Rugby union backs
The seven players who attack the space the forwards create — scrum-half, fly-half, centres, wings and fullback — what each does in attack and defence, and how the line is organised.
Overview
The backs are shirts 9 to 15: scrum-half, fly-half, two centres, two wings and a fullback. They receive the ball from the set piece and the breakdown and are responsible for turning possession into territory and points.
Where forward roles are defined by physical tasks, back roles are defined by position in the attacking line and by decision-making. The further from the ball a back stands, the more space they have and the less time they get.
The half-backs: 9 and 10
The scrum-half (9) is the link between forwards and backs, delivering the ball from every scrum, ruck and maul. Their speed of delivery sets the tempo of the entire team: quick ball puts a defence under pressure, slow ball lets it reorganise.
The fly-half (10) is the primary decision-maker, receiving from the scrum-half and choosing between running, passing and kicking. Almost every attacking shape in rugby is built around giving the fly-half a clean, early ball and a choice of options outside them.
The midfield: 12 and 13
The inside centre (12) and outside centre (13) are the attacking line's point of contact and its main defensive barrier. Inside centre often acts as a second distributor, while outside centre needs the pace and footwork to exploit a defence that has been committed.
In defence the centres make the most consequential reads in the team: a midfield defender who drifts when they should press, or presses when they should drift, opens the channel that most tries come through.
The back three: 11, 14 and 15
The two wings (11 and 14) and the fullback (15) form the back three. They finish attacking movements, field kicks, and cover the space behind the defensive line.
Because rugby is a kicking game, the back three spend much of a match in a positional relationship with each other rather than with the rest of the team — rotating to cover the field as the ball moves, so that whichever of the three is under a kick, the other two are covering the ground behind.
Responsibilities
- Backs are shirts 9 to 15 and convert possession into territory and points.
- The scrum-half sets tempo through speed of delivery.
- The fly-half chooses between run, pass and kick for the whole team.
- Centres are the main point of contact in attack and the main read in defence.
- The back three rotate to cover the field against kicks.
Where it’s used
Sports that use rugby union backs:
Related positions
Scrum-half
The scrum-half is rugby’s link between forwards and backs, feeding the scrum and delivering quick, accurate passes to launch attacks.
Fly-half
The fly-half is rugby’s chief decision-maker and tactical kicker, directing the backline and controlling how the team attacks.
Hooker
The hooker is a front-row forward in rugby who wins the ball in the scrum and typically throws the ball into the line-out.
Sources
The rules, dimensions and specifications on this page were read from these documents.
- Laws of the Game: Rugby Union — World Rugby, Law 3 — Team (read 2026-09-12)
How it connects
The meaning-bearing relationships that place Rugby union backs in the wider knowledge graph — each one with the reason it exists.
Frequently learned together
Taught side by side in the same stage of a learning path.
- Rugby union forwardsRugby union forwards declares this relationship, and the graph derives the reciprocal edge from it.
- Scrum-halfBoth are taught in the “Find your position or role” stage of the Rugby learning path.
- Fly-halfBoth are taught in the “Find your position or role” stage of the Rugby learning path.
- HookerBoth are taught in the “Find your position or role” stage of the Rugby learning path.
- PlaymakerBoth are taught in the “Find your position or role” stage of the Rugby learning path.
Explore across the knowledge base
Follow the threads that connect Rugby union backs to the rest of SocialSportHub.
Player roles
- PlaymakerThe playmaker is a team's creative hub — the player who orchestrates attacks, controls the tempo and distributes the ball so teammates can score.
- All-RounderAn all-rounder is a versatile player who contributes across attack and defence rather than specialising in a single phase, position, or skill.
- Last line of defenceThe final barrier between an attack and a score — the goalkeeper, sweeper or last-ditch defender whose job is to stop what the rest of the team has let through.
- Utility playerA dependable, versatile player who can competently fill several different positions as the team needs, rather than specialising in just one.
- AnchorThe anchor is a cross-sport holding role: a steadying, defensive-minded player who shields the back line, screens danger and gives teammates a reliable base.
Techniques
- Kicking in rugby unionThe kicks rugby union is played with — punt, grubber, box kick, up-and-under, drop kick and place kick — what each achieves and which law governs its use.
- Movement and recovery in tennisWhy tennis footwork is mostly about getting back rather than getting there — the split step, the recovery position that is not the centre of the court, and sliding on clay.
- Rugby union tackling techniqueHow a tackle is made safely and legally — where to place the head and shoulder, the height the Laws require, and why technique is a safety question before it is a performance one.
Tactics
- Rugby union defensive systemsHow a rugby union defence organises fifteen players across the width of the field — the drift, the blitz and the umbrella — and the specific weakness each system accepts.
- Rugby union set-piece strategyWhy the scrum and lineout are attacking platforms rather than restarts — how a set piece fixes defenders in known positions, and what a team is buying when it chooses one over a kick.
- Phase playHow rugby union teams attack by keeping the ball through successive rucks — what a phase is, why phases move a defence, and the cost that eventually makes a team stop.
- Doubles formationHow a pair positions itself on court — one up, one back, or both at the net — to control space in doubles.
- Wing playAttacking down the flanks and crossing the ball into the box to stretch the defence and create chances.
Learning paths
Rules
- Volleyball rotationThe rule that players rotate one position clockwise each time their team wins back the serve.
- The scrumRugby union's eight-player set piece — the 3-4-1 formation, the referee's crouch-bind-set sequence, where the scrum-half must stand, the throw-in requirements, and how a scrum ends.
- The lineoutHow rugby union restarts play after the ball goes into touch — where the lineout forms, how many players it may contain, the throw requirements, lifting, and the 10-metre offside line.
- The ruckHow a ruck forms in rugby union and what changes the moment it does — the offside line, the ban on handling, the requirement to join from behind, and how a ruck ends.
- The tackleWhat the Laws require of both players in a rugby union tackle — the height limit, the release obligations on the tackler, what the tackled player must do, and how the offside line is created.
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How this page is maintained
- Content type
- Position
- Provenance
- Tier A — evergreen educational
- Verified external sources
- 0
- Content updated
- 2026-09-01
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