Rugby Positions on the Pitch:
Position Descriptions:
Props (Loosehead & Tighthead)
Positional Requirements:
- Strength and physical presence
- Ability to maintain scrum
- Upper body for lifting support
- Urgent to breakdown
- Think ahead to next role from scrum
Hooker
Positional Requirements:
- Upper body strength
- Ability to control scrum with props
- Pressure opposition front row
- Positive roles at restarts
- 4th loose forward role
Locks
Positional Requirements:
- Aerial and ball skills at lineout and restart
- Knowledge of lifting
- Understanding "D" roles at scrum and lineout
- Constant work rate
- Dominate your "area"
- Power and application at scrum
- Mobility and understand roles at breakdown
Blindside Flanker
Positional Requirements:
- Vital link in "D" especially on blindside of scrum
- Continuity and secure ball
- Understand role in ALL scrum and lineout "moves"
- Strong "wrap up" tackler
- Work closely with 7, 8, 9 and blindside wing
- Communicate
Openside Flanker
Positional Requirements:
- Attack the ball and ball carrier
- Support ball carrier
- Continuity role-secure ball and present it
- Decision making
- Angles/lines to ball
- Defensive lines
- Speed of mind and foot
- Communication
- Extreme aerobic capability (workrate)
- Work in unison with mini groups
8 Man
Positional Requirements:
- To be involved continuously in general play
- To play on both sides of advantage line
- Understand moves and options and to be decisive
- Attack or break gain line and ability to link close or wide
- Distribution skills; critical link at scrum
- Develop relationship and cohesion with openside flanker and halfback
Scrum Half
Positional Requirements:
- Good talker/organizer
- Assess options and communicate
- Able to act/re-act quickly
- High work rate and aerobic capacity
- Understand all moves and options
- Explosive runner
Fly Half
Positional Requirements:
- Shot caller - Director of play
- Creator - Vision
- Vary position and point of attack
- Take defensive line up
- Excellent decision maker under pressure
- High work rate in support/cover
- Strong communicator
- Kicking game - both feet
- Accurate ball retention skills
Inside Center
Positional Requirements:
- Distribution skills as for Outside Center
- 2 handed ball carriage
- Ability to beat a man - step, swerve, acceleration, bounce & angles
- Stay on feet at tackle/ball presentation
- Strong front on tackler
- Unity with 13 on "D"
- Organize inside and outside 12 defense.
Outside Center
Positional Requirements:
- Distribution skills
- 2 handed ball carriage
- Accurate and range of passes
- Ability to stay up at tackle
- Ball presentation at impact
- Unity on "D" - ability to break up attacks
- Acceleration
Wings (Left & Right)
Positional Requirements:
- Play either side
- Hungry to get involved in game
- Chase and pressure opposition
- Sustained speed
- Back quick to support and create counter attack options
- Understand tackle options eg shadow-spot etc
Fullback
Positional Requirements:
- Ball receipt skills
- Anticipation especially off phase ball
- Speed, both acceleration and sustained to support play
- Understand and initiate counter attack
- Kicking skills
- All types of tackle skills, shadow, front on etc.
- Utilize the panoramic vision of game and communicate act/re-act