Fox Sports
There are plenty of contact sports in the world, but you have to be a very special kind of person to play rugby, which is basically what football would have been if the infamously badass Teddy Roosevelt hadn’t said “Whoa, guys. Hold up. This is way too dangerous.”
I may be paraphrasing, but I think it basically sums up the sentiment.
While football has evolved over the years and introduced things like “helmets” and “pads,” rugby has remained mostly unchanged since people first started playing it back in the 19th century. As a result, the only real protection players have is their giant muscles along with the jockstrap that houses the large testicles required to play the sport.
While many soccer players have a tendency to act like they’ve been struck by lightning when someone touches them, rugby players are a bit more resilient when they’re on the pitch. If you need proof, you don’t have to look any further than this clip from a recent game between two squads in the Super Rugby international league where Cam Clark took a cleat to the face from opposing player Tevita Nabura and acted like nothing happened.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Nabura was ejected from the game, which helped Clark’s squad become the first Australian team to beat one from New Zealand in the past 40 matches. After the win, Clark brushed the kick off as easily as he did on the field, saying:
“He has obviously been taught to protect himself, use the hard parts of your body, and I guess it’s unlucky he’s kicked his foot out at the wrong time and got his timing wrong. But nothing [more] on my end. It’s happened, get on with the job.”
Eat your heart out Teddy.