Defence is also very translatable between the two sports.
I've always rankled at this, as:
- League ball runners have 10 metres of space every 'play'.
- there are fewer players on the field in League.
- the laws of rugby around the tackle are very different to League rules.
- in Rugby, the primary objective of a tackle is to create a new contest for possession at the breakdown. I guess the objective in League is to make the time in which your team gets the ball back sooner. This influences the way teams choose to defend and tackle significantly.
- By extension there are more players available to help a tackle be completed in League, as they know they'll get a break after.
- There's almost total certainty of the likelihood of a kick in League, further simplifying defending.
Given the above, in modern League, defenders are coached to never leave their tram tracks which is just not possible in Rugby.