Rugby Positions for the American Football Player

As the sport of Rugby Union grows in America, athletes from all different backgrounds are discovering just how well their abilities can translate onto the rugby field. The most common athletic crossovers originate as American Football players, and lucky for them, almost all of the traditional football positions have rough equivalents in rugby. While these positions do not translate directly from one sport to the other, this breakdown will provide those Americans new to the game with an easier to understand description of the duties preformed by each individual.

It should be noted that a limited amount of rugby knowledge may be necessary to understand some of the terminology used in the following descriptions; take a look at this glossary of common rugby idioms as a reference.
Introduction to Rugby

Forwards
Prop - best compared to an interior offensive or defensive lineman
The prop forward does most of his work at the front row of the scrum, in the line-out and around rucks or mauls. This player is usually one of the biggest members of the team and is not afraid to stick his nose into contact. While primarily a defensive minded player, the prop can occasionally find himself used as a punishing ball carrier.

Hooker - roughly equates to a short Lineman or stocky fullback
The hooker regularly finds himself "propped up" in the middle of the front row of the scrum, and his primary duties include "hooking" the ball when it is fed into the scrum and throwing the ball into lineouts. The hooker also isn't likely to shy away from contact, as he provides yet another big body on both sides of the ball.

Lock - a tall middle linebacker or defensive end
Locks are usually among the tallest members of the team and spend much of their time as the driving force behind the scrum. Their strong legs and tall frames also provide desirable targets for the hooker to throw to during a lineout. Just like the rest of the forwards, locks are expected to make their fair share of tackles, but can also find themselves punishing opposing defensive lines as a ball carrier.

Flanker - outside linebacker or strong safety
The "flanker" is aptly named for his position on either flank of the scrum. These guys are usually among the fastest of the forwards, and their primary duty is to seek and destroy the ball carrier.

Number 8 - defensive end or linebacker
Tends to be a hybrid flanker/lock as far as their role and body type are concerned. The regularly find themselves leading the forwards during the scrum, taking part in line-outs and supporting rucks and mauls.

Backs
Scrum Half- quarterback, punter and running back
The scrum half is the link between the forwards and the backs. His primary rolls consist of feeding the ball into the scrum, making the first pass out of rucks and deciding between carrying the ball forward himself or kicking. This player is usually fairly small in stature and has an above average knowledge of the game.

Fly Half - quarterback, kicker, punter and running back
The fly half is the leader of the back line and tends to make most of the play calls, both out of a scrum and during general play. This player must be a proficient ball carrier, punter and passer, and like the scrum half, he must have excellent knowledge of tactics and the laws of the game. He also regularly finds himself with conversion kicking duties after a try is scored.

Inside Center - power running back
The inside center usually receives the first pass from the fly half and must be able to pound the ball into the opposition's back line when necessary. This player is also sometimes tasked with kicking, and tends to make an above average amount of tackles for a back.

Outside Center - balanced running back
Similar to his inside counterpart, the outside center is also tasked with exploiting gaps in the opposition's defense. This player is often not as big as the inside center but still finds himself making a fair amount of tackles.

Wing - wide receiver and kick returner
The speediest players on the pitch, the wing players line up as the last pass receiver on the back line and are expected to be able to break away for long runs if the opportunity presents itself. They are also regularly tasked with covering deep kicks along side the fullback.

Full Back - kick returner, free safety and punter
This player must have an above average ability to run with pace, receive kicks, return kicks, make open field tackles and kick the ball under pressure. The fullback also has a lot of responsibility on defense, seeing as though he is often the last line of defense against a break away.

This quick positional examination merely scratches the surface of each player's duties, and it should be noted that while one's "primary" responsibility may pertain to passing or tackling, all players will likely be presented with multiple opportunities to make tackles and carry the ball into contact. That is one major difference between rugby and football; there are no specific defensive or offensive players, everyone must possess multiple skills.