What is Rugby?
This article from Wikipedia discusses Rugby Union, of which the CSULB Rugby team plays.
Team positions
A rugby union team consists of 15 players, eight forwards numbered 1 to 8, and seven backs, numbered 9 to 15. Depending upon the competition, there may be up to seven replacements.
The main role of the forwards is to gain and retain possession of the ball. They take part in set pieces of the scrum and the line-out . Generally, forwards are larger than the backs, which makes them stronger but slower. Forwards also have a role in taking the ball forwards, but generally do so by driving into the opposing forwards.
The role of the backs is to move the game forward by running or kicking the ball. The fly-half controls how to do this. The backs tend to score more tries. The backs tend to be smaller than the forwards and as a result more agile and faster, but less strong.
The following diagram locates the various positions in the 15-man team. All members of the starting 15 wear jerseys numbered from 1 to 15 and keyed to their positions (though alternatives exist); see rugby union positions and rugby union numbering schemes for more information. The first eight players, known as forwards or the pack , play in the scrum . The remaining seven players play as the backs (two "half-backs", four "three-quarter" backs and a "fullback").
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A referee controls the match, usually assisted by two touch judges .
Alternate names for positions
| Prop | Prop forward |
| Lock | Second row or lock forward |
| Flanker | Wing forward or breakaway or flank or flank forward |
| Number 8 | Eightman or eighthman or lock forward |
| Scrum half | Inside half or scrummie or half-back |
| Fly half | Outside half, out half, stand-off, first five-eighth, first five, or pivot |
| Inside centre | Second five-eighth or second five or centre |
| Outside centre | Centre or Centre Threequarter |
| Wing | Winger or Wingman or Wing Threequarter |
Collective terms for positions
| Front row | The props and hooker |
| Tight forwards or Tight 5 or Front five | The combined front row and second row |
| Loose forwards or Back row or Loosies | The flankers and the number 8 |
| Half backs | Scrum half and flyhalf |
| Midfield | Centres plus flyhalf |
| Inside backs | The centres, the flyhalf and the scrumhalf |
| Three-quarters | Wingers plus outside centre (some nations include inside centre) |
| Back three or Outside backs | The fullback and the wingers |
The fly-half is alternatively called the "stand-off half", since they are the half-back that stands off from the scrum rather than close to it. In addition, in New Zealand the fly half is referred to as the 1st 5/8, implying a slightly deeper position than halfback (the term halfback can cause confusion since some countries use it to refer solely to the scrum half, while other countries apply it to both the scrum half and the fly half) and the inside centre as the 2nd 5/8 implying a more forward position than a 3/4 back. Flankers may also, though this is more historic usage, be referred to as "wing-forwards" (it's also an archaic term for an obsolete position associated with the old 2-3-2 scrum, popular in New Zealand in the 1920s), or together with the No 8 as "loose-forwards", since they can quickly detach from scrums.
In Australia , the second row of the scrum are often referred to as "second row", the position behind them as "lock", the forwards on either side of the lock as "breakaways" (some apply the term to the number eight as well as the flankers), and the fly-half as "five-eighth".
As can be seen there is a lot of variation in the names of the positions. The IRB has standardised the names, yet the alternative names are still as common as ever before. A problem with standardised names is that the positions themselves are not as standard as they might seem. For example, there is a slight difference between left and right centre on the one hand and inside and outside centre on the other. Wingers can be played on the open side and the blind side (also known as strong side and weak or closed side) rather than left and right and there are also left and right flankers.