They wear shoulder pads... Also big woop rugby players only wear a gum shield and shin pads.. ALSO IM ENGLISH, i may also be british but id prefer it if i was called english thx.. Oh and rugbys more physical (your head still appears to be attached to your body...)
Actually, football is more violent. If you don't wear a helmet and get tackled and fall on your head, odds are that you might die. In rugby, you can only hit if you have the ball, and most times from the front, so it lets you to protect yourself. In football, you can get hit from either way, even if you don't have the ball.