Rugby Positions Explained: All 15, By the Pros Who Play Them

Rugby union has 15 positions, numbered 1 to 15, and the number on your back tells everyone what your job is. Shirts 1 to 8 are the forwards, who scrummage, win lineout ball and carry into contact. Shirts 9 to 15 are the backs, who organise, kick and finish.

How do the numbers map to positions in rugby?

Every shirt is a fixed job. Names change by country, the job does not.

Numbers 16 to 23 are the replacements. At Test and senior club level a matchday squad is 23: the starting 15 plus eight replacements, normally five forwards and three backs. A team naming 23 must include six players able to play in the front row — usually 16, 17 and 18 — which is why a side that runs out of front-rowers is forced into uncontested scrums.

Position guides: one shirt at a time

Each of these goes deeper on a single position: what the shirt actually does, a key-attribute table, how the position trains, and the questions people ask about it. The rest of the fifteen follow through the autumn.

• prop rugby — the 1 and 3 shirts, loosehead against tighthead.
• second row rugby — the 4 and 5 shirts, and why the lock is the second row.
• flanker rugby — the 6 and 7 shirts, blindside against openside.
• number 8 rugby — the 8 shirt, and the ball at the base of the scrum.
• rugby winger — the 11 and 14 shirts, finishing, the air and the edge.
• rugby 7s positions — the seven-a-side game: seven roles, numbered 1 to 12.

What is the difference between forwards and backs in rugby?

Forwards (1 to 8) win possession: scrum, lineout, maul, breakdown. Backs (9 to 15) use it: organise, kick for territory, finish. Forwards are heavier, backs faster; the back row and half backs overlap. Shirts 6, 7 and 8 together are the loose forwards, or loosies in New Zealand.

The forwards (1 to 8)

1. What does a loosehead prop do in rugby?

The loosehead scrummages on the left, head outside the opposition hooker, then carries, clears rucks and lifts at the lineout. Built thick and low, typically 117-135 kg. Trains lower-body strength — see Rugby iQ.

2. What does a hooker do in rugby?

The hooker strikes in the scrum, but the defining skill is the lineout throw, the most pressure-loaded act in the pack. Shortest of the front row, around 105-115 kg. Trains throwing accuracy under fatigue — see the lineout builder.

3. What does a tighthead prop do in rugby?

The tighthead anchors the whole scrum against two opponents, and is the hardest shirt in world rugby to fill. Same mass as a loosehead, squatter through the trunk. Trains bracing and set-piece technique inside Rugby iQ.

4. What does a lock do in rugby?

The 4 is the primary lineout target and the engine of the scrum push, plus kick-off receiver and maul spine. Tallest on the pitch: 1.97-2.06 m, 115-127 kg. Trains jumping — see the lineout database.

5. What does the number 5 lock do in rugby?

The 5 does the 4’s job and often calls the lineout, reading the opposition pod and choosing the throw. Same height and mass band. Trains the calling as hard as the jumping — see Rugby iQ.

6. What does a blindside flanker do in rugby?

The blindside is the enforcer: covering the short side, making the highest tackle counts and lifting at the lineout. Bigger of the two flankers, 102-117 kg. Trains collision tolerance — see how to tackle.

7. What does an openside flanker do in rugby?

The openside lives at the breakdown, first to every tackle, hunting the jackal turnover. Often the lightest forward and usually the fittest. Trains repeat-effort conditioning — see the rugby fitness drills.

8. What does a number 8 do in rugby?

The number 8 picks from the scrum base and links the forwards to the backs. Tall and heavy for a back rower, 102-117 kg. Trains carrying and offloading — see how the pros train.

The backs (9 to 15)

9. What does a scrum-half do in rugby?

The 9 passes from every ruck, box-kicks for territory and organises the forwards. Usually the smallest player on the pitch, 78-89 kg. Trains passing accuracy off both hands — see the passing drills.

10. What does a fly-half do in rugby?

The 10 runs the attack — pass, kick or strike — and usually goal-kicks. Light enough to move the ball early, strong enough to tackle: 78-92 kg. Trains decision-making and kicking volume — measure yours in the goal-kick tracker.

11. What does a left wing do in rugby?

The 11 finishes tries, chases kicks and covers the left edge. Pace is the entry ticket and size is genuinely optional: 84-106 kg. Trains top-end speed and repeat sprints — see rugby fitness.

12. What does an inside centre do in rugby?

The 12 is the crash-ball carrier and second distributor, straightening the attack. The most collision-heavy back, 94-112 kg. Trains contact strength and acceleration — see the position-specific gym program.

13. What does an outside centre do in rugby?

The 13 organises the outside defensive channels and breaks the line with footwork and timing. Same mass band as the 12, usually taller and faster. Trains the 12/13 partnership — see game plans.

14. What does a right wing do in rugby?

The 14 finishes on the right edge and contests every kick in the air, now half the job. Same band as the 11, 84-106 kg. Trains aerial catching and chase lines — see core rugby skills.

15. What does a fullback do in rugby?

The 15 is the last line of defence and the first of the counter-attack, fielding bombs and joining the line as a second playmaker. 85-105 kg, with real aerial reach. Trains catching — see the kicking guide.

Which position should you play?

• Love contact and the set piece? Front five (1 to 5).
• High engine, love the tackle and the turnover? Back row (6 to 8).
• Organiser, talker, quick hands? Halfback pair (9 and 10).
• Physical but skilful, love defence? Midfield (12 and 13).
• Fast, brave under the high ball? Back three (11, 14, 15).

At junior level, rotate: the best senior players almost all played multiple positions growing up (see how to coach rugby union).

What body type suits each rugby position?

The bands below are the 10th-to-90th-percentile height and weight of the 263 players named in eight men’s squads at the 2023 Rugby World Cup — New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, England, France, Australia, Wales and Scotland. The other twelve squads at that tournament are not in this dataset. Heights and weights are read from each player’s Wikipedia infobox: 241 published heights and 233 published weights. They are per unit, not per shirt, because that is what the squad listing records.

Read them as description, not requirement: the shortest player in that sample was 5’5”, and Cheslin Kolbe, whose wing detail is in the app, is 5’7”.

Working the other way — from your own height and weight to the shirt that fits — is a question of its own: rugby positions by body type.

Are rugby sevens positions the same as fifteens?

Sevens uses seven of the same roles, but not the same numbering: three forwards (prop, hooker, prop), a scrum-half, a fly-half, a centre and a wing. Sevens squads are numbered 1 to 12 and the shirt does not tell you the position, unlike fifteens. Everyone tackles and everyone runs, so the size bands narrow.

The full seven-a-side version of this page — the role table, the law differences and how each shirt converts — is rugby 7s positions.

Frequently asked questions

Where to find out more

The laws that define each position come from World Rugby and its free coaching site World Rugby Passport. National unions publish squad lists with heights and weights: England Rugby, New Zealand Rugby and SA Rugby.

Train for YOUR position, not a generic template

A prop’s gym week looks nothing like a winger’s. Every gym program in Elite Rugby App is built per position by the internationals above, and the custom rugby experience quiz builds your plan in two minutes.