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What's the difference between inside and outside center?

ccc19

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New to rugby and gonna play centre, what's the differences between the 2, and usual strengths each one poses.
 
i honestly don't think there are hard and fast guides, really depends on what kind of player you are and how you team wants to play.

some play two play makers so the inside centre is closer to a second flyhalf and the the outside is closer to another outside back

some play the midfield as a unit (like the AB's did with Nonu and Smith) neither a second playmaker but they ran off each other

you can see the AB's currently trying to make Goodhue into a 12 from a 13...with mixed results

so it kind of comes down to what your good at compared to the others in your backline
 
Inside centre is the player next to the flyhalf, this position usually has less space, they tend to be the bigger of the two centres. Your job is to help distribute to the rest of the backline, either as a second playmaker with the flyhalf or you take the ball and crash thorough the line. Creativity is limited because you are very much inbetween everyone. 12 should help organize defence. You will get lots of the ball and you need very good ball handeling otherwise you will let your team down if you drop it too much. Be prepared to take bigger hits.

Outside centres tend to be faster and more skillfull/creative. More creation skills needed than a wing but should be able to make breaks, give support lines to wing and set them up . You can be a bit smaller if you play here as you don't really need to crash ball. Is enviable if you are fast and can fend players in the outside channels. Be prepared to cover very fast wingers on the inside channels.
 
Inside center is the creative player, outside center is the link for the back 3.
 
Inside centre generally bigger but slower (see De Allende), outside centre generally smaller but faster (see Kriel and Am)
 
Short answer: depends.
As you can see you already have different, even contradictory answer after only a couple of posts. Some time ago, and even today on lower levels, some teams (still) play(ed) left/right centres as opposed to inside and outside. Not the norm, but it happens. It depends on a lot of circumstantial factors.

My take, based on a couple of facts and lots of personal opinions. Fact: on average, Outside tend to have more space than inside centres. This has implications both on offence and defence.

I agree with most of what unrated said here. Physically, I would say on average IC are stronger, more tankish and OC more elusive and fast. IC can be playmakers but also space creators. IC tend to have a lot of work defensively as a) they tend to be pushed a lot and b) they have the incentive to cut the opponent fast as this would stop/disrupt the flow on the opposing team's play.
Having said that, and as physically demanding as the IC's defensive task is, i would go on a limb here and say that from a decision-making point of view, the OC's defence is the hardest job on the field. He has too many variables to consider and given his position, every decision is do or die. The options at that point are not that far from endless and he needs to decide on his feet.

On average (again) i would say IC have to be tidier in the sense of following the play and OC's have more leeway to do what they see fit once they get the ball.
 
It depends.
There are essentially 4 different prime attributes in the centres, you get playmakering, strike running, boshing, and defence specialism. Centres themselves will all be a mix-match of the above, with strengths and weaknesses.

Generally your playmaking &/ boshing centres gravitate to inside centre, whilst you strike runners &/ defence specialists gravitate to outside centre.
Of courses there are also high profile exceptions to that, especially with boshers and defenders switching around.
 
i honestly don't think there are hard and fast guides, really depends on what kind of player you are and how you team wants to play.

some play two play makers so the inside centre is closer to a second flyhalf and the the outside is closer to another outside back

some play the midfield as a unit (like the AB's did with Nonu and Smith) neither a second playmaker but they ran off each other

you can see the AB's currently trying to make Goodhue into a 12 from a 13...with mixed results

so it kind of comes down to what your good at compared to the others in your backline
Well said. The number of posts offering one definitive answer surprises me. Even if you ignore the nuance, there are plenty of 2nd playmaker 12s and plenty of boshers around.

Do Kiwis still refer to the inside centre as 2nd five eighth? It seems a bit of a strange term to still be using given the different styles we see.
 
Well said. The number of posts offering one definitive answer surprises me. Even if you ignore the nuance, there are plenty of 2nd playmaker 12s and plenty of boshers around.

Do Kiwis still refer to the inside centre as 2nd five eighth? It seems a bit of a strange term to still be using given the different styles we see.
Yeah we do, but everyone knows the the different terms
 
so any post here contradicting others....so im sticking with my first point, depends on what you can do and how your team wants to play.

The AB's have just named a small battering ram at 12

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I'm so glad you said inside and outside centre and not that 2nd-five-eight-nine-one-one-and-a-half crap.

the main difference between inside centre and outside centre is the numbers on their back. inside centre is the number 12. and the outside centre is the number 13.

also the inside centre stands inside the line of the backline, and the outside centre stands outside, closer to the wings.

Also what these guys already said...
 
Whilst all of the above is good advice, and pretty spot on, if you're completely new to rugby then I'm not sure centre is the best place for you to play immediately. Defending is extremely difficult, especially for the outside centre.
 
Whilst all of the above is good advice, and pretty spot on, if you're completely new to rugby then I'm not sure centre is the best place for you to play immediately. Defending is extremely difficult, especially for the outside centre.
Agreed, but no games coming up for next year because of covid so got a lot of time to learn through inter-squad games.
 
Some very interesting points, I suppose the nature of the 12 you pick (at the top level) says more about the kind of rugby you are trying to play than any other position. The dual ability to play 10 or 12 is a common one, while it is far less common with 10-13. However many teams often play players at 12 who would not in your wildest dreams play 10, Jamie Roberts for instance. Roberts originally picked for Wales on the wing but soon moved to 12 "just" to cross grainlines and provide additional physicality in defense. Over the last decade, the two-layered attack has evolved and the 12 is making far more decisions (out the back etc) but he still expected to make hard yards, its just that hard yards is less often the go-to option.
 
Agreed, but no games coming up for next year because of covid so got a lot of time to learn through inter-squad games.

Best wishes to you! I wish we had rugby when I was growing up. I'm too old now and would get killed in a few minutes. :eek: The sport is growing here, so I'll play in my next life.
 
I;m actually planning on getting back into it (masters) next year...not sure how i will go at hooker again as im not the same shape i was in my 20's...might need a position shift
 
It's hard to describe because they can fulfill different roles with a fair bit of overlap.

12 - Traditionally the 12 was a strong ball carrier, one of the largest backs and their role was largely to run at gaps or heavier traffic with the aim of trying to bust through but with added speed compared to a forward. Jamie Roberts was a prime example of this and also Nonu (although Roberts did only this, Nonu developed his game). The 2nd approach is using the 12 as another distributor. Generally the 10 will play as first receiver off the 9 and will be closer to the opposition players. Sometimes they can close down the space or options for the 10. Having a 2nd distributor at 12 allows you to essentially set up 2 patterns and increase the choices from a breakdown or set piece, making it harder to close down all options. This will also allow the ball to be moved more rapidly across the field as a 12 in this role should be able to pass accurately over long distances too. In this role less is expected in terms of a hard running game from a 12. Farrell is an example of this sort of 12, although his running game is virtually non-existent so he is more a 10 playing at 12 than a 12 really. Nonu in later years developed a much better kicking and passing game and is often though of as the model 12. A fast, strong runner who can also distribute the ball when necessary. I'd say a 12 in this role has to have the most varied skillset of any player on the field. At the moment it seems international rugby is shifting towards this dual playmaker option.

Defensively a 12 should expect to deal with hard runners themselves including forwards. Strong tackling is a must as a break through a 12 will likely be in a pretty central position. Being able to deal with good footwork is less of an issue as the area around a 12 is usually more congested.

13- The 13 plays a bit more like a winger further infield. Generally they are elusive runners needing similar skills to an 11 or 14, although there isn't the same expectation that they need to be good in the air or chasing aerial kicks. A 13 relies largely on good footwork and exploiting overlaps as they should be the last player facing a defender in a 1 player overlap, allowing them to either break through themselves or hold the final defender and put the winger through. A 13 needs to have a reasonable passing and kicking game but generally not to the same degree as a distributor 12. They will usually be more limited in their passing options and it's more if they take it or not. There is more emphasis on the 13 being able to produce something themselves. Brian O'Driscoll is widely regarded as the model 13. The alternative 13 is similar to the hard runner at 12 where you put a big guy out wide and hope he can make breaks against smaller backs and away from the forwards. Unlike at 12, a 13 basher is still expected to be fast and the aim is more to make clean breaks rather than make ground. Fewer teams use this although it may be on a return. Manu Tuilagi was a prime example but I'd say a good modern example is Vakatawa for France. Vakatawa in particular has the added skillset of being able to offload out of the tackle very frequently. Lastly you can have a distributor at 13 but it would usually be a secondary role for them.

Defensively a 13 needs to master the art of using the sidelines as another defender and trying to guide attacks towards it. They will often be with a winger as the last line of a defence and could be facing overlaps. It is their job to marshal the overlap until more players can drift. It's usually better for the 13 and winger to concede ground and keep the attack under control than bite in, unless there is no more space.
 
One wears 12 and the other wears 13.

One gets the glory of scoring tries while the other gets sacrificed as a decoy and smashed by the opposition number 8.
finally someone has managed to sum it put perfectly
 
I;m actually planning on getting back into it (masters) next year...not sure how i will go at hooker again as im not the same shape i was in my 20's...might need a position shift

I'm not in the shape I was when I was in my early 20's I'll likely be moving from Halfback to hooker if I make a return lmao.
 

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