History UsefulNotes / RugbyLaws

Additionally, some players, known as 'Utility Players', are known for being comfortable in multiple positions even at the highest level. While this flexibility is generally between a couple of associated positions (e.g. Fly Half and Inside Centre, Winger and Fullback, Flanker and Number 8), sometimes the combination is more unusual and varied - Jamie Roberts (Wales, Lions) playing as Inside/Outside Centre, Winger, Fullback, Flanker, and Number; 8 John Thornett (Australia) played at Flanker, Number 8, Lock and Prop for the Wallabies from 1955 to 1967; and Mike Catt (England, Lions) played as a Fullback, Fly Half, Inside Centre, and Winger.

* Possibly the most famous element of rugby union, the scrum is a complex and sometimes frustrating area of play which can make a big difference to the outcome of a match. It also possesses a lot of very complicated rulings and can be near-impenetrable to a newcomer; in practice a lot of the referees don't get it either. We will attempt to describe it as succinctly and clearly as possible here.

** Play naturally comes to a halt. It’s not uncommon, particularly if play is very close to one team’s tryline, for upwards of 10 players to be in a big pile on the ball as they desperately try to score/defend. When this sort of thing happens it’s not uncommon for the referee to stop play and call for a restart via scrum. The other, similar, common reason for a scrum is if a player has got over the opposition tryline but was unable to ground the ball successfully, usually because there is a defending player preventing him from doing so. In this case the referee takes them back to 5 metres from the tryline and calls for a scrum, with the attacking team getting the put-in.

* Possibly the most famous element of rugby union, the scrum is a complex and sometimes frustrating area of play which can make a big difference to the outcome of a match. It also possesses a lot of very complicated rulings and can be near-impenetrable to a newcomer. We will attempt to describe it as succinctly and clearly as possible here.

* '''4 & 5- Locks.''' The locks are the two players who form up directly behind the front row in the scrum, which is why they are sometimes referred to as the “second row”. In the scrum, their job is to provide the majority of the scrum’s pushing power, acting as “the engine room” of the scrum. In lineouts they are the players usually targeted to catch the ball when it is thrown, and as a result they are usually giants (Richie Gray of Scotland is 6 foot 10 inches/2.08 m tall, and he’s not the tallest in rugby right now), though they also have to be mobile and fit to get around the pitch and tackle. Famous locks include Martin Johnson (England, Lions), John Eales (Australia)[[note]]one of the few forwards noted for his goal kicking ability[[/note]], Willie John [=McBride=] (Ireland, Lions), Victor Matfield (South Africa), Paul O’Connell (Ireland, Lions), and Brodie Retallick (New Zealand)[[note]]2014 world player of the year[[/note]]

* '''6 & 7- Flankers.''' Flankers are generally expected to be primarily tacklers and breakdown specialists. In the scrum they operate in the “back row” and are there mainly to provide additional pushing power. Their position in the scrum allows them to disengage from it very quickly so they are usually the ones to spot an opponent trying to steal some ground with the ball and tackle them. Their other major responsibility is to try and win possession of the ball at the breakdown, sometimes through semi-legal means. In addition to this they are also expected to be able to carry the ball effectively and tend to be the fastest players in the pack, something indicated by their other name of 'Wing Forward'. Famous flankers include François Pienaar[[note]]played by Creator/MattDamon in ''Film/{{Invictus}}''[[/note]] (South Africa), Richie [=McCaw=] [[note]]widely considered one of if not the greatest rugby players of all time, and now the all-time leader for most international appearances[[/note]] (New Zealand), Michael Hooper (Australia), and Thierry Dusautoir (France).

Rugby union is a form of football played around the world. It tends to play second fiddle to UsefulNotes/AssociationFootball, except in New Zealand and Wales where it is the official national sport, but both annual the Six Nations and Rugby Championship gain the undivided attention of their respective hemispheres when they take place and the quadrennial Rugby World Cup is one of the most-watched events in global sport. The name, according to legend, comes from the English town of Rugby, where the sport was (allegedly) invented. In reality the sport is arguably the purest modern version of the sport played throughout Europe for many centuries and which was generally known as “football” before the Football Association was formed. It is arguably therefore the oldest of all European sports.

* '''11 & 14- Wingers.''' Wingers were originally the sprinters, the fastest players on the team, and their key if not only role was to score tries. In the modern era, a little more is expected of them but they still tend to be graded primarily on their scoring. In the “old days” wingers tended to be pretty small, defined by raw speed, agility, and ability to quickly change direction. The last great example of this kind of winger was Wales' Shane "Shimmering Shane" Williams, who, though only 5'7''/1.7 m tall at most, made up for it through sheer speed and quick feet, the latter earning him his nickname. However, the arrival of Jonah Lomu at the 1995 Rugby World Cup drastically redefined what a winger was, and since then a series of very large men have become extremely successful wingers, such as Wales' George North, standing at 6'4.5"/1.94 m and outweighing several of the Wales forward pack, the youngest try scorer for Wales who made his mark at 18 by scoring 2 tries on his début, against reigning World Champions South Africa. Famous wingers include the aforementioned Lomu, who even after his premature death in 2015 is one of the biggest names in world rugby, having pretty much redefined the entire sport on his debut for New Zealand, David Campese (Australia), Brian Lima[[note]]also known as “the Chiropractor” because of his penchant for tackling people so hard it would rearrange their spine[[/note]] (Samoa), Bryan Habana (South Africa), and Shane Williams [[note]]who holds the distinction of proving, at a time when wingers were becoming freaking enormous, that there was still room in the game for a tiny little guy who could run circles round anyone, being especially known for his acceleration and footwork, both of which earned him his nickname. Such was his ability that after his retirement from international rugby, he was called up at the age of 36 for injury cover for ''the Lions'' when he'd simply gone out to ''commentate.''[[/note]](Wales, Lions).

* '''11 & 14- Wingers.''' Wingers were originally the sprinters, the fastest players on the team, and their key if not only role was to score tries. In the modern era, a little more is expected of them but they still tend to be graded primarily on their scoring. In the “old days” wingers tended to be pretty small, defined by raw speed, agility, and ability to quickly change direction. However, the arrival of Jonah Lomu at the 1995 Rugby World Cup drastically redefined what a winger was, and since then a series of very large men have become extremely successful wingers, such as Wales' George North, standing at 6'4.5"/1.94 m and outweighing several of the Wales forward pack, the youngest try scorer for Wales who made his mark at 18 by scoring 2 tries on his début, against reigning World Champions South Africa. Famous wingers include the aforementioned Lomu, who even after his premature death in 2015 is one of the biggest names in world rugby, having pretty much redefined the entire sport on his debut for New Zealand, David Campese (Australia), Brian Lima[[note]]also known as “the Chiropractor” because of his penchant for tackling people so hard it would rearrange their spine[[/note]] (Samoa), Bryan Habana (South Africa), and Shane “Shimmering Shane” Williams [[note]]who holds the distinction of proving, at a time when wingers were becoming freaking enormous, that there was still room in the game for a tiny little guy who could run circles round anyone, being especially known for his acceleration and footwork, both of which earned him his nickname. Such was his ability that after his retirement from international rugby, he was called up at the age of 36 for injury cover for ''the Lions'' when he'd simply gone out to ''commentate.''[[/note]](Wales, Lions).

* '''10- Fly Half.''' Also known as the “first five-eighth” (for reasons too complicated to explain here), these are the closest equivalent rugby has to the quarterback in American Football. The flyhalf is essentially the mastermind of the team’s attack, and is expected to be able to run, pass and kick the ball effectively and orchestrate the team’s attacking moves (usually). This is frequently the star player of the team and many teams which have been otherwise average have been raised to greatness by the presence of a top quality fly half. Fly halves frequently also take the responsibility for taking penalty kicks for their team, which means they are not infrequently the highest points scorers for a team in any given match. Famous fly halves include Jonny Wilkinson (England, Lions) [[note]]the greatest ever English rugby player in most people’s opinion, famous for scoring the winning drop goal,
off his weaker foot, to win the 2003 World Cup.[[/note]], Dan Carter (New Zealand) [[note]]probably the best fly half in the world, the 2015 world player of the year, and also the all-time leading points scorer in international rugby union[[/note]], Michael Lynagh, Stephen Larkham (both Australia) and Jonathan Davies (Wales, Lions).
* '''12 & 13- Centres.''' Divided into the Inside (12) and Outside (13) Centre. Inside Centres usually function as something vaguely resembling back-up fly halves, and Fly Halves and Inside Centres are often interchangeable, while Outside Centres exist more as a gigantic battering ram in midfield. Sometimes this dynamic is mixed up, with the Inside Centre serving as the battering ram instead. Their main job is to create attacking opportunities both by being dangerous in their own right and by being able to bring other attackers in. Centres therefore need to be either big and hard to stop, or fast and hard to catch. They will also generally be expected to be able to pass the ball accurately and kick well. Famous centres include Jamie Roberts (Wales, Lions, the battering ram centre personified, occasionally fills in as either flanker or number 8), Danie Gerber (South Africa), Tana Umaga (New Zealand), Jeremy Guscott (England, Lions) and Brian O’Driscoll [[note]]the most capped rugby player until being surpassed by Richie [=McCaw=], and a strong candidate for best centre in the history of the game[[/note]] (Ireland, Lions).
* '''11 & 14- Wingers.''' Wingers were originally the sprinters, the fastest players on the team, and their key if not only role was to score tries. In the modern era, a little more is expected of them but they still tend to be graded primarily on their scoring. In the “old days” wingers tended to be pretty small, but the arrival of Jonah Lomu at the 1995 Rugby World Cup drastically redefined what a winger was, and since then a series of very large men have become extremely successful wingers, such as Wales' George North, standing at 6'4.5"/1.94 m and outweighing several of the forward pack, the youngest try scorer for Wales who made his mark by scoring 2 tries on his début, against reigning World Champions South Africa, at the age of 18. Famous wingers include the aforementioned Jonah Lomu, who even after his premature death in 2015 is one of the biggest names in world rugby, having pretty much redefined the entire sport on his debut for New Zealand, David Campese (Australia), Brian Lima[[note]]also known as “the Chiropractor” because of his penchant for tackling people so hard it would rearrange their spine[[/note]] (Samoa), Bryan Habana (South Africa), and Shane “Shimmering Shane” Williams [[note]]who holds the distinction of proving, at a time when wingers were becoming freaking enormous, that there was still room in the game for a tiny little guy who could run circles round anyone, being especially known for his acceleration and footwork, both of which earned him his nickname. Such was his ability that after his retirement from international rugby, he was called up at the age of 36 for injury cover for ''the Lions'' when he'd simply gone out to ''commentate.''[[/note]](Wales, Lions).
* '''15- Fullback.''' Fullbacks are typically the last line of defence in a rugby team, there to collect the opposition’s kicks and make tackles on players threatening to score. They also often feature heavily in attack, and the position is currently undergoing something of a bit of a golden age with every Tier 1 country featuring at least one excellent player in that position. Fullbacks need to be able to kick long and accurately, field kicks from the opposition well, and preferably be comfortable with ball in hand. Famous fullbacks include Serge Blanco (France), Gavin Hastings (Scotland, Lions), Christian Cullen (New Zealand), JPR Williams [[note]]played a key role in “that try”[[/note]] (Wales, Lions), and Ayumu Goromaru [[note]]played a key role in the upset against South Africa[[/note]] (Japan).

* '''1- Loose-head Prop.''' Props are part of the front row of the scrum, and it is generally the area of play on which they are judged the most closely. The loose-head prop is so called because, when they bind, they will have the opposition prop’s head on one side of their head and nothing on the other side. In the scrum, the loose-head’s main role is to hold his side’s scrum up and make sure the player next to him, the hooker, is able to do his job (see below). A typical prop, either loose or tight head, looks like the result of a lumberjack breeding with a beer barrel, and so they are not known for their nimble footwork or rapid pace, but rather their size and hitting power. However, these days, many are capable of moving frighteningly quickly. Famous props include Jason Leonard (England, Lions), Os du Randt and Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira (both South Africa), and Adam Jones (Wales, Lions).

* '''8- Number 8.''' The only position to lack a specific name, number 8s are the player at the back of the scrum, and their job is to provide stability, and to help the scrum-half maintain control of the ball as the scrum is completing. In some ways they function like an extra flanker, but in open play they are expected to be effective at carrying the ball and making ground, and are usually enormous. Famous Number 8s include Lawrence Dallaglio (England, Lions), Mervyn “Merv the Swerve” Davies (Wales, Lions), Sergio Parisse (Italy)[[note]]notable as one of the few Italian players who would find a place in pretty much any other national team[[/note]] and Kieran Read (New Zealand) [[note]] a strong candidate for best rugby player in the world as of July 2014[[/note]].

* '''10- Fly Half.''' Also known as the “first five-eighth” (for reasons too complicated to explain here), these are the closest equivalent rugby has to the quarterback in American Football. The flyhalf is essentially the mastermind of the team’s attack, and is expected to be able to run, pass and kick the ball effectively and orchestrate the team’s attacking moves (usually). This is frequently the star player of the team and many teams which have been otherwise average have been raised to greatness by the presence of a top quality fly half. Fly halves frequently also take the responsibility for taking penalty kicks for their team, which means they are not infrequently the highest points scorers for a team in any given match. Famous fly halves include Jonny Wilkinson (England, Lions) [[note]]the greatest ever English rugby player in most people’s opinion[[/note]], Dan Carter (New Zealand) [[note]]probably the best fly half in the world, the 2015 world player of the year, and also the all-time leading points scorer in international rugby union[[/note]], Michael Lynagh, Stephen Larkham (both Australia) and Jonathan Davies (Wales, Lions).
* '''12 & 13- Centres.''' Divided into the Inside (12) and Outside (13) Centre. Inside Centres usually function as something vaguely resembling back-up fly halves, and Fly Halves and Inside Centres are often interchangeable, while Outside Centres exist more as a gigantic battering ram in midfield. Sometimes this dynamic is mixed up, with the Inside Centre serving as the battering ram instead. Their main job is to create attacking opportunities both by being dangerous in their own right and by being able to bring other attackers in. Centres therefore need to be either big and hard to stop, or fast and hard to catch. They will also generally be expected to be able to pass the ball accurately and kick well. Famous centres include Jamie Roberts (Wales, Lions, the battering ram centre personified), Danie Gerber (South Africa), Tana Umaga (New Zealand), Jeremy Guscott (England, Lions) and Brian O’Driscoll [[note]]the most capped rugby player until being surpassed by Richie [=McCaw=], and a strong candidate for best centre in the history of the game[[/note]] (Ireland, Lions).
* '''11 & 14- Wingers.''' Wingers were originally the sprinters, the fastest players on the team, and their key if not only role was to score tries. In the modern era, a little more is expected of them but they still tend to be graded primarily on their scoring. In the “old days” wingers tended to be pretty small, but the arrival of Jonah Lomu at the 1995 Rugby World Cup drastically redefined what a winger was, and since then a series of very large men have become extremely successful wingers, such as Wales' George North, standing at 6'4.5"/1.94 m, the youngest try scorer for Wales by scoring 2 tries on his début, against reigning World Champions South Africa, at the age of 18. Famous wingers include the aforementioned Jonah Lomu, who even after his premature death in 2015 is one of the biggest names in world rugby, having pretty much redefined the entire sport on his debut for New Zealand, David Campese (Australia), Brian Lima[[note]]also known as “the Chiropractor” because of his penchant for tackling people so hard it would rearrange their spine[[/note]] (Samoa), Bryan Habana (South Africa), and Shane “Shimmering Shane” Williams [[note]]who holds the distinction of proving, at a time when wingers were becoming freaking enormous, that there was still room in the game for a tiny little guy who could run circles round anyone. Such was his ability that after his retirement from international rugby, he was called up at the age of 36 for injury cover for ''the Lions'' when he'd simply gone out to ''commentate.''[[/note]](Wales, Lions).

* '''2- Hooker.''' Also part of the front row, the hooker’s job in the scrum is to “hook” the ball with their feet, pushing it backwards after it has been put in by the scrum half. The hooker is almost always the player to throw the ball in during a lineout.[[note]]The rules do not require that any specific player throw the ball in; traditionally the scrum half or winger threw it in, and the scrum half still does if the hooker is unavailable due to being injured or carded. However, in the modern game the hooker gets this role by default because players at the other positions have more important roles in that phase of play.[[/note]] In open play they tend to act as a sort of generic forward, running around putting in tackles, rucking, and carrying the ball (usually short distances and into a group of offending tacklers). Famous hookers include Sean Fitzpatrick (New Zealand), Keith Wood (Ireland, Lions; aka “The Angry Potato” because of his bald head, Irish nationality and [[BlatantLies cheerful demeanour]]), and John Smit and Bismarck du Plessis (both South Africa).

* '''2- Hooker.''' Also part of the front row, the hooker’s job in the scrum is to “hook” the ball with their feet, pushing it backwards after it has been put in by the scrum half. The hooker is almost always the player to throw the ball in during a lineout.[[note]]The rules do not require that any specific player throw the ball in; traditionally the scrum half or winger threw it in. However, in the modern game the hooker gets this role by default because players at the other positions have more important roles in that phase of play.[[/note]] In open play they tend to act as a sort of generic forward, running around putting in tackles, rucking, and carrying the ball (usually short distances and into a group of offending tacklers). Famous hookers include Sean Fitzpatrick (New Zealand), Keith Wood (Ireland, Lions; aka “The Angry Potato” because of his bald head, Irish nationality and [[BlatantLies cheerful demeanour]]), and John Smit and Bismarck du Plessis (both South Africa).

* '''2- Hooker.''' Also part of the front row, the hooker’s job in the scrum is to “hook” the ball with their feet, pushing it backwards after it has been put in by the scrum half. The hooker is almost always the player to throw the ball in during a lineout.[[note]]The rules do not require that any specific player throw the ball in; traditionally the scrum half or winger threw it in. However, the hooker gets this role by default because players at the other positions have more important roles in that phase of play.[[/note]] In open play they tend to act as a sort of generic forward, running around putting in tackles, rucking, and carrying the ball (usually short distances and into a group of offending tacklers). Famous hookers include Sean Fitzpatrick (New Zealand), Keith Wood (Ireland, Lions; aka “The Angry Potato” because of his bald head, Irish nationality and [[BlatantLies cheerful demeanour]]), and John Smit and Bismarck du Plessis (both South Africa).

The laws of rugby union [[InsistentTerminology (referring to them as “rules” is likely to draw ire from dedicated rugby fans)]] are simple in concept and devilishly complex in execution (and it is not unknown for Rugby referees to actually *be* lawyers off the field), but we will attempt to summarise the important elements you will see in a game of rugby here.

* In stark contrast to the scrum, the lineout is very simple. Lineouts occur when the ball goes '''into touch''', i.e. it leaves the field of play by crossing one of the touchlines on either side. When this occurs, the team who did NOT take the ball out of play gets to throw it back in to restart play (unless the ball went into touch due to a penalty kick, in which case the team who took the kick restarts play). A selection of players from both team, usually some or all of the forwards [[note]] Although sometimes it may be more, as when Wales put ''their entire team'' into the lineout in a desperate attempt to score against New Zealand in 2012[[/note]] form up next to each other in a line perpendicular to the touchlines, with a gap between each team of no less than 1 mere, and the ball is thrown back in over their heads to be caught by one of the players. The throw must be straight down the middle of the gap between the two teams.

* '''2- Hooker.''' Also part of the front row, the hooker’s job in the scrum is to “hook” the ball with their feet, pushing it backwards after it has been put in by the scrum half. The hooker is always the player to throw the ball in during a lineout.[[note]]The rules do not require that any specific player throw the ball in. However, the hooker gets this role by default because players at the other positions have more important roles in that phase of play.[[/note]] In open play they tend to act as a sort of generic forward, running around putting in tackles, rucking, and carrying the ball (usually short distances and into a group of offending tacklers). Famous hookers include Sean Fitzpatrick (New Zealand), Keith Wood (Ireland, Lions; aka “The Angry Potato” because of his bald head, Irish nationality and [[BlatantLies cheerful demeanour]]), and John Smit and Bismarck du Plessis (both South Africa).

* '''4 & 5- Locks.''' The locks are the two players who form up directly behind the front row in the scrum, which is why they are sometimes referred to as the “second row”. In the scrum, their job is to provide the majority of the scrum’s pushing power, acting as “the engine room” of the scrum. In lineouts they are the players usually targeted to catch the ball when it is thrown, and as a result they are usually giants (Richie Gray of Scotland is 6 foot 10 inches/2.08 m tall, and he’s not the tallest in rugby right now), though they also have to be mobile and fit to get around the pitch and tackle. Famous locks include Martin Johnson (England, Lions), John Eales (Australia), Willie John [=McBride=] (Ireland, Lions), Victor Matfield (South Africa), Paul O’Connell (Ireland, Lions), and Brodie Retallick (New Zealand)[[note]]2014 world player of the year[[/note]]

* '''8- Number 8.''' Number 8s are the player at the back of the scrum, and their job is to provide stability, and to help the scrum-half maintain control of the ball as the scrum is completing. In some ways they function like an extra flanker, but in open play they are expected to be effective at carrying the ball and making ground, and are usually enormous. Famous Number 8s include Lawrence Dallaglio (England, Lions), Mervyn “Merv the Swerve” Davies (Wales, Lions), Sergio Parisse (Italy)[[note]]notable as one of the few Italian players who would find a place in pretty much any other national team[[/note]] and Kieran Read (New Zealand) [[note]] a strong candidate for best rugby player in the world as of July 2014[[/note]].

* '''15- Fullback.''' Fullbacks are typically the last line of defence in a rugby team, there to collect the opposition’s kicks and make tackles on players threatening to score. They also often feature heavily in attack, and the position is currently undergoing something of a bit of a golden age with every Tier 1 country featuring at least one excellent player in that position. Fullbacks need to be able to kick long and accurately, field kicks from the opposition well, and preferably be comfortable with ball in hand. Famous fullbacks include Serge Blanco (France), Gavin Hastings (Scotland, Lions), Christian Cullen (New Zealand), and JPR Williams [[note]]played a key role in “that try”[[/note]] (Wales, Lions).

* '''9- Scrum Half.''' Sometimes also known as the “half-back” Scrum halves are the link between the forwards and the backs. They put the ball into the scrum and then collect it again at the rear to pass it out to the backs, and they are also generally responsible for passing the ball to the backs from a ruck (where the big forwards have generally won it for them). They are generally expected to be small, nimble and good at passing. Famous scrum halves include George Gregan (Australia), Gareth Edwards[[note]]who scored “that try”- google it! [[/note]] (Wales, Lions), and Agustín Pichot (Argentina).