Can someone please explain where the term "1st 5/8" comes from?
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Its a little more involved than ZaFrenchy says
Originally, back in the early years of Rugby, there were many variations on the way the game was played, but essntially there were only two positions. Most of the players were forwards and a few were backs
Forwards were in the scrimmage (which later became known as the "scrummage" or "scrum", but American Football still uses the old term). The backs were known as "tenders" or "tends" (short for goal tenders I think)
However, as teams realised the possible advantages of playing the game behind the scrimmage, the players who stationed themselves between the forwards and tends became known as "half-tends".
As the game evolved, those players became less and less limited to defensive roles and more open to being used to advance the ball forward and then drop
back to take up defensive positions, so the "tends" became known as "backs". Over the years, as the game grew in tactical complexity the backs were positioned at different depths behind the scrimmage, and these became known as three quarter backs.
There were also specialised positions developed for the scrum. For example the role of the "wing- forward" (the forerunner of what we would call a flanker today) was to protect the half backs. The first ever test match played was in 1871 between England and Scotland. Each team had twenty players, 13 forwards and 7 backs (3 half backs, one 3/4 back and 3 fullbacks.) Player numbers were reduced to fifteen a few years later (1877?)
In New Zealand and Australia, the backs' position names were further refined, and currently, the way we arrange our back-lines is slightly different from some other countries. For example, in the UK and Europe, the 12 & 13 are both called centres, usually 12 on the left and 13 on the right. This is referred to here as
"inside-outside" because each player will alternatively play in the inside centre or outside centre position depending on which way the ball was being passed. However, in New Zealand, only the 13 is a centre, the 12 is referred to as the
"2nd 5/8th" (fly-half being the 1st 5/8th), so called because he is positioned half way between the half back (4/8ths) and the three-quarters (6/8ths). Normally the 12 will always play outside the 10 and inside the 13, regardless of which way the ball is being passed. Also, in the NH, the No. 9 is called the "scrum-half" where as in Australia and New Zealand the old term "halfback" is used.
Another oddie is the name "Lock", which currently refers to the two players in the second row who along with the props and hooker, form the "tight five". However, at one time, the Lock was use to refer to what we call the "Number 8" (in South Africa, the "Eightman").
In Rugby League, in some countries, they still call the player at the back of the scrum either "Lock" or "Loose Forward".
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