Rugby union positions
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A rugby union team is made up of 15 players: eight forwards, numbered from 1 to 8; and seven backs, numbered from 9 to 15. Depending upon the competition, there may be up to seven replacements. Each player has a fixed role and each team will therefore play in the same formation, with only slight variations in use. Rugby union is different from other sports such as soccer with its endless number of 'formations' (4-3-3, 3-5-2 etc.) or cricket, where a player may be moved to a completely different position on the field (e.g. from silly mid-on to deep cover point) .
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Overview
Individual players' tasks are made clear by the number they wear, as this indicates their position (unless they are a substitute or have switched position during the match). This means a player does not get a personal squad number for his entire career, as you tend to see in most American sports, or in soccer. The IRB has laid down a numbering scheme for international matches, which is commonly adopted by other teams as well.
The main role of the forwards is to gain and retain possession of the ball. They take part in set pieces of the scrum and the line-out. Generally, forwards are larger than the backs, and are often stronger but slower. Forwards also have a role in ball carrying, but generally do so by driving into the opposing forwards. The Laws of the Game define the terms prop, hooker, locks, flankers and number eights and clearly state that a 3-2-3 or 3-4-1 formation must be used at scrums.
The role of the backs is to move the game forward by running or kicking the ball. The fly-half controls how to do this. The backs tend to score more tries than the forwards. They are usually more agile and faster than forwards, but not as strong. This is changing, though, as the backs are more physical than they used to be, making the game a lot more interesting.
The following diagram locates the various positions in the 15-man team. All members of the starting 15 wear shirts numbered from 1 to 15 and keyed to their positions (though alternatives exist); these numbers appear on the diagram below. The first eight players, known as forwards or the pack, play in the scrum. The remaining seven players play as the backs.
Template:Rugby union positions
Alternate names for positions
| Prop | Prop forward |
| Lock | Second row or lock forward |
| Flanker | Wing forward or breakaway or flank or flank forward |
| Number 8 | Eightman or eighthman or lock forward |
| Scrum half | Inside half, half-back or scrummie |
| Fly half | Outside half, out half, stand-off, first five-eighth, first five, or pivot |
| Inside centre | Second five-eighth or second five or centre |
| Outside centre | Centre or Centre Threequarter |
| Wing | Winger or Wingman or Wing Threequarter |
Collective terms for positions
| Front row | The props and hooker |
| Tight forwards or Tight 5 or Front five | The combined front row and second row |
| Loose forwards or Back row or Loosies | The flankers and the number 8 |
| Half backs | Scrum half and flyhalf |
| Midfield | Centres |
| Inside backs | The inside centre, flyhalf and scrumhalf |
| Three-quarters | Wingers and centres |
| Back three | The fullback and the wingers |
| Outside backs | The outside centre, wings and full back |
The fly-half is alternatively called the "stand-off half", since they are the half-back that stands off from the scrum rather than close to it.
There is a lot of variation in the names of the positions. The IRB has standardised the names, yet the alternative names are still as commonly used. A problem with standardised names is that the positions themselves are not as "standard" as they might seem. For example, there is a slight difference between left and right centre on the one hand and inside and outside centre on the other. Wingers can be played on the open side and the blind side (also known as strong side and weak or closed side) rather than left and right and there are also left and right flankers.
New Zealand Terms
In New Zealand the fly half is referred to as the 1st 5/8, implying a slightly deeper position than halfback (the term halfback can cause confusion since some countries use it to refer solely to the scrum half, while other countries apply it to both the scrum half and the fly half) and the inside centre as the 2nd 5/8 implying a more forward position than a 3/4 back. Flankers may also, though this is more historic usage, be referred to as "wing-forwards" (it's also an archaic term for an obsolete position associated with the old 2-3-2 scrum, popular in New Zealand in the 1920s), or together with the No 8 as "loose-forwards", since they can quickly detach from scrums.
Australian Terms
In Australia, the second row of the scrum are often referred to as "second row", the position behind them as "lock", the forwards on either side of the lock as "breakaways" (some apply the term to the number eight as well as the flankers), and the fly-half as "five-eighth".
Backs
15. Full back
The full back stands back to cover defensive options as a 'sweeper' behind the main line of defence removed from the other backs. As the last line of defence, they require good tackling skills. Modern full backs have to have excellent attacking skills, demonstrating great pace and open field running prowess; consequently, they are often equally comfortable as wingers.
They have to catch the high kicks referred to as "up and unders", "Garryowens" or "bombs". Having taken a catch, the full back may counter-attack or punt forwards, so speed and good kicking skills are required. Full backs sometimes act as main goalkickers.
In attack, the full back is often positioned behind the back line and runs into the back line at pace and may act as either a decoy runner or an extra man creating an overlap.
Notable fullbacks include Jason Robinson (England and Lions), Don Clarke (New Zealand), Christian Cullen (New Zealand), George Nepia (New Zealand), Bob Scott (New Zealand), JPR Williams (Wales and Lions), Gavin Hastings (Scotland and Lions), Serge Blanco (France), Percy Montgomery (South Africa) and Matt Burke (Australia), Peter Hewat (Australia), Josh Lewsey (England and Lions) Geordan Murphy (Ireland and Lions)
See also: Fullback
14. and 11. Wing
The wings act as "finishers" on movements by scoring tries. The idea is that space should be created by the forwards and backs inside the wingers so, once they receive the ball, they have a clear run to use their speed and agility to score tries. They are often the quickest members of the team and need to be able to juke and side step to finish off scoring situations.
They must also be good tacklers, if the other team get past them a big gain or a try is on the cards. They also often act as additional full backs on opposition kicks.
A modern use of the wing is as a link player. They retain all the traditional skills of a wing, but are able to combine these with skills more traditionally associated with half backs. As the play goes through multiple phases the scrum half or fly half may be taken out play, if this occurs the blind side wing can step in to perform a creative role. Good examples of this role include Austin Healey, Breyton Paulse and Shane Williams.
Notable wings include Jonah Lomu (New Zealand), Joe Rokocoko (New Zealand), Jeff Wilson (New Zealand), Doug Howlett (New Zealand), John Kirwan (New Zealand), David Campese (Australia), Gerald Davies (Wales and Lions), Joe Roff (Australia), Bryan Habana (South Africa), Rory Underwood (England and Lions)and Rupeni Caucaunibuca (Fiji).
See also: Winger (sport)
13. Outside centre & 12. Inside centre
Centres need to have a strong all-round game: they need to be able to break through opposition lines and pass the ball accurately. When attack turns into defence they need to be strong in the tackle. Usually the two centres are divided into outside centre and inside centre, though sometimes teams play with left and right centres.
The outside is typically the lighter, more agile of the two centres. They are the "rapiers" that are given the ball, normally via the fly half, to make breaks through the opposition backs before offloading to the wingers after drawing the last line of defence. An outside centre should be very strong, fast and able to pass with pinpoint accuracy under pressure.
The inside centre tends to be the larger of the two centres. In defence or attack, the inside centre is always in the thick of the action, drawing the opposition's defence, making the breaks to make the space for the outside centre and dishing out the tackles in defence along with the forwards. Some of the skills of the fly-half, such as distribution and kicking, can be advantageous to inside centres, as they may be expected to act as fly-halves if the normal fly-half is involved in a ruck or maul.
Notable outside centres include Brian O'Driscoll (Ireland and Lions), Danie Gerber (South Africa), Tana Umaga (New Zealand), Frank Bunce (New Zealand), Jeremy Guscott (England and Lions). Notable inside centres include Mike Gibson (Ireland and Lions), Scott Gibbs (Wales and Lions), Morgan Turinui (Australia),Tim Horan (Australia), Philippe Sella Yannick Jauzion and Didier Codorniou (France), and Jean de Villiers (South Africa).
10. Fly-half
Fly half is short for flying half back because they take the ball on the run. They are probably the most influential players on the pitch. The fly half is the person who makes key decisions during a game such as whether to kick for space, move the ball wide or run with the ball themselves. They should be a fast and deceptive runner, be able to make the right decisons and quickly, direct the backline on defence and attack, be able to kick with both feet, have brilliant handling skills, and operate well under pressure.
Games are rarely won on tries alone, which makes the fly-half the most important player in the side as they are usually the side's kicker, and therefore main points-scorer.
Notable fly-halves include Neil Jenkins (Wales and Lions), Joel Stransky (South Africa), Jonny Wilkinson (England and Lions), Carlos Spencer (New Zealand), Grant Fox (New Zealand), Phil Bennett (Wales and Lions), Rob Andrew (England), Andrew Mehrtens (New Zealand), Gregor Townsend (Scotland and Lions), Barry John (Wales and Lions), Mark Ella (Australia), Stephen Larkham (Australia), Daniel Carter (New Zealand), Hugo Porta (Argentina) and Diego Dominguez (Argentina, Italy), Charlie Hodgson (England) and Lions),Jarrod Stevenson ( New Zealand
9. Scrum-half
Scrum halves form the all-important link between the forwards and the backs. They normally act as the 'General' for the forwards and are always at the centre of the action. A scrum half is normally relatively small but with a high degree of vision, the ability to react to situations very quickly, and good handling skills.
They are often the first tackler in defence and are behind every scrum, maul or ruck to get the ball out and maintain movement. They put the ball into the scrum and collect it afterwards; they also are allowed to stand further forward than other backs at a line-out to try to catch knock downs from the jumper.
It is also not unusual to have talkative scrum-halves in competitive situations. Though technically illegal, most scrum-halves will subtly alert the referee to fouls and infringments committed by the opposing team.
Notable scrum-halves include Nick Farr-Jones (Australia), Gary Armstrong (Scotland and Lions), Justin Marshall (New Zealand), Sid Going (New Zealand), Gareth Edwards (Wales and Lions), Rob Howley (Wales and Lions), George Gregan (Australia), Danie Craven (South Africa), Joost van der Westhuizen (South Africa), Dwayne Peel (Wales and Lions), Jacques Fouroux (France) and Jérôme Gallion (France), Matt Dawson(England and Lions), Austin Healey ("The Leicester Lip") (England and Lions who is particularly unusual in having played scrum half, stand off, wing and full-back for his country).
Forwards
1. Loosehead prop & 3. Tighthead prop
The role of both the loose- and tighthead props is to support the hooker in the scrum and to provide effective, dynamic support for the jumpers in the line-out. Props provide the main power in the push forward in the scrum, and it is for this reason that they need to be exceptionally strong. Under modern rules non-specialists are not allowed to play as props as they make sure that the scrum does not collapse, a situation which can be very dangerous.
A tighthead prop is so called because they pack down on the right-hand side of the scrum and so their head fits between the opposing loosehead prop and hooker. In contrast, the loosehead prop packs down on the left-hand side where their head is outside that of the opposing tighthead prop. Although it may look to the neutral observer that the two positions are quite similar (and some players have the ability to play on both sides of the scrum), the technical challenges of each are quite different.
The laws of the game require the tighthead prop to bind with his right arm outside the left upper arm of his opposing loosehead prop and similarly they restrict what the loosehead prop can do with his left arm. Although the scrum half may put the ball in on either side of the scrum, he is unlikely to choose the tighthead side because otherwise the opposing hooker would be between him and his own hooker. Hence, the laws implicitly require the loosehead prop to be on the left side of the scrum.
Props are also in the position of being able to direct the movement of the scrum in moving side to side to prevent the other teams scrum from "wheeling" the set scrum and forcing another "put in" from the opposing side
Notable loosehead props include Jason Leonard (England and Lions), who is also one of a rare breed who can prop on either side, Tony Woodcock (New Zealand), Charlie Faulkner (Wales and Lions), Os du Randt (South Africa) and Andrew Sheridan (England and Lions).
Notable tighthead props include John Hayes (Ireland and Lions), Graham Price (Wales and Lions), Phil Vickery (England and Lions), Carl Hayman (New Zealand) and Olo Brown (New Zealand) and Peter Clohessy (Ireland).
2. Hooker
The hooker uses their feet to 'hook' the ball in the scrum, because of the pressure put on the body by the scrum it is considered to be one of the most dangerous positions to play. They also normally throw the ball in at line-outs, partly because they are normally the shortest of the forwards, but more usually because they are the most skillful of the forwards. When line-outs go wrong the hooker is often made a scapegoat even though the fault may actually lie with the jumpers. Hookers have more in common with back row forwards than props or locks as they have a roving role at line-outs and do not push as much in the scrum as other front row forwards.
Notable hookers include Brian Moore (England and Lions) , Sean Fitzpatrick (New Zealand), Graeme Dawe (England and Bath) , Keven Mealamu (New Zealand), Steve Thompson (England and Lions), Keith Wood (Ireland and Lions), Raphael Ibanez and Philippe Dintrans (France), Bobby Windsor (Wales and Lions) and John Smit (South Africa)
4. & 5. Lock
Locks are almost always the tallest players on the team and so are the primary targets at line-outs. At line-outs, locks must jump aggressively to catch the ball and get it to the scrum half or at least get the first touch so that the ball comes down on their own side.
The two locks stick their heads between the two props and the hooker in the scrums. They are also responsible for keeping the scrum square and provide the power to shift it forward. (This position is referred to as the "engine room".)
Locks are very tall, athletic and have an excellent standing jump along with good strength. They also make good ball carriers, bashing holes in the defence around the ruck and maul.
Notable locks include Paul O'Connell (Ireland and Lions), John Eales (Australia), Daniel Vickerman (Australia), Colin Meads (New Zealand), Willie John McBride (Ireland and Lions), Malcolm O'Kelly (Ireland and Lions), Fabien Pelous (France), Donncha O'Callaghan (Ireland and Lions), Bakkies Botha (South Africa) Martin Johnson (England and Lions), Chris Jack (New Zealand) and Victor Matfield (South Africa).
6. Blindside flanker & 7. Openside flanker
The players with the fewest set responsibilities and therefore the position where the player should have all round attributes: speed, strength, fitness, and handling skills. Flankers are always involved in the game, as they are the real ball winners in broken play, especially the no. 7. Because of their fewer responsibilities, flankers generally are not considered to 'lose' games, but can have such an influence that they can 'win' games.
Flankers do less pushing in the scrum than the tight five, but need to be fast as their task is to break quickly and cover the opposing half-backs if the opponents win the scrum. At one time flankers were allowed to break away from the scrum with the ball.
Flankers can be broken down into opensides (occasionally known as strong side), who attach themselves to the scrum on whichever side is further from the touchline and blindsides (occasionally known as weak side or closed side), who attach themselves to the scrum on whichever side is closer to the touchline.
Since most of the back play is usually on the open side where there is more space it is usually the openside flanker's job to be the first to the breakdown of play and get their hands on any loose ball (or to cause a breakdown by tackling the ball carrier or otherwise harrying him into error). At a scrum where the ball has been won by the opposition they have the best view of when the ball is out. As soon as this happens they will generally break and quickly close them down, reducing the time they have to kick or pass. The openside is normally smaller, faster and more mobile as they start play nearer to the potential action and needs to be the first person to arrive at the breakdown.
The blindside flanker on the other hand must be able to stop a blindside move and if the play goes openside he must then get to the breakdown as quickly as possible where he may be needed to tidy up after the openside. While he must be fast, he doesn't need to be as fast as the openside and his role is more of a stabilizer than havoc-wreaker. An open side flanker is often responsible for cover defence from set pieces. They are generally larger as they have a more physical role to play at the line-out and may well be used as a jumper.
Flankers are not always divided into opensides and blindsides: French teams tend not to make a distinction between the two roles, and usually play left and right rather than open and blind. Nor do shirt numbers necessarily denote which role a flanker plays. As an example, the outstanding flanker Serge Betsen (France) wears the number six (the blindside's number in the Home Nations, New Zealand and Australia), but packs down on both open and blind sides of the scrum during a game, and harasses the opposition fly-half in the manner of an openside. South African teams tend to play the faster, more agile 'fetcher' in the six shirt, while the larger flanker wears seven. Other international teams have also abandoned conventions from time to time; flankers Findlay Calder and John Jeffrey (Scotland) played left and right, rather than open and blind. More recently, Betsen and Olivier Magne have formed an outstanding left-right partnership for France.
Notable blindsides include Francois Pienaar (South Africa), John Jeffrey (Scotland and Lions), Jerry Collins (New Zealand) and Jean Prat (France).
Notable opensides include Lewis Moody (England and British and Irish Lions), Neil Back (England and Lions), Michael Jones (New Zealand), Fergus Slattery (Ireland and Lions), Finlay Calder (Scotland and Lions), Josh Kronfeld (New Zealand) and Richie McCaw (New Zealand), Jean-Pierre Rives (France), Graeme Mourie (New Zealand) .
George Smith (Australia) is a notable flanker who is often played on the blindside, but generally plays like a second openside in tandem with Phil Waugh. Richard Hill (England and Lions) is similarly versatile, as is the young South Africa star Schalk Burger.
8. Number eight
Number eight is the only position that does not have a specific name and is simply referred to as 'eight man' or 'number eight'. The modern number eight has the physical strength of a forward along with the speed and skill of a back. The number eight packs down at the rear of the scrum, controlling the movement and feeding the ball to the scrum-half. The number 8 is the position where the ball enters the backline from the scrum and hence both fly half and inside centre take their role from the number 8 who as the hindmost player in the scrum can elect to pick and run with the ball like a back. As a result the number 8 has the opportunities as a back to run from set plays.
Normally tall and athletic and used as an option to win the ball from the back of the lineout. Like flankers they do less of the pushing than locks or props, but need to be quick to cover opposition half-backs. A number eight should be a key ball winner in broken play, and occasionally a 'battering ram' at the front of rucks.
Notable number eights include Zinzan Brooke (New Zealand), Wayne Shelford (New Zealand), Toutai Kefu (Australia), Gary Teichmann (South Africa), Lawrence Dallaglio (England and Lions), Dean Richards (England and Lions), Mervyn Davies (Wales and Lions), Scott Quinnell (Wales and Lions), Victor Costello (Ireland) and Imanol Harinordoquy (France).
Some back-row players are versatile enough to play either of the flanker positions or at number 8; one notable example is Joe van Niekerk (South Africa).
Even more versatile players in this vein are Michael Owen (Wales and Lions) and Martin Corry (England and Lions), who normally play number 8, but also frequently play at both flanker positions, and have even successfully played at lock.
See also
- Rugby union numbering schemes
- List of footballers (Rugby Union) (in alphabetical order)
- List of footballers (Rugby Union) by country
- Rugby Union Hall of Fame
- Rugby League positions