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Player Positions and Roles

Each of the 15 players on a rugby team has their own specific position. There are eight forwards and seven backs. The eight forwards are the players who form the scrum. The three forwards who, in the scrum, are at the front locked together with the opposing team’s forwards, are referred to as the front row; traditionally, they were supported by a second row of two forwards and a third row of three forwards; although the formation now used for the scrum is actually three forwards in the front row, four in the middle, and one in the back, the names “front row,” “second row” and “third row” are still used. The backs are divided into three groups: the half backs, three-quarter backs, and full backs.

Role played by each position

Left prop

Wearing the number 1 on the back of his jersey, the left prop is positioned on the left of the three forwards in the front row in a scrum; binding together with the opposing team’s forwards, he plays a vital role in the scrum. This position is well-suited to heavy, strongly-built players. Due to the intensity of the pushing against the opposing team’s forwards, players in the left prop position often develop very thick necks and cauliflower ears. The name “prop” derives from the fact that this position involves “propping up” the hooker in the scrum; the left prop is sometimes called the “loosehead prop.”

Hooker

A front-row forward, the hooker wears the number 2 on the back of his jersey. In a scrum, the hooker is positioned in the middle of the front row, bound together with the opposing team’s hooker, putting him right in the middle of the scrum. While controlling the scrum, the hooker is also responsible for using his feet to gain control of the ball that is thrown into the tunnel in the middle of the scrum by the scrum-half, and kicking it out behind him. Like the props on either side of him, the hooker needs to be strongly built, but he also has to be agile enough to simultaneously control the scrum and secure the ball with his feet. The hooker also often has the job of throwing the ball in at a lineout.

Right prop

Wearing the number 3 on the back of his jersey, the right prop is positioned on the right of the three forwards in the front row in a scrum; binding together with the opposing team’s forwards, he plays a vital role in the scrum. This position is well-suited to heavy, strongly-built players. Due to the intensity of the pushing against the opposing team’s forwards, players in the right prop position often develop very thick necks and cauliflower ears. The name “prop” derives from the fact that this position involves “propping up” the hooker in the scrum; the right prop is sometimes called the “tighthead prop.”

Left lock

A second-row forward, the left lock wears the number 4 on the back of his jersey. In the scrum, the left look pushes from behind the props and hooker. The left lock position is suited to players who are tall and well-built, with good jumping ability. The left lock uses his height to jump up and grab the ball in the lineout, and to catch the ball after a kickoff.

Right lock

A second-row forward, the right lock wears the number 5 on the back of his jersey. In the scrum, the right lock pushes from behind the props and hooker. While the left lock is expected to have good jumping ability, the right lock needs to possess explosive power.

Left flanker

A third-row forward, the right flanker wears the number 6 on the back of his jersey; in a scrum, the left flanker pushes from behind on the left-hand side. Besides their role in the scrum, the left flanker also has to run about a great deal when supporting attacks made by the backs, so this is a position that requires a high level of physical fitness.

Right flanker

A third-row forward, the right flanker wears the number 7 on the back of his jersey; in a scrum, the right flanker pushes from behind on the right-hand side. Besides their role in the scrum, the right flanker also has to run about a great deal when supporting attacks made by the backs, so this is a position that requires a high level of physical fitness.

Number eight

A third-row forward, the number eight wears the number 8 on the back of his jersey. The number eight controls and directs the forwards from behind. In a scrum, the number eight may extract the ball from the back of the scrum using their hands. This is a position that requires physical size, speed and power, as well as good judgment and a high level of overall expertise. The number eight tends to be the most flamboyant of the forwards; as the number eight plays a central role both when attacking and defending, this is a very important position.

Scrum-half

A half back, the scrum-half wears the number 9 on the back of his jersey. In a scrum, the scrum-half feeds the ball into the tunnel between the two teams’ forwards, and then tries to extract the ball using his hands (the number eight may also try to extract the ball in this way). The scrum-half plays a linking role between the forwards and the backs, and playing in this position requires alertness and the ability to make snap decisions. This is a position in which players who are relatively small in size can play an important role in the game.

Fly-half

A half back, the fly-half wears the number 10 on the back of his jersey. The fly-half is often fed the ball by their fellow half-back, the scrum-half. The fly-half directs the actions of the other backs, and the fly-half’s runs, kicks and passes are used to launch attacks by the other backs; the fly-half acts as the “command post” for the team as a whole.

Left wing

A three-quarter back, the left wing wears the number 11 on the back of his jersey and positions himself on the left side of the backs; he is expected to score a significant number of tries. This position is usually held by one of the fastest players in the team. As the left wing may be required to run from deep inside their own team’s territory to deep inside the opposing team’s territory, they need to possess both explosive speed and stamina.

Inside center

A three-quarter back, the inside center wears the number 12 on the back of his jersey, and positions himself in a center-left position among the backs. When defending, the inside center has many opportunities to make tackles, and when his team is attacking he often assists in try attempts launched on the wings, so although this is not a particularly “flashy” role, it is actually a very important position. The inside center requires both explosive force and defensive ability, both speed and power.

Outside center

A three-quarter back, the outside center wears the number 13 on the back of his jersey, and positions himself in a center-right position among the backs. When defending, the outside center has many opportunities to make tackles, and when his team is attacking he often assists in try attempts launched on the wings, so although this is not a particularly “flashy” role, it is actually a very important position. The outside center requires both explosive force and defensive ability, both speed and power.

Right wing

A three-quarter back, the right wing wears the number 14 on the back of his jersey and positions himself on the right side of the backs; he is expected to score a significant number of tries. This position is usually held by one of the fastest players in the team. As the right wing may be required to run from deep inside his own team’s territory to deep inside the opposing team’s territory, he needs to possess both explosive speed and stamina.

Full-back

The full-back, who wears the number 15 on the back of his jersey, controls the backs from behind, and acts as the team’s last line of defense, playing a similar role to the goalkeeper in soccer. When the full-back gains possession of the ball, he will often kick it forward to regain territory for his team, so accurate kicking ability is vital for this position.