Rugby is a wonderful team game but only one player can get to dot the ball down and score a try or kick the points to win the game. But, which position is it most likely to be? We did some research to find out which positions score the most points.
Fly halves score the most points in rugby mainly through goal kicking, and wingers score the most tries. All of the top 10 leading points scorers in international rugby are fly halves and of the top 50 try scorers in premiership rugby union history 33 have been wingers, and 7 have been full backs.
In rugby league’s Super League, tries are shared much more equally over numerous positions, including, wing, full back, centre, stand-off and scrum-half.
The table below shows what positions the top 50 try scorers in rugby union’s Premiership play. Each player has scored between 36 and 91 tries. As you can see wingers feature most heavily on the list followed by full backs.
Only three forwards feature in the top 50 try scorers list and they are all back row players. Henry Thomas and Sam Simmonds at number 8 and Neil Back at open side flanker.
Leading Premiership Try Scorers By Position
| Position | Number of players in the top 50 try scorers |
| Wingers | 31 |
| Full back | 7 |
| Centres | 7 |
| Scrum halves | 2 |
| Number 8 | 2 |
| Open side flanker | 1 |
Aggregated from the following raw data: source
Which Position Scores The Most Points Through Goal Kicking?
Fly halves score the most points in rugby as they are usually the team’s goal kicker. In international test match rugby, of the top 20 leading points scorers of all time, 15 of them are fly halves and 5 of them are full backs. Dan Carter is top with 1598 points and is considered by many the greatest goal kicker ever. (source)
Fly halves are generally the most talented footballer in a team and so are assigned the role of goal kicker. Not only do they kick penalties and conversations from the kicking tee, but they are also well placed to kick drop-goals as well. This means that they have several opportunities per game to kick points for their team and add to their points total.
The top 14 players on the all time leading points scorer list in the UK Gallagher Premiership are fly halves. The first non fly half is Tim Stimpson in position 14 who was a full back.
You might also want to take a look at my guide to the 11 different types of kick in rugby, right here!
Which Position Scores The Most Drop Goals In Rugby?
Fly halves score the most drop goals in rugby due to their positioning and the amount of ball they receive. Jonny Wilkinson has scored the most international drop goals with 36, 8 clear of his nearest rival Hugo Porta.
Fullbacks, scrum halves and centres are other positions which are likely to score drop goals as these guys are typically amongst the most talented kickers in a team.
It’s fair to say there is lot kicking in rugby. If you have ever wondered just why there is so much kicking rugby then I break down and explain all the reasons why right here.
Which Is The Most Likely Score In Rugby?
Penalty kicks for goal are the most likely score in rugby, closely followed by trys, conversions and the least likely method of scoring, drop goals.
This is based on the fact that since the very start of the UK premiership, over 500 games ago, the total number of tries scored by 5 of the leading clubs detailed below, is 1372 and the total number of tries on average is 1351. Therefore, indicating that penalties occur more frequently.
That said, some teams, Gloucester and Wasps, for example have scored more tries than penalties (raw data source). This may be an indication of style of play and club culture so it is fair to say that each clubs answer to what the most likely score in rugby is will be different, overall though it is penalties.
| Team | Tries | Penalties | Drop goals |
| Bath | 1230 | 1317 | 55 |
| Gloucester | 1312 | 1302 | 52 |
| Saracens | 1341 | 1457 | 65 |
| Leicester Tigers | 1434 | 1457 | 52 |
| Wasps | 1441 | 1327 | 68 |
| Average | 1351 | 1372 | 58 |
What Is The Highest Score In An International Rugby Match Ever?
New Zealand beat Japan by 145 points to 17 in the 1995 world cup. This 165 point feast of rugby was memorable not just for the fantastic display of rugby from the All Blacks but also for the never say die attitude displayed by the Japanese in defeat.
In fact as I remember, it did not seem like the thrashing the score would suggest, sure New Zealad were scoring with every touch seemingly but they were having to earn each of their scores.
Don’t forget though, at the time the New Zealand players were full time professional players and had lived and breathed rugby since early childhood. The brave blossoms on the other hand were simply very committed amateur players just thrilled to be playing on the word stage.
And for those of you thinking that the game was a waste of time and not worth playing. Well, it might have taken twenty years but in the 2015 rugby world cup Japan beat South Africa in what has become known as the miracle at Brighton.
The Japanese put in the most stylish fast paced game plan and the Boks simply could not live with them. The story doesn’t end there as the Japanese repeated their giant killing by beating Ireland and Scotland in the 2019 world cup and are now full established as a major force in world rugby.
Most Points Scored By One Player In A Rugby Match
Simon Culhane scored 45 points for New Zealand against Japan in their 145-17 point victory in the 1995 rugby world cup. His tally consisted of 20 out of 21 conversions and a try which also happened to be his debut performance.
Interestingly, he was only ever going to be second choice for the All Blacks and had not featured at all in the first two games of the world cup with the established Andrew Merhtens playing at fly half. Whilst Simon took his chances in that game he went on to win just another 5 caps but his record still stands today.
You might also like to read my fascinating article on which position is the hardest to play in rugby right here.
Photo Credits
Dan Carter the world’s greatest fly half kicking at goal. 江戸村のとくぞう, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
