Are Rugby Brawls More Spectacular Than American Throwdowns?

What we have here is a pair of efficient slobberknockers between NRL sides Melbourne and (appropriately-named) Manly. Injuries, ejections and suspensions galore, and we're instinctively tempted to say this contains more excitement and outright violence that anything we're used to seeing in American sports. But is that true?

We can immediately denigrate football, for the whole helmets and pads thing. Basketball fights are far too rare, and often consist of uncoordinated flails, rather than straight punches. A notable exception is Stephen Jackson's one-punch knockdown of a Pistons fan, but no one since Kermit Washington has connected with a blow quite like Adam Blair does here with an uppercut (number 11 for Melbourne, the 0:20 mark).

No, what this best resembles is every baseball fight ever, with the principals landing whatever they can, all the while waiting for and expecting the rush of teammates to break things up. Nothing is more conducive to throwing the first punch when you know you'll be separated within seconds, even if you're getting your ass beat. But what sets this and other rugby fights apart is that everyone is huge and strong and scary. In baseball, one of the two aggressors is usually a pitcher. Advantage: rugby league.

Nothing beats this, though.