Rugby will never stalk, surpass or threaten American football.
The sports are intersecting once again because they are cousins, and because it’s not uncommon for some hotshot rugby star to try his hand at our national pastime, like Jarryd Hayne did with the 49ers last season, like Paul Lasike attempted with Cardinals. But it might help save the NFL.
This is much bigger. This is about tackling. This is about combating head trauma in football. And a growing number of NFL teams and colleges are beginning to hire rugby coaches and adopt rugby-style tackling techniques in an effort to limit the amount of concussions suffered on their sideline.