What ’ s the difference between football and rugby ?   Those tow games are quite different . First , there ’ s the size of the teams . In football , a team has 11 players . In rugby there are 15 players on each team . The biggest difference is that in football , only the goalkeeper can use his hands . In rugby , the ball is usually carried forward by players , though kicking is permitted .   In rugby , players pass the ball by throwing it to team mates , don ’ t they ?   That ’ s right . However , players can only pass the ball backwards . They cannot pass the ball forwards to their team mates . That ’ s a foul .   I know how goals are scored in football , but how about in rugby ?   If a team carries the ball over the goal line , they score points . A team can also score points by kicking the ball between two tall posts at each end of the pitch . 