Rugby football is very different from American football.
Yes, it was one of the versions that students would play in English public schools back in the 19th century.
Oh wow, that's interesting. I didn't know it was played in England. What other games were played in English schoolhouses during that time?
All kinds of games, but Rugby leagues used to go by rugby union rules, but now they are separated.
How many Rugby leagues are there curently in England?
I can't say to that, but I do know that in 1995 the rugby union and league joined, and became a professional sport, but took 100 years for this to happen.
That's a long time coming! How much do tickets cost to the Rugby games?
Early history of American football
The early history of American football can be traced to early versions of rugby football and association football. Both games have their origin in varieties of football played in Britain in the mid–19th century, in which a football is kicked at a goal or run over a line, which in turn were based on the varieties of English public school football games.
American football resulted from several major divergences from association football and rugby football, most notably the rule changes instituted by Walter Camp, a Yale University
Games related to rugby football were played in the United States in the early 19th century. During this time the sports had no fixed rules, and were particularly popular in universities and college preparatory schools in the Northeastern United States. The sport of American football evolved from these intercollegiate games.
Meanwhile, in Huddersfield, England a schism developed in rugby football between those who favored strict amateurism and those who felt that players should be compensated for time taken off work to play rugby. Many Northern English industrial towns tended to be poorer