Rugby union numbering schemes
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A rugby union team consists of 15 players plus up to seven replacements (depending on the competition). The starting players are normally numbered from 1 to 15 and the replacements 16 onwards.
Traditionally, however, some clubs, notably Leicester Tigers and Bristol, used alternative schemes consisting of letters, whilst others Bath and Richmond used a scheme with no number 13. Leicester's numbers were from 1 to 15 corresponding A to O with the exception of the openside which who wore H which is the eighth letter of the alphabet. English Guinness Premiership sides have ceased using these numbers/letters to better aid the understanding of those new to the sport.
Nowadays the players are numbered 1 to 15 with 1 being loosehead prop and 15 being the fullback. However, the numbering used to be reversed with 1 being the fullback. This change happened in the 1950s. Rugby league still uses this reverse numbering system.
Other common variations in the numbering are the interchange of 6 and 7 (particularly in South Africa and Argentina) or of 11 and 14.
A peculiar tradition exists with the rugby team of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London which uses a system of ancient Thai numbers, making identification by opposing teams virtually impossible.
There are also regional variations to the way line-ups are listed. Most of the time, the first player mentioned is actually the number 15. The two mainstream styles of listing a line-up are 15–9 then 1–8 and 15–1. However, you may see the centres swapped over and the same is often done to the back row.
| Position | Standard number | No 13-number | Letters – Leicester-style | Letters – Bristol-style |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full back | 15 | 16 | O | A |
| Right wing | 14 | 15 | N | B |
| Outside centre | 13 | 14 | M | C |
| Inside centre | 12 | 12 | L | D |
| Left wing | 11 | 11 | K | E |
| Fly-half | 10 | 10 | J | F |
| Scrum-half | 9 | 9 | I | G |
| Loosehead prop | 1 | 1 | A | H |
| Hooker | 2 | 2 | B | I |
| Tighthead prop | 3 | 3 | C | J |
| Lock | 4 | 4 | D | K |
| Lock | 5 | 5 | E | L |
| Blindside flanker | 6 | 6 | F | M |
| Openside flanker | 7 | 7 | H | N |
| Number eight | 8 | 8 | G | O |
| Replacements | 16 onwards, up to 22 | 17 onwards, up to 23 | P onwards, up to V | P onwards, up to V |
