Actually, the average NFL player would lay waste to the average rugby player on the open field.

Padding or not.

In the NFL, they hit hard enough to separate the spine from the pelvis. They've had hits so hard that its cracked the skull THROUGH the helmet.

To call the NFL players "poofters" for wearing pads is like buying a sports car because your lacking for something. These guys would literally kill each other if they didn't have protection.