Understanding the different playing positions in rugby

In our first part on rugby positions, we looked at the big, burly men that are the forwards in every rugby union team.

Here, we will look at the other seven players in the team – the backs.

The seven backs in the team provide the speed, craftiness and ability that enables a team to score tries and score points. They are smaller and stature than the forwards (there are exceptions of course) and possess fantastic individual skill in high speed running or flawless passing or amazing catching ability or a combination of them all.

#9 – The Scrum Half

One of the most active players that you will see around on the pitch is the #9, especially in attack. He will be at the base of every scrum, ruck or maul to ensure that the ball is picked up and passed on to another player to continue the possession.

Passing along with kicking are the most important skills for a scrum half. By kicking skills, we don’t mean a penalty kicking sort of skill. The scrum-half will often be seen delivering little football type passes along the ground, long punts down the ground – in attack or in defence – and also quick tap penalties where the advantage is taken instead of a penalty kick.

The scrum-half also is a surveyor and man-manager on the field, constantly managing the lines, shouting out instructions to see if the forwards and backs are well aligned in position.

#10 – The Fly Half

The fly half is the general of a team. He usually orchestrates the attack of a team while also helping out in defensive duties. The tempo of a game is usually controlled by the respective #10s.

When you think of #10s, the first person that comes to your head is New Zealand’s Daniel Carter who is one of the superstars of rugby. England’s Jonny Wilkinson is another famous #10 from the last 15 years as he was instrumental in England’s run to the title in 2003.

Jonny Wilkinson played a vital role in England’s Rugby World Cup win in 2003

The #10 will usually be the penalty kick taker for the team by virtue of being the best kicker. Like the #9, the fly-half also will have exceptional kicking and passing ability. On top of all that though, the fly-half will be known for his awareness and reading of the game.

The fly-half's provide the bit of ingenuity and inventiveness when the game requires it. A most pivotal position indeed.

The Wings - #11 & #14

The most electric guys out on the pitch, yes, that who’s the wings are. In the game of rugby, the key element is to look for space left by the opposition defence and exploit that space to get a breakaway. Using pace is one of the best ways of doing that, to split a defence or to get them discombobulated.

These guys are really fast, and are a little like the sprint runners you see from the athletics world. It is very tough to catch them once they take off. There was one, Patrice Lagisquet, a French legend, who could run the 100m in 10.2 seconds.

The wings occupy some isolated positions on the pitch in the far extremes but they are usually ready to plunge into action when called for. While attacking, a number of defenders will try grabbing hold of these wingers, as they dart their way through, while in defence, they will often be left with one-on-one situations with an opposition attacker, and would either be left embarrassed or make a heroic tackle. Either way, they are one of the most visible people in a game.South Africa’s Bryan Habana is one of the best in the world at this position.

#12 & #13 – The Inside Centre and Outside Centre

The #12 – the inside centre – is a lot like the fly-half, except he plays in midfield. The inside centre though is much better built than the fly-half and as a result, can carry the ball into tackles and defensive lines far more.

A good #12 will be adept at smart hand-offs of the ball when in attack and making powerful runs to smash into the opposition’s lines. He will also be good in the tackle, making it a very powerful position indeed.

Ma’a Nonu of the All Blacks is a fine example of one of the world’s best inside centres.

The #13 or the outside centre, does pretty much all of the same work as the #12, except that usually these guys are a little leaner and more agile than the #12 and not as powerful as them. They do a lot more straight-running than the #12 taking the ball into contact and put in hard tackles just like the #12.

#15 – The Full Back

The full-back along with the two wings are the most important players in the attacks these days thanks to their pace. They form a deadly triumvirate that every team looks to use to break down opposing defences.

The full backs are not only quick, they also have good kicking ability, both punting and while keeping it on the ground.

In defence, the full-back is usually the last line of defence, and so may be required to make same try-saving tackles and hasty clearances upfield.The wings and the full back in modern rugby often exchange positions since they share a lot of similar skills. They also end up being the ones to catch the high ball when the ball is punted long upfield.

And with that we come to end of the take on rugby positions. Stay tuned for more as we near the Rugby World Cup 2015.