Scrum Half Rugby Position: What Does the 9 Do?
Rugby IQ · 3 November 2026 · 6 min read
With Faf de Klerk · Scrum-half
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Scrum half, rugby union’s number 9, is the link between the forwards and the backs. The nine puts the ball into the scrum, passes it away from every ruck and scrum, box kicks to exit, and tells the forwards where to go next. In New Zealand and Australia the same shirt is called the halfback. See where it sits among all fifteen rugby positions.
What are the scrum half’s four jobs?
The scrum half position in rugby touches the ball more than almost anyone, and the work reduces to four jobs.
- Pass. Get the ball away from the base of every ruck and scrum, quickly and accurately. Passing is the nine’s bread and butter.
- Kick. The box kick is the scrum half’s exit off the base of a ruck, high and short enough for the chasers to contest.
- Decide and direct. Run, pass or kick from the base, and keep the forwards organised for the next phase.
- Defend the fringes. A nine has to tackle whatever comes round the ruck and cannot afford to be run over.
Read the full guide
What skills and attributes does a scrum half need?
Good hands, a big engine and a knack of knowing where the ball will be. Here is where each quality lives in a training week.
| Attribute | Why the scrum half needs it | How it is trained |
|---|---|---|
| A fast, accurate pass off the ground | The scrum-half passes from the base of every ruck and scrum, and slow ball kills an attack | Passing off the ground off both hands, every session, at match speed |
| Tactical kicking | The box kick is the scrum-half's exit off the base of a ruck | Box kicks high and short enough for the chasers to contest |
| Decisions and a voice | The nine directs the forwards and links them to the backs | Decision games where the ball has to go the right way, not just quickly |
| Acceleration and defensive strength | A nine must break around the fringes and still not be run over in defence | Short acceleration work fresh, plus strength and hamstring work in the gym |
The scrum half is often the smallest player on the field, and it matters less than people think: the shirt is won on skill, speed off the mark and decisions. The sourced size bands for every shirt are on rugby positions by body type.
The scrum half at the scrum and the ruck
The nine works from the base of both, and the scrum is the one place the laws spell the job out step by step.
At the scrum
World Rugby’s scrum law gives the scrum half the throw-in. The nine chooses which side of the scrum to put the ball in, holds it the way the law shows, and throws it in once both packs are square, stable and still. The hooker strikes, the ball travels back through the pack, and the scrum half takes it from the feet of the number 8 to start the attack or kick the side out of trouble.
At the ruck
At every ruck the scrum half arrives, reads the defence and moves the ball: a pass to the forwards or the fly-half, a snipe around the fringe, or a box kick. The pass comes straight off the ground, which is why the best drills for a nine start with the ball on the deck. John Cooney, whose title on the ERA roster is “Professional rugby union player (Scrum-half)” and who has 11 caps for Ireland, sets out the passing work in rugby passing drills.
How does a scrum half train?
A scrum half trains the pass and the box kick as skills, and trains the body for short bursts and hard tackles. Four qualities carry the week.
| Quality | Why the scrum half needs it | What a session looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Passing off the ground | It is the job, many times a match | Box-to-box clearing: ball on the deck, sweep to it, clear to a target 12 to 15 metres away in one motion |
| Box kicking | It is how a side exits its own half off a ruck | Box kicks from the base with a chaser, judged on height and where the ball lands |
| Acceleration | The gap around a ruck is open for a stride or two | Short, maximum-effort starts with full recovery, kept fresh rather than tired |
| Hamstring strength | Our gym program calls it the one accessory nobody who sprints should skip | Nordic hamstring curl, 3 sets of 5, every week |
Box kicking is taught inside Rugby IQ by Faf de Klerk, a South Africa scrum half with 60 caps and a Rugby World Cup winner in 2019 and 2023, and the kicks themselves are explained in rugby kicking. For the gym, the free training plan builder writes a halfbacks week for you, and the rugby speed training guide covers the acceleration.
How is the scrum half different in rugby league?
Rugby league keeps a scrum half among its two half-backs, alongside the stand-off. But after each tackle the dummy half, usually the hooker, picks the ball up from the play-the-ball, so the league nine is not the player at the base every time the way a union nine is.
Where to find out more
The scrum half works hand in glove with the fly half, and the two together are the half backs. The whole fifteen are in rugby positions, and the laws behind the scrum and the ruck are in rugby rules explained. To train the shirt rather than read about it, ERA’s gym programs are built position by position.
Frequently asked questions
What does a scrum half do in rugby union?
A scrum half in rugby union passes the ball away from every scrum and ruck, puts the ball into the scrum, and decides whether the side runs, passes or kicks from the base. The nine also box kicks to exit, directs the forwards and tackles around the fringes.
What is a rugby half back called?
A rugby half back is called the scrum-half in the northern hemisphere and the halfback in New Zealand and Australia, and both wear number 9. In rugby union the scrum-half and the fly-half together are often called the half backs, because they play between the forwards and the rest of the backs.
How to improve scrum half pass?
To improve your scrum half pass, practise passing straight off the ground, off both hands, without picking the ball up first. Sweep to the ball and clear it to a target 12 to 15 metres away in one motion, then do it again under pressure and when tired.
How to play scrum half in rugby union?
To play scrum half in rugby union, get to every breakdown fast, pass quickly and accurately off the ground, and keep talking to your forwards. Learn the box kick for exits, read when to snipe around the ruck yourself, and tackle anything that comes round the fringes.
What does scrum half mean in rugby?
Scrum half in rugby means the half back who works off the scrum: the player who puts the ball into the scrum and takes it out at the back. The same player does the job at every ruck, which is why the shirt is the link between the forwards and the backs.
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