Rugby Cleats Vs. Rugby Boots

It is a common mistake to refer to the shoes rugby players wear as cleats. Soccer, American football and baseball players all wear shoes called cleats and they bear a strong resemblance to rugby boots. However, in the International Rugby Board’s “Regulation 12: Provisions Relating to Players’ Dress,” the term “rugby boot” is used for a player’s shoe and “cleats” are the small studs affixed to the bottom of rugby boots.

  1. Material

    • On a rugby boot, everything above the sole is called the upper. Uppers are made of either leather, synthetic materials or a hybrid of the two. Leather uppers have the benefit of molding closely to the foot but can also become a bit loose when playing in wet conditions. Synthetics are generally lighter and cost less than traditional leather rugby boots. BBC Sport’s Rugby Union Equipment Guide emphasizes that the most important quality in an upper is softness. Soft uppers are more comfortable and help prevent injury.

    Boot Style

    • Rugby boots tend to come in two styles: either high ankle cut with a hard toe or a low ankle cut with a soft toe. A high ankle cut gives players more stability and the hard toe reduces chance of injury. In terms of mobility, boots with a lower cut are best because there is more freedom of movement for the ankle. The hard toe that comes with this boot style is useful during kicks because players have a better feel for the ball.

    Studs

    • The studs on rugby boots are very similar to the cleats on soccer, American football and baseball shoes. Studs come as either moulded or screw-on. Moulded studs attach directly to the rugby boot and are most effective when the ground is hard. Screw on studs are also very useful because players can switch out different types of studs as the conditions change. Generally, when the ground is soft but dry, players use short metal studs. When the ground is soft and wet, they switch over to longer metal studs.

    Positions

    • Rugby players fall into three general categories: forwards, backs and kickers. Forwards are large, powerful players who are at the front of the pack during scrums (the period of play where players from both teams push against each other with arms and shoulders interlocked). This puts a lot of stress on their legs and ankles, thus they tend to wear large, high cut, hard toe boots. Backs wear low cut boots because they handle the ball the most and do a lot of evasive running. Finally, kickers wear tight boots to aid in the accuracy of their kicking.