The Basics

The 15 positions in rugby explained

A rugby team on the pitch is 15 players, each wearing a shirt numbered 1 to 15 that tells you where they play. Here is what each position does, so you can follow the action whether you are at a PWR match or watching England on television.

Forwards and backs

In 15-a-side rugby, a team has eight forwards and seven backs. The forwards wear shirts 1 to 8 and the backs wear 9 to 15. (In sevens, the shortened version of the game, a team has three forwards and four backs.)

Broadly, the forwards, often called the pack, do the heavy lifting in the scrum, the lineout and the contest for the ball on the ground. The backs are usually the quicker players who run, pass and kick to create space and score.

Cheat sheet: shirts 1 to 15

No.	Position	What they typically do
1	Loosehead prop	Front row. Drives and holds up the scrum.
2	Hooker	Front row, in the middle of the scrum. Hooks the ball back and throws in at lineouts.
3	Tighthead prop	Front row. Anchors the scrum and helps lift jumpers in lineouts.
4, 5	Locks (second row)	Usually the tallest players. Jump in lineouts and add power to the scrum.
6	Blindside flanker	Covers a lot of ground, tackles, and competes for the ball at the ruck.
7	Openside flanker	Similar to the 6, often smaller. Wins turnovers and makes big tackles.
8	Number eight	At the back of the scrum. Decides when to feed the ball to the scrum-half.
9	Scrum-half	Links forwards and backs by getting the ball out quickly from scrums and rucks.
10	Fly-half	The playmaker. Directs play with passing and kicking, and often takes goal kicks.
11, 14	Left and right wing	Fast finishers on the outside who score tries.
12	Inside centre	Strong, skilful runner who breaks tackles and creates space.
13	Outside centre	Similar to the 12, with an aggressive defensive role too.
15	Full-back	Deepest player. Catches high kicks, launches counter-attacks and is the last line of defence.

The front row: 1, 2 and 3

The loosehead prop, hooker and tighthead prop make up the front row, the three players at the very front of the scrum. The props are big and strong, while the hooker sits between them, hooks the ball back with a foot, and throws the ball in at lineouts.

The front row is the only part of the team the laws single out. Each team must tell the referee which players are its front-row players and possible replacements, and only those players may play there when a scrum is contested. If a team cannot field a suitably trained front row, for example after an injury or a card, scrums become uncontested, which means nobody pushes, and each side still plays with eight players.

The second row: 4 and 5

The two locks are usually the tallest players in the team. They are the main targets in lineouts, where they are lifted by team-mates to win the ball, and they add power to the scrum, which is why you will hear the second row called the engine room.

The back row: 6, 7 and 8

The two flankers and the number eight complete the pack. The flankers cover a lot of ground, get to the ruck quickly, make big tackles and try to win turnovers, which means taking the ball from the other team. The blindside flanker is the 6 and the openside flanker is the 7. The number eight packs down at the back of the scrum and decides when to feed the ball out to the scrum-half.

The half-backs: 9 and 10

The scrum-half is the link between forwards and backs. They collect the ball from scrums and rucks and get it out to the backs quickly, and a good one sets the pace of the game. The fly-half, wearing 10, is usually the first player to receive the ball and is traditionally the team’s playmaker. They decide whether to pass, run or kick, and often take the kicks at goal.

The centres: 12 and 13

The two centres play in the middle of the backline. They are strong, skilful runners who break tackles, read the defence and create room for the players outside them, and they have to defend that same middle of the pitch.

The wings and the full-back: 11, 14 and 15

The wings, wearing 11 on the left and 14 on the right, play out near the touchlines. They are quick runners and are often the team’s top try scorers. The full-back, in 15, stands deepest. They catch high kicks, start counter-attacks and are the last line of defence.

Do players stay in position?

The shirt number tells you where a player starts, not where they will always be. Once play is under way, players can pop up almost anywhere on the pitch, so do not be surprised to see a prop out wide or a winger in the middle of a ruck.