Rugby

Today I went to a small pub and grill to watch the South Africa vs. Australia rugby match with Duncan and his friend Robin. Apparently this match is a big deal in the Tri-Nations Competition [South Africa vs. Australia vs. New Zealand], and apparently rugby is a big deal in South Africa [although I would argue mostly to white South Africans]. I was excited to watch rugby for the first time.
There is something a little odd about buff men running around in small shorts carrying, throwing, and kicking what looks to me to be an over-inflated football. They pick each other up by their shorts, drop to the ground in fetal positions, hold on to each other with their arms between someone else's legs, smash each others' heads in in what seems to be an organized brawl, and end the game with broken noses, black eyes, busted lips, torn hamstrings, and dislocated shoulders.
Upon first glance, this just looked to me like really confused American football. From what I can see, there are many similarities to American football-- touchdowns, inzones, goal kicks, etc.... but all with very different names. Then, the other part of the game resembles soccer with throw-ins and actually kicking the ball [it always surprised me how infrequently the foot actually touches the ball in a sport called "football"]. And then other elements of the game are so odd and absurd that I cannot see any other sport attempting it.
But there are some elements of rugby that I really admire. One would be when someone with the ball gets tackled to the ground. In football once the ball hits the ground they stop the play, stand up, and then start again [Andrew will probably have to correct me on some part of this]. But, in rugby when someone get tackled to the ground they have to wiggle around until they can get the ball to someone else on their team from under that mess [usually they seem to be in that position that babies fall asleep in when they have their butt in the air, and then they pass the ball through their legs]. I like that. Plus, they are doing all of this without any pads or hard helmets. Perhaps football is actually just a watered-down version of rugby?
I am just going to appease both sides and say that they are just different sports. I have a theory that if you think about any sport too hard, it becomes really odd. Even track and field-- really, running as fast as you can to jump into a sandbox? Spinning around in a circle with a heavy ball on the end of a chain and then tossing it? Running to the point of exhaustion? Really?