Whats in a number?!

Every rugby player and fan alike has had it happen at least once, the concerned "what did you just say??" look after you tell a story about how someone smacked your hooker. Contrary to popular belief, hooker is a position on the field, so while normal people think were talking about a side business we are running, we are really just talking about our good buddy getting tackled. I don't know what it is about rugby players but we like weird names, If you don't believe me look back at our Rugby lingo for the common man post. While rugby positions quickly become common knowledge for players and fans, we here at rugby addicts understand that some of those just getting into the sport may have no idea whats going on down on that pitch, so here it is, a complete guide and break down of each position on a rugby team. Also don't worry if you can't remember the names of the positions, in rugby the number on the players back relates to their position on the field, so if you want to talk about a player and not sound silly, you can just say their number!

1. Lose-Head Prop- The smaller of the two props, normally slower then most of his teammates his job is to support the weight of the scrum, because of this the less neck the better!
2. Hooker- A shorter, stubbier player who's job is to win the ball in the scrum and throw the ball in line outs. Does not work on the corner.... unless the club needs fundraising.
3. Tight-Head Prop- The player on the squad who's three favorite things in the world are pizza, beer, and, cold pizza. This guy is always the biggest on the field, he has to be able to scrum 1v2 for a full match. 
4. Second Row- The tallest on the pitch, they are the driving force in the scrums, and jumpers in the line out. The second rows are stereotypically kind of weird, this is due to them spending a lot of time with their heads in between the props and hookers butts. Yes, I am serious.
5. Second Row- See number 4.
6. Blind-Side Flanker- The bigger and stronger of the two flanks, needs to be a great tackler, and support player. His job is to make sure nothing goes through the blind side of the scrum.
7. Open-Side Flanker- The faster of the two flanks, needs to be a every breakdown, trying to steal the opponents ball. The ball should always be on a flankers mind, he needs to spoil the opponents play, and basically be a nuisance for 80 minutes. His main objective is to absolutley destroy the fly half.
8. Number 8- A dude so awesome he doesn't even have a name. Needs to be big like a foreword, fast like a back, and just and overall awesome player.                                                                                                                                         
9. Scrum-Half- Leader of the forewords, technically he's a back, but he spends so much time with them the foreword pack normally adopts him. Needs to be fast, agile, smart, be able to box kick and have a great pass.
10. Fly-Half- The play maker. All plays in the back line go through him. Think of him like a quarter back. Fly half's normally gets targeted and possibly smashed by the open side flanker, because of this they need to be able to move the ball quick. Should be able to kick.
11. Left Wing- Wings are the fastest players on the pitch, the side they are on all depends on which side they are most comfortable playing on. Should be elusive, hard to tackle, and just crazy fast. Speed kills.
12. Inside Centre- The centre closest to the fly-half, needs to be a good ball handler, passer, and runner. Should be fast and have some endurance, and be able to make tackles 
13. Outside Centre- The centre farthest from the fly-half also needs to be a good ball handler, passer, and runner. Should be fast and have some endurance, and be able to make tackles. 
14. Right Wing- Wings are the fastest players on the pitch, the side they are on all depends on which side they are most comfortable playing on. Should be elusive, hard to tackle, and just crazy fast. Speed kills.
15. Fullback- The most tactile player on the field, he stays back and reads the field often. Must be a great tackler and be speedy to clean up any line breaks. The full back must be able to kick, normally the fullback kicks restarts, conversions, and just kicks the ball because he feels like making his forewords run.

Well there you have it, all 15 positions broken down and explained. For more rugby make sure to checkout awesome sites like Rugby Dump Usa Rugby and for awesome gear visit World Rugby Shop !

Leave a comment on what position you play, or love to watch and If you liked this post don't forget to follow and share us with your friends!