guys over here. But most of them start playing at 19. There are rare exeptions ofcourse.

 

[ranger]

"the rugby brain" can you market that? SA, NZ, Aus, Eng Fra do not have the only players that can "think rugby". If you look at a sample size as big as college football in the US, there is going to be players that can easily addapt to the sport.

Exactly, but i think that the guys people emphasise are the wrong type to go after. The ridiculous athletes people herald generally don't have the spacial awareness to really excel.

I always thought Micheal Vick was more suited to rugby than football, he can see openings in a defense very well, he can scramble with the best of them and has all the fabled NFL agility, but he doesn't have the arm accuracy to be a top flight QB. He wouldn't need arm accuracy to play rugby, with his footwork in avoiding the rush i would try and play him as an oversized halfback.

Tebow is another that would be a great rugby player, strikes me a Stephen Donald type of dude. Would also be keen to try out Vernon Gholston at 6, looks like another guy that is more suited to rugby

 

[formerlyfastwing]

It's not market? Not sure what you mean by that. It's about playing rugby from a young age and being coached at a high level from a young age. You can't expect someone to be pick up Rugby a 100% if they start playing at the age of 17-18+. See it here all the time in Holland. They've got big, fast and powerfull guys over here. But most of them start playing at 19. There are rare exeptions ofcourse.

What i mean is there is no such things as a "rugby brain" there are athletes that have been intorduced to the sport early, but if you pick a classic player like Tim Horan (my man crush) and dropped him into NA sport at a young age he would have been successful.

 

[JW.]

What i mean is there is no such things as a "rugby brain" there are athletes that have been intorduced to the sport early, but if you pick a classic player like Tim Horan (my man crush) and dropped him into NA sport at a young age he would have been successful.

I didn't mean people were born with that? I meant that u develop a 'rugby brain' (I don't know what else to call it, just the knowhow where to, what to do that instinct?) from a young age and it can rarely be taught to someone older.

 

[ranger]

What i mean is there is no such things as a "rugby brain" there are athletes that have been intorduced to the sport early, but if you pick a classic player like Tim Horan (my man crush) and dropped him into NA sport at a young age he would have been successful.

I can tell you right now, there is such a thing as a rugby brain. Even just watching under 6 touch rugby, you can tell the kids that were naturally born with spacial awareness and a knack for making the right decisions. Coaching helps but it is a natural skill.

Look at Carlos Spencer, no one had seen any of that **** before, let alone coached it into him

 

[formerlyfastwing]

I didn't mean people were born with that? I meant that u develop a 'rugby brain' (I don't know what else to call it, just the knowhow where to, what to do that instinct?) from a young age and it can rarely be taught to someone older.

I disagree. The bigger problem might be coach's ability to teach it. If you have a good athlete, that can read a flowing game, ie: hockey, BB, roundball, then he can learn to read the game of rugby. To be honest, any monkey can learn to tackle, ruck, maul. It's the ability to see the where the hole is going to be (this falls under your "rugby brain" comment) that makes the difference. If it can be done in one sport you can apply those skills to another sport, ie: rugby.

In fact there is a current international that didn't start playing rugby till he was "old", i wish my old brain could remember his name.

 

[formerlyfastwing]

I can tell you right now, there is such a thing as a rugby brain. Even just watching under 6 touch rugby, you can tell the kids that were naturally born with spacial awareness and a knack for making the right decisions. Coaching helps but it is a natural skill.

Look at Carlos Spencer, no one had seen any of that **** before, let alone coached it into him

no wrong, that is a natural athlete, take that kid out of NZ, magically move to the frozen prairie and put him on skates and he will do the same thing. On my boy's hockey team (5 and 6 yr olds) there is one boy that can pass, skate and play D. He has a hockey brain?, no it's an atheletic brain.

 

[ranger]

no wrong, that is a natural athlete, take that kid out of NZ, magically move to the frozen prairie and put him on skates and he will do the same thing. On my boy's hockey team (5 and 6 yr olds) there is one boy that can pass, skate and play D. He has a hockey brain?, no it's an atheletic brain.

Exactly, that kind of thing is transferable between sports. Thats why i said Steve Nash would be great. The bit i was objecting to is that it can be coached and taught. Youre born with it or you aren't.