Rugby Positions Guide

A Dummies Guide to Rugby Positions POSITIONS 1. Loosehead Prop As in most sports, rugby union players have numbers on their jerseys that help to identify individual players and the positions they play. 2. Hooker 3. Tighthead Prop 4. Lock 5. Lock 6. Blindside Flanker 7. Openside Flanker 8. Number 8 9. Scrum Half 10. Fly-half 12. Inside Centre A rugby union team consists of 15 players: eight forwards, numbered 1-8, and seven backs, numbered 9-15. 13. Outside Centre 11. Left Wing 14. Right Wing 15. Fullback THE FORWARDS The props are usually the widest players on the field. Their main role is propping up the scrum and securing the ball in rucks and mauls. PROP The hooker sits between the two props in the scrum and throws the ball into the lineout. After the scrumhalf has put the ball into the scrum they have to "hook" the ball back and win НООKER possession for their team. Second Rows sit behind the props in the scrum. They are normally the tallest players on the pitch and usually jump for SECOND ROW the ball in the line-out. The flankers can quickly detach from the scrum so have the responsibility of guarding the fringes and tackling opposition. They have greater speed than the front five, so are usually first to the breakdowns. FLANKER The no.8 works with the scrum- half at the back of the scrum to control and provide clean ball for the backs. Number eights are often strong ball carriers and run off the backs in an attempt to break through or push past the opposition's defensive line. NUMBER 8 The scrum-half is the link between the forwards and the backs. They receive the ball from the lineout and remove the ball SCRUM HALF from the back of the scrum. Good scrum-halves have an excellent pass, a good tactical kick and are deceptive runners. A fly-half possesses leadership and orders the back line. Good fly-halves are calm, clear thinking and have the vision to direct effective attacking plays. Fly-halves need good passing and kicking skills. Often the fly- half is the best kicker in the team and needs to be able to execute FLY HALF attacking kicks. The centres' main role is to provide space for the men outside them. They need to run good lines, have good passing skills and should be able to CENTRE offload in a tackle. Centres are often the first line of defence and need to be good tacklers. Fullbacks usually position themselves several metres behind the back line. They field any opposition kicks and are often the last line of defence FULLBACK should an opponent break through the back line. The wings are generally positioned on the outside of the backline. Their primary function is to finish off moves and score tries. Wingers are usually the fastest players in the team and are either elusive runners, or WING more recently big, strong and able to break tackles. www.canterbury.com References http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugby_union_positions http://www.rugbyunionrules.com/rugby-positions http://deadspin.com/5839983/a-rugby-glossary--position-guide