His point is that it's closer than union. Not the exact same, but closer. Even the tackles in league are closer because they arent as strict when it comes to head contact or wrapping arms. League is a lot less complicated than union and there's also feck all competitive teams in it. You've got Australia, then a massive drop in quality to whoever comes 2nd. I'd also be surprised if a rugby player who grew up in the US never played or watched American football. So the parts that overlap would certainly help.