Number and Position names

[sigesige00]

Under the current way,

1 Loosehead Prop
2 Hooker
3 Tighthead Prop

16 Hooker
17 Loosehead Prop
18 Tighthead Prop

This is strange. So 1 and 2 should be interchanged. (1 Hooker, 2 Loosehead Prop)

The position name "Number Eight" is strange; because the player-number of this position is not always 8. So another name "Loose Third" would be better.

12 Inside Centre (or Second Five)
13 Outside Centre (or Centre)

11, 15, 14 are Back Three.

This is strange; maybe in the old era, 11-12-13-14 are in front of 15.

The current number should be changed to:

11 Inside Centre (or Second Five)
12 Outside Centre (or Centre)
13 Left Wing (or Left Back)

However, the numbers of 10~15 are not so important; if a player normally play with 15, the number should not be changed when that player plays as other position such as Fly-Half (or Stand-Off or First Five).

 

[Kiwiwomble]

Under the current way,

1 Loosehead Prop
2 Hooker
3 Tighthead Prop

16 Hooker
17 Loosehead Prop
18 Tighthead Prop

This is strange. So 1 and 2 should be interchanged. (1 Hooker, 2 Loosehead Prop)

The position name "Number Eight" is strange; because the player-number of this position is not always 8. So another name "Loose Third" would be better.

12 Inside Centre (or Second Five)
13 Outside Centre (or Centre)

11, 15, 14 are Back Three.

This is strange; maybe in the old era, 11-12-13-14 are in front of 15.

The current number should be changed to:

11 Inside Centre (or Second Five)
12 Outside Centre (or Centre)
13 Left Wing (or Left Back)

However, the numbers of 10~15 are not so important; if a player normally play with 15, the number should not be changed when that player plays as other position such as Fly-Half (or Stand-Off or First Five).

but then when listing the team in formation it would read

2 - 1 - 3....weird

and the player wearing the 8 is almost always the number 8....it would be very unusual for it not to be

 

[big ginger 8]

Who needs Beaumont or Pichot?

 

[Cruz_del_Sur]

What is the problem with letting teams do whatever they want with numbers?

This is just silly. What if the team plays with right/left centres or flankers instead of 1st/2nd or open/blindside? Say, for whatever reason, number 7 and number 10 decide to switch places after 10 seconds into the game. What is the ref going to do, tell them they are not allowed to do that?

 

[sigesige00]

but then when listing the team in formation it would read

2 - 1 - 3....weird

and the player wearing the 8 is almost always the number 8....it would be very unusual for it not to be

2 - 1 - 3 is not weird. The central player is Number 1, what's strange?
If 2 - 1 - 3 is weird, 11-15-14 is more weird.
And the player wearing the 8 is sometimes not Number Eight, like 8 is a Flanker and 20 is Number Eight. Or when a FW is binned or sent-off, the player wearing the 8 often plays as a Flanker.

 

[sigesige00]

What is the problem with letting teams do whatever they want with numbers?

This is just silly. What if the team plays with right/left centres or flankers instead of 1st/2nd or open/blindside? Say, for whatever reason, number 7 and number 10 decide to switch places after 10 seconds into the game. What is the ref going to do, tell them they are not allowed to do that?

>What if the team plays with right/left centres or flankers instead of 1st/2nd or open/blindside?

Left Centre is 11 and Right Centre is 12 would be good.

>number 7 and number 10 decide to switch places after 10 seconds into the game.

Not illegal, but undesirable.

 

[Kiwiwomble]

2 - 1 - 3 is not weird. The central player is Number 1, what's strange?
If 2 - 1 - 3 is weird, 11-15-14 is more weird.
And the player wearing the 8 is sometimes not Number Eight, like 8 is a Flanker and 20 is Number Eight. Or when a FW is binned or sent-off, the player wearing the 8 often plays as a Flanker.

....if what you've just written makes sense to you then there is nothing else it can say...it's just illogical to change everything for things that happen sometimes for a small period of a game after substitutions

the player wearing 8 always starts the game as the number 8

 

[sigesige00]

The central player is Number 1, what's strange?

....if what you've just written makes sense to you then there is nothing else it can say...it's just illogical to change everything for things that happen sometimes for a small period of a game after substitutions

the player wearing 8 always starts the game as the number 8

That player number and position name are same is sometimes confusing, like when 20 is playing as Number Eight.

 

[Kiwiwomble]

That player number and position name are same is sometimes confusing, like when 20 is playing as Number Eight.

But only after substitutions, so for 80% or all games 8 plays number 8

 

[EdBirch]

This thread is pointless. There's nothing wrong or confusing about the numbers and naming of positions.

 

[Ids1978]

This thread is pointless. There's nothing wrong or confusing about the numbers and naming of positions.

I agree

It doesn't make sense to change

If anything it's the back numbers which are a bit off but do not need changing.

 

[sigesige00]

Could you tell me what does "CE" stand for? Obviously this means utility backs....

Replacements:
HK 16 Stuart McInally
PR 17 Allan Dell
PR 18 W. P. Nel
LK 19 Ben Toolis
N8 20 Cornell du Preez
SH 21 George Horne
CE 22 Rory Hutchinson
CE 23 Chris Harris

 

[Kiwiwomble]

wild guess...."Centre"

 

[ajwffc]

CE is Center

 

[The Seeker]

This thread is pointless. There's nothing wrong or confusing about the numbers and naming of positions.

I agree, I don't find it confusing either.

 

[Goodey]

The fact that lots of positions have multiple names and don't always match where people are on the field is quite nice, I think. It shows a bit of history.

For example if someone asks 'why are wings listed as part of 11-14, when they're more often referred to as part of the back three' leads to an answer that explains how their role has changed from being part of the 3/4 line to being a key part of deep field positioning. Makes for a teaching moment for someone who's new to the sport.

Besides, if we made a 'new' list of positions and numbers that reflected how people play right now (including a 4-man second row, for example) it'd just be outdated in a few decades anyway.