Rugby Positions by the Numbers, Part VI
Although rugby can be seem complicated to the uninitiated, one of rugby’s rules makes it easier to understand and follow: the number on a player’s uniform corresponds directly to the position they play. These are:
A rugby club is allowed six or seven substitutions (depending on the level of play) per match, so frequently you will see players wearing numbers from 16 to 23 on the pitch.
Unfortunately, there are no conventions for which substitute wears which number, in part because substitutions during a match are a relatively recent development.
So let’s focus on the numbers that do have meaning. This series functions as a brief introduction to the different positions on a rugby club, their roles and responsibilities, and the types of people that end up playing them.
Since the positions tend to operate in pods of two or three during a match, working together and performing similar tasks, I’m going to structure this series in the same way, i.e. part I will concern the front row (numbers 1, 2, and 3), part II will concern the locks (4 and 5), part III the back row (6, 7, and 8), part IV the halfbacks (9 and 10), part V the centers (12 and 13) and finally part VI the wings and fullback (11, 14, and 15).
The Wings and Fullback: 11, 14, and 15
Who They Are – the wings are the left wing, who wears jersey number 11, and the right wing, who wears jersey number 14. The fullback wears jersey number 15. These three players should be the fastest on the club, and can sacrifice size and bulk if need be (although 6’ 5”, 250-pound Jonah Lomu’s stunning debut for New Zealand in the 1995 Rugby World Cup illustrated that this rule is not hard and fast).
The other key skill the wings and fullback need is the ability to make and catch long kicks successfully. These positions are where it is easiest for players to make the upward transition from soccer to rugby.
What They Do – run very fast. For the wings and fullback to have maximum offensive impact on a match, they should be running at full speed – and have been running at full speed for 20 or 30 meters – when they receive the ball either from a pass or a kick. This reception should be the culmination of all the backline’s work – indeed of both the pack and the backs moving the ball.
This cumulative speed can be especially effective from a set play, especially a scrum or lineout all the way at one side of the pitch.
For example, let’s look at a lineout from the right sideline. Prior to the 1980’s, the right wing, who would temporarily be known as the “weak side” wing, would throw the ball in to the members of the pack. For the last three decades or so, however, that job has been taken over by the hooker, leaving the weak side wing free to either join the backline or play a pre-emptive defensive position in case the opposition wins the ball and attempts to gain ground by kicking.
Here’s how the lineout should work: the pack wins the ball and either distributes it immediately to the backs or moves it forward a few yards to get the offense moving forward and the defense moving backward. The scrumhalf passes the ball to the flyhalf who then, based on the signals communicated to the rest of the backline, passes or kicks the ball to one of the other backs. Most commonly, the flyhalf will pass the ball to one of the centers, who has started running before receiving the ball. Since the objective in rugby is move the ball forward without being able to pass it forward, it is important that the centers move as quickly as they can with the ball, if possible breaking what is known as the “gain line,” or moving beyond the line perpendicular from the spot on the sideline where the lineout occurred.
The idea is to already have gained some territory and put the defense into disarray by the time the centers pass the ball to either the fullback or the wings. Here, again, back play has become more aggressive in set plays: traditionally, the “strong side” wing would be the only one of these three players to join the offensive backline, with the fullback and weak side wing holding back to cover quick kicks by the defense should the opposition recover the ball. These days, especially deep in the opposition’s territory, you are more likely to see both wings and the fullback join the backline, leaving the offensive vulnerable to a quick kick by the defense, but also putting a lot more pressure on the defense by adding two extra high-performance ball carriers to the backline.
Now, granted, at the lower levels of rugby, it is true that the wing and fullback positions are the slots where you “hide” less-experienced or talented players, as in right field in baseball (most rugby players who are not tall or bulky will start out playing wing), and this strategy can make clubs more conservative about using their wings and fullback on offense, but at the higher levels of rugby – as with major league baseball – these positions can become showcases for tremendous athletes like Shane Williams of Wales, or Kurtley Beale of Australia.
In the loose, it becomes critical that the wings and fullback work together as a single unit. They can be a club’s last line of defense, frequently running down kicks over 60 to 75 meters of space, and, unless a club’s offense does go “all in” with both wings and a fullback in the backline, at least one of these three players must cover for the other two. That is, for example, if the left wing and the fullback join an attacking backline, to advance the ball, the right wing must be ready to hang back and cover kicks made by the defense.
Defensively, too, the wings and fullback must work together, first to make sure that there is no overload – that is, that there are more players in the backline of the offense than the defense – second to make sure that that at least one of the three will be ready to cover either a sudden kick or a breakthough in the line, and third working together to mount a counter-attack once a kick has been made and chased down. An effective counter by the wings and the fullback can move the ball from one of the pitch to the other in the blink of an eye, and can re-orient an attack and throw the opposition into complete disarray.
Both wings and the fullback working together can be an integral part of a rugby club’s offense and defense, and the sport has evolved to the point where backward-thinking coaches ignore them at their peril. The great thing about rugby – as I hope this series has proven - is that there is room for everybody, no matter your skill set or body type, as long as you are willing to train and constantly improve yourself and your ability to play.
Although rugby can be seem complicated to the uninitiated, one of rugby’s rules makes it easier to understand and follow: the number on a player’s uniform corresponds directly to the position they play. These are:
- Loose-head prop
- Hooker
- Tight-head prop
- Lock
- Lock
- Strong-side flanker
- Weak-side flanker
- Number 8
- Scrumhalf
- Flyhalf
- Left wing
- Inside center
- Outside center
- Right wing
- Fullback
A rugby club is allowed six or seven substitutions (depending on the level of play) per match, so frequently you will see players wearing numbers from 16 to 23 on the pitch.
Unfortunately, there are no conventions for which substitute wears which number, in part because substitutions during a match are a relatively recent development.
So let’s focus on the numbers that do have meaning. This series functions as a brief introduction to the different positions on a rugby club, their roles and responsibilities, and the types of people that end up playing them.
Since the positions tend to operate in pods of two or three during a match, working together and performing similar tasks, I’m going to structure this series in the same way, i.e. part I will concern the front row (numbers 1, 2, and 3), part II will concern the locks (4 and 5), part III the back row (6, 7, and 8), part IV the halfbacks (9 and 10), part V the centers (12 and 13) and finally part VI the wings and fullback (11, 14, and 15).
The Wings and Fullback: 11, 14, and 15
Who They Are – the wings are the left wing, who wears jersey number 11, and the right wing, who wears jersey number 14. The fullback wears jersey number 15. These three players should be the fastest on the club, and can sacrifice size and bulk if need be (although 6’ 5”, 250-pound Jonah Lomu’s stunning debut for New Zealand in the 1995 Rugby World Cup illustrated that this rule is not hard and fast).
The other key skill the wings and fullback need is the ability to make and catch long kicks successfully. These positions are where it is easiest for players to make the upward transition from soccer to rugby.
What They Do – run very fast. For the wings and fullback to have maximum offensive impact on a match, they should be running at full speed – and have been running at full speed for 20 or 30 meters – when they receive the ball either from a pass or a kick. This reception should be the culmination of all the backline’s work – indeed of both the pack and the backs moving the ball.
This cumulative speed can be especially effective from a set play, especially a scrum or lineout all the way at one side of the pitch.
For example, let’s look at a lineout from the right sideline. Prior to the 1980’s, the right wing, who would temporarily be known as the “weak side” wing, would throw the ball in to the members of the pack. For the last three decades or so, however, that job has been taken over by the hooker, leaving the weak side wing free to either join the backline or play a pre-emptive defensive position in case the opposition wins the ball and attempts to gain ground by kicking.
Here’s how the lineout should work: the pack wins the ball and either distributes it immediately to the backs or moves it forward a few yards to get the offense moving forward and the defense moving backward. The scrumhalf passes the ball to the flyhalf who then, based on the signals communicated to the rest of the backline, passes or kicks the ball to one of the other backs. Most commonly, the flyhalf will pass the ball to one of the centers, who has started running before receiving the ball. Since the objective in rugby is move the ball forward without being able to pass it forward, it is important that the centers move as quickly as they can with the ball, if possible breaking what is known as the “gain line,” or moving beyond the line perpendicular from the spot on the sideline where the lineout occurred.
The idea is to already have gained some territory and put the defense into disarray by the time the centers pass the ball to either the fullback or the wings. Here, again, back play has become more aggressive in set plays: traditionally, the “strong side” wing would be the only one of these three players to join the offensive backline, with the fullback and weak side wing holding back to cover quick kicks by the defense should the opposition recover the ball. These days, especially deep in the opposition’s territory, you are more likely to see both wings and the fullback join the backline, leaving the offensive vulnerable to a quick kick by the defense, but also putting a lot more pressure on the defense by adding two extra high-performance ball carriers to the backline.
Now, granted, at the lower levels of rugby, it is true that the wing and fullback positions are the slots where you “hide” less-experienced or talented players, as in right field in baseball (most rugby players who are not tall or bulky will start out playing wing), and this strategy can make clubs more conservative about using their wings and fullback on offense, but at the higher levels of rugby – as with major league baseball – these positions can become showcases for tremendous athletes like Shane Williams of Wales, or Kurtley Beale of Australia.
In the loose, it becomes critical that the wings and fullback work together as a single unit. They can be a club’s last line of defense, frequently running down kicks over 60 to 75 meters of space, and, unless a club’s offense does go “all in” with both wings and a fullback in the backline, at least one of these three players must cover for the other two. That is, for example, if the left wing and the fullback join an attacking backline, to advance the ball, the right wing must be ready to hang back and cover kicks made by the defense.
Defensively, too, the wings and fullback must work together, first to make sure that there is no overload – that is, that there are more players in the backline of the offense than the defense – second to make sure that that at least one of the three will be ready to cover either a sudden kick or a breakthough in the line, and third working together to mount a counter-attack once a kick has been made and chased down. An effective counter by the wings and the fullback can move the ball from one of the pitch to the other in the blink of an eye, and can re-orient an attack and throw the opposition into complete disarray.
Both wings and the fullback working together can be an integral part of a rugby club’s offense and defense, and the sport has evolved to the point where backward-thinking coaches ignore them at their peril. The great thing about rugby – as I hope this series has proven - is that there is room for everybody, no matter your skill set or body type, as long as you are willing to train and constantly improve yourself and your ability to play.