- A rugby field is 100m long and 69m wide. There are two in-goal areas at each end of the field and the two sidelines which are known as touchlines. At each end of the field there are goal posts that are 5.6m apart with a crossbar set at 3m giving the goal the shape of the letter H. The height of the goal posts can vary.
The lines on the rugby field are:
Halfway line
This line is where the game starts and restarts after tries and goals are scored.
10-metre line
This line is on both sides of the halfway line. The kick restart from halfway must go at least this far.
22-metre line
This line is 22 metres towards the halfway line from each goal line. Play is restarted from these lines if the ball has been pressed down by the defending team or the ball has crossed or touched the Dead-Ball Line or Touch In-Goal Line.
Goal line
This line can also be called the try line and is on each end of the field. If the ball is grounded over this line the team will score a try.
Dead-ball line
This line is at the end of the in-goal area. If the ball touches or goes beyond this line the ball is considered out of play.
Touchline
This is the line on either side of the field. On or outside this line is considered out of play.
Touch-in-goal line
This line is the touchline continued between the goal line and the dead ball line.
In the game of rugby there are 15 players in each team made up of both forwards and backs.
The forwards wear jerseys numbered from 1 to 8 and are generally larger than the banks. Their main role is to move the team up the field and gain posssession of the ball in scrums and lineouts.
The back are players who wear jerseys numbered from 9 to 15 and are generally faster than the forwards. Their main role is to move the team up the field by passing and kicking
There can be up to seven reserves that a coach can call upon to replace existing players during the game.
Below is a brief description of each playing position
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Front Row |
1. Loosehead Prop |
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Middle Row |
4. Lock |
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Loose Forwards |
6. Blindside Flanker |
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Inside Backs |
9. Halfback |
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Midfield Backs |
12. 2nd 5/8 |
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Outside Backs |
11. Left Wing |
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1. Loosehead Prop The hooker packs down in the middle of the scrum, uses their feet to ‘hook’ the ball and normally throw in the ball at lineouts. 3. Tighthead Prop The tighthead prop packs down in the scrum on the right-hand side and together with the loosehead prop provides support for the hooker. They also support the jumpers in the lineout. |
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4. and 5. Lock There are two locks in a rugby team. The locks are usually the tallest players and are required to jump in lineouts to catch the ball or get the ball down on their team’s own side. In the scrum, locks pack down in the second row and bind on to each other and the prop in front of them. They add a lot of power to the scrum. |
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6. Blindside Flanker The blindside flanker binds onto the side of the scrum closest to the sideline. Their first priority is to be part of the loose forwards strong defensive screen and be part of the lifting unit or a jumper in lineouts The openside flanker binds onto the side of the scrum furthest from the sideline. Their first priority is to be first to the ball when a breakdown occurs and provide a strong defensive screen. 8. Number 8 The number 8 packs down at the back of the scrum usually binding onto the two locks and controls the movements and feeding of the ball to the halfback. The number 8 is in the position where the ball enters the backline from the scrum and can elect to pick and run with the ball. |
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9. Scrum-Half The halfback is the important link between the forwards and the backs and is behind the scrum to get the ball out and maintain movement. They are also able to stand close to the lineout to catch any knock-downs from the jumpers. 10. Fly-half The 1st 5/8 makes tactical decisions during the game, on whether to kick the ball to gain space or tactical advantage or move the ball to their outside backs, or to run with the ball themselves. The 1st 5/8 is, in most cases, also the goal-kicker. |
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11. and 14. Wings The wings are usually the fastest players, finishers of play and often score the tries. The principle is that the forwards and backs create space so that once the wings receive the ball they can have a clear run for the try-line. The wings must also be good tacklers when defending. The fullback is often referred to as the “last line of defence” and is positioned behind all their teammates. They often catch high balls, return kicks from the opposition and act as an extra player on attack. |