This is a very important moment in your life, a complete game changer even. You are going to decide what position you are going to play in rugby, which as a result will determine whether you will be called a back/princess and completely derided by your teammates in the forwards.
The position you play in rugby should be the one which suits your body type, allows you to contribute to the team effectively, and allows you to get the fun you want out of the game. Ultimately, though, the decision might be taken out of your hands as your coach is likely to make a judgment for you.
Now, we are going to go through the decision making process that will lead you to your ideal position, or so I hope. If you don’t like the position I assign you through this process then don’t worry, after the ‘set piece’ (aka scrum, lineouts, and kick offs) are done, you are into ‘phase play’ and then you can essentially have a crack at any position you like!
How cool is that! Just don’t be that second row that tries to kick the ball, or that winger that tries to join the scrum (take a bow Jonny May).
So, let’s work out what position you are…
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Should You Play In The Backs Or Forwards?
This is the first critical decision you need to make. For most people this will be fairly obvious. Take a look in the mirror, be honest with yourself and answer these question:
Are you a bit/very fat? Are you of above average height and weight? Do you look like the players in any of the pictures below? If you answer ‘yes’ to any of those questions then you my friend are a ‘forward‘, congratulations! Now, skip down the page to figure out which exact position in the forwards you should play.
If you answered ‘No’ to all of those questions then, congratulations you are a ‘pretty boy’, a back! Ideally you are fast and nippy, you can sidestep and swerve whilst running at full speed, and you can catch and pass a ball with relative ease.
And if you are coordinated enough to kick then that is a bonus too. Now, let’s figure out exactly where you should play in the backs.
Firstly, if you are really quite short then you have two main options. One you are going to be a winger. This is a great position for small guys because their are few head on tackles against big guys to make and you should in theory get to score a lot of tries.
To make this work though you need to be greyhound quick, this factor will make or break your rugby career on the wing.
Don’t believe me? Then consider the career of Louis Rees-Zammit the current Welsh wing who has gone from playing school boy rugby to international rugby in two years based solely on his speed (ok so he has a great set of hands and can kick too) and according to my Mrs. is super good looking, damn I hate him!
Now, if you are short AND gobby then you, my friend, are a scrum-half, no doubts about it and you will love playing there! Basically you get to run around shouting at the forwards telling them what to do and where to stand, believe me they will take some organising! They have to take turns with the communal brain cell.
Your main job, as scrum-half, however, is an important one, you need to pass the ball off the floor to your new best mate: the fly-half.
This is why there is a benefit to being small, you are closer to the ground and therefore the ball, plus all the people around you will be forwards and they will be pretty ponderous in comparison which means you get to go on lots of sniping little runs around them and bag a few tries.
Now, if you fancy yourself as a bit of an allrounder, someone who can catch, pass, kick, side step, organise others and have the vision to direct a game then
a) wow, you are quite big headed and
b) you would make a great fly-half!
These are often the most talented ball-players on the pitch responsible for a lot of the kicking duties. They are sometimes known as the ‘brains’ of the operation and along with the scrum-half they absolutely do shape the style a team will play in.
Next up are the centres, If you don’t quite have the skill to be a fly-half, to organise everybody and handle the kicking duties but you have a good turn of pace and are quite happy to run into brick walls all day then you would be a great inside centre.
Ideally, you like to lift weights and can take a hit as you will be a key crash ball merchant and linch pin in defence.
If you fancy yourself as being a bit more agile than that and are more likely to run around someone than over them then you should wear the number 13 jersey. Quite a nice position to play with much more chance of getting the ball than the wingers.
Now, the only position we are left with is full-back, the last line of defense. This is a great position to play and so long as you can tackle, have a bit of gas and can catch a high ball then you may well fit in nicely here.
A crucial last line of defense you may be required to tackle forwards that come crashing through so you must be brave (or stupid), but, in return you will get plenty of opportunity to attack in space, after fielding opposition kicks and by joining in with strike moves in the backs.
That’s the backs dealt with, now how about you forwards out there, which position should you be playing.
You might also like to read: Basic Scrum Rules Explained
Which Position In The Forwards Should You Play?
If you are one of the tallest two players in your team then you should basically be a second row, a number 4 or 5. These guys are lifted in the lineout as high as possible in order to compete with the opposition to get the ball. You will also be in the scrum and put your head between the buttocks of the hooker and the props, don’t worry they are used to it.
You are also required to put your hand through their legs and grab the top of their shorts so that you can get a tight bind on them which all leads to a better push in the scrum. Yes, I know this all sounds ridiculous, but trust me it doesn’t seem quite as bad when you are out there doing it.
Now, if you are a fairly round body shape, one of the least likely in your peer group to be hit on by girls then you are most likely a front row forward. Don’t worry, this can be a good thing. No-one will ever know quite what you get up to in those scrums but you will get respect for it!
If you have above average ball skills then you will be the lucky one unfortunately called a hooker who has to throw the ball into the lineout and get the joy of hooking the ball back with your feet right in the middle of a scrum. If that’s not you then you will literally be left propping up the side of a scrum as a prop, a number 1 or 3.
If you still don’t have a position then you are a back row forward. You should be big, fast, fit, brave and maybe slightly crazy to play in the back row. They do a lot of tackling and carrying/hit ups of the ball.
If you are mobile, big and heavy you will be a number 8, if you are slightly quicker than the other guys in the back row then you will be a number 7/openside and if you are neither of those but can make big tackles then you are the blindside flanker, the number 6.
Now that’s all the positions covered but before we wrap this up do watch this clip below on the rivalry between forwards and backs, you won’t regret it!
Each position does require special skills and attributes and techniques which you will develop over time. There is literally a position for all shapes and sizes in our wonderful game, so welcome to the rugby family my friend!
Finally, you should know that the game is changing and some people believe rugby is moving towards a time of hybrid rugby players. For me, I’m not so sure, certainly in the lower levels of rugby and youth rugby, I think the fixed positions of rugby are fine just the way they are!
Also check out: Why Is Rugby Sometimes Called Football
Photo Credits
Photo 1: Lineout FRA – JPN RWC 2011. Jean-François Beauséjour, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
