Rugby union fields fifteen players per side, and every one of them has a distinct job. If you are new to the sport, the simplest way to read a team is to split it in two: the eight forwards who fight for the ball, and the seven backs who decide what to do with it. This guide covers rugby union, the fifteen-a-side game; rugby league is a different code with thirteen players and different roles.

The forwards: winning the ball

Forwards are the bigger, heavier players. Their work is physical and mostly happens close to the action: scrums, lineouts, rucks and mauls. A team that loses the forward battle usually loses the match, because its backs spend the whole game defending instead of attacking.

The front row: props and hooker

The front row is the engine room of the scrum, the set piece where both packs push against each other for the ball.

• Loosehead prop (1) — packs on the left of the scrum and anchors that side. Props are among the strongest players on the field and do huge amounts of unseen tackling and carrying.
• Hooker (2) — packs between the two props and, as the name suggests, hooks the ball back with a foot when it is fed into the scrum. The hooker also throws the ball in at lineouts, so accurate throwing is a specialist skill.
• Tighthead prop (3) — packs on the right of the scrum, with an opponent on both sides. Traditionally the hardest scrummaging job on the field, because the tighthead takes pressure from two directions at once.

The second row: locks

• Locks (4 and 5) — the tallest players in the team. They push behind the front row in the scrum and are the main targets in the lineout, where they are lifted to catch the hooker's throw. Modern locks also carry the ball hard and make a high tackle count.

The back row: flankers and number 8

The back row links the tight work of the forwards to the open field.

• Blindside flanker (6) — packs on the narrow side of the scrum. Usually a powerful runner and a punishing tackler.
• Openside flanker (7) — packs on the side with more space, and is often the team's chief ball-winner at the breakdown, the contest for the ball after a tackle. A great openside can slow down the opponent's entire attack.
• Number 8 (8) — packs at the back of the scrum and controls the ball at its base. The number 8 picks up from scrums, carries into contact and links with the backs.

The backs: using the ball

Backs are generally faster and lighter than forwards. They play in more space and are responsible for most of the scoring, but none of their work is possible without the forwards first winning clean ball.

The half-backs: scrum-half and fly-half

• Scrum-half (9) — the link between forwards and backs. The scrum-half passes the ball away from scrums, rucks and mauls, and decides the tempo of the attack. Quick, accurate passing is the core skill.
• Fly-half (10) — the player who usually decides how the team attacks. The fly-half receives the scrum-half's pass and chooses whether to pass, kick or run. Fly-halves are also usually the goal-kickers, taking conversions and penalties.

The centres: inside and outside

• Inside centre (12) — the first receiver outside the fly-half. Often a powerful runner who attacks the defensive line directly and creates space for the players outside.
• Outside centre (13) — usually the faster of the two centres, responsible for finishing breaks, beating defenders one-on-one and covering defensively in the wider channels.

The back three: wings and full-back

• Wings (11 and 14) — the finishers. Wings play wide, wait for space, and score most of the tries. They also field kicks and must defend their touchline against fast opponents.
• Full-back (15) — the last line of defence and the first counter-attacker. The full-back fields deep kicks, joins the attacking line from behind, and covers any break. It is one of the most demanding all-round jobs in the sport.

How the numbers help you watch

Shirt numbers in rugby are positional, which makes the game much easier to follow than it first looks. If you see the number 10 with the ball, expect a decision. If you see the number 7 arriving at a tackle, expect a fight for the ball. If the number 15 is sweeping behind the line, expect a kick to be fielded and possibly run back.

A useful habit for new viewers: for ten minutes, ignore the ball and watch only one player — say the openside flanker. You will suddenly see the breakdown contest that decides most matches, and the rest of the game will start to make sense.

How scoring works

You do not need to memorise the laws to enjoy a match, but the basic scoring helps: a try, grounding the ball in the opponent's in-goal area, is worth five points, and the conversion kick that follows is worth two. A penalty kick and a drop goal are each worth three points. A standard match lasts eighty minutes, split into two forty-minute halves.

Questions, answered

Why are forwards and backs so different in size? Because their jobs demand it. Scrummaging and close-quarters carrying reward mass and strength, while open-field running and kicking reward speed and agility. Teams select accordingly.

Can players switch positions? Yes, especially between nearby roles — a flanker can cover lock, a centre can cover wing — but specialist skills like scrummaging and lineout throwing take years to learn, so front-row players rarely switch.

Is rugby league the same? No. League has thirteen players, different tackle rules and no lineouts or contested scrums in the union sense. If a broadcast says "league", expect a faster, more open game with a different set of positions.

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