Archive August 23, 2025

The Women’s Rugby World Cup is under way and you can watch every match live on the BBC.

But if you’re new to the game, it may be rather confusing to follow all the terminology – particularly when it comes to the names of the players’ positions.

If you don’t know your prop from your wing, never fear – we’re not just talking aviation here.

Hooker

The hooker is at the centre of the scrum and is the one who tries to kick the ball back to their side – or hook it, hence the name.

In the starting XV, the hooker wears number two.

The hooker is also responsible for throw-ins, known in rugby as line-outs.

Prop

There are two props in the scrum, who support the hooker. There is the loose-head, who stands to the hooker’s left, and the tight-head on the right.

In the starting XV, the loose-head prop will wear number one and the tight-head wears three.

They provide power in rucks and mauls, play a support role in line-outs and are often used as battering rams when carrying the ball.

Second row

These are among the tallest and strongest players on the field and key in providing power to the forwards in scrums and mauls.

There are two second rows and they wear four and five in the starting XV.

They are responsible in line-outs for jumping, with support from the props, to catch the ball.

Flanker

There are two flankers in a rugby union team. The blind-side flanker supports the left side of the scrum and the open-side flanker supports the right side.

The flankers wear numbers six and seven in the starting team.

They provide additional force in the scrum and if the ball is turned over to the opposition, they will often be the ones to have to start the new attack.

Number eight

No prizes for guessing what number this player wears!

The number eight is the player at the back of the scrum and is the link between the forwards and backs.

Scrum-half

The scrum-half feeds the ball into the scrum and, all going well, will collect it when it comes out and start the attacking phase of play.

They wear the number nine in the starting XV.

Scrum-halves are often the smallest players on the field and must be agile both physically and mentally to make quick decisions and set up attacks.

Fly-half

Often the glamour player, the fly-half is central to a team’s attack and will usually direct play and issue tactical instructions.

They are also usually the team’s goal kicker – when the ball comes out of the scrum it will often be passed to them to kick, either for goal or to set up an attack.

In the starting XV, they wear number 10.

Centre

Each team has two centres in their starting XV – the inside centre, nearest the scrum, and the outside centre.

These players wear numbers 12 and 13.

As the name suggests, centres play in the middle of the pitch and must be good at running in attack as well as strong in the tackle against opposition backs.

Wing

There are two wings in a rugby team who in the starting XV wear numbers 11 and 14.

The left wing and right wing, as the names suggest, line up on the far sides of the pitch to provide speed and width to their team’s attack.

They are usually the quickest players and should provide the main source of tries.

Full-back

A full-back wears number 15 and is often positioned well behind their team-mates when lining up on the field.

They do this to catch high balls kicked by the opposition team and to provide a last line of defence should the opponent break through the main defensive line.

The full-back is also expected to support in attacks and start moves too, so must be exceptionally quick and physically fit.

Ellie Kildunne, England’s world player of the year, plays in the position for the tournament hosts.

Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your questions.

We want to reward your time by telling you things you do not know and reminding you of things you do.

The team will find out everything you need to know and be able to call upon a network of contacts including our experts and pundits.

We will be answering your questions from the heart of the BBC Sport newsroom, and going behind the scenes at some of the world’s biggest sporting events.

The Women’s Rugby World Cup is under way and you can watch every match live on the BBC.

But if you’re new to the game, it may be rather confusing to follow all the terminology – particularly when it comes to the names of the players’ positions.

If you don’t know your prop from your wing, never fear – we’re not just talking aviation here.

Hooker

The hooker is at the centre of the scrum and is the one who tries to kick the ball back to their side – or hook it, hence the name.

In the starting XV, the hooker wears number two.

The hooker is also responsible for throw-ins, known in rugby as line-outs.

Prop

There are two props in the scrum, who support the hooker. There is the loose-head, who stands to the hooker’s left, and the tight-head on the right.

In the starting XV, the loose-head prop will wear number one and the tight-head wears three.

They provide power in rucks and mauls, play a support role in line-outs and are often used as battering rams when carrying the ball.

Second row

These are among the tallest and strongest players on the field and key in providing power to the forwards in scrums and mauls.

There are two second rows and they wear four and five in the starting XV.

They are responsible in line-outs for jumping, with support from the props, to catch the ball.

Flanker

There are two flankers in a rugby union team. The blind-side flanker supports the left side of the scrum and the open-side flanker supports the right side.

The flankers wear numbers six and seven in the starting team.

They provide additional force in the scrum and if the ball is turned over to the opposition, they will often be the ones to have to start the new attack.

Number eight

No prizes for guessing what number this player wears!

The number eight is the player at the back of the scrum and is the link between the forwards and backs.

Scrum-half

The scrum-half feeds the ball into the scrum and, all going well, will collect it when it comes out and start the attacking phase of play.

They wear the number nine in the starting XV.

Scrum-halves are often the smallest players on the field and must be agile both physically and mentally to make quick decisions and set up attacks.

Fly-half

Often the glamour player, the fly-half is central to a team’s attack and will usually direct play and issue tactical instructions.

They are also usually the team’s goal kicker – when the ball comes out of the scrum it will often be passed to them to kick, either for goal or to set up an attack.

In the starting XV, they wear number 10.

Centre

Each team has two centres in their starting XV – the inside centre, nearest the scrum, and the outside centre.

These players wear numbers 12 and 13.

As the name suggests, centres play in the middle of the pitch and must be good at running in attack as well as strong in the tackle against opposition backs.

Wing

There are two wings in a rugby team who in the starting XV wear numbers 11 and 14.

The left wing and right wing, as the names suggest, line up on the far sides of the pitch to provide speed and width to their team’s attack.

They are usually the quickest players and should provide the main source of tries.

Full-back

A full-back wears number 15 and is often positioned well behind their team-mates when lining up on the field.

They do this to catch high balls kicked by the opposition team and to provide a last line of defence should the opponent break through the main defensive line.

The full-back is also expected to support in attacks and start moves too, so must be exceptionally quick and physically fit.

Ellie Kildunne, England’s world player of the year, plays in the position for the tournament hosts.

Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your questions.

We want to reward your time by telling you things you do not know and reminding you of things you do.

The team will find out everything you need to know and be able to call upon a network of contacts including our experts and pundits.

We will be answering your questions from the heart of the BBC Sport newsroom, and going behind the scenes at some of the world’s biggest sporting events.

Ellie Kildunne grabbed the headlines in England’s statement victory over the United States in their Rugby World Cup opener, but Hannah Botterman has been identified as a pivotal player when the matches get tougher in the knockout stage.

Full-back Kildunne dazzled in Sunderland on Friday night, making 153 metres and five clean breaks, and dotting down for a try either side of half-time as England cruised to a 69-7 win.

However, while the reigning World Player of the Year could have added at least two more tries to her individual tally, she instead chose to twice set up Jess Breach, with 2014 World Cup winner Maggie Alphonsi praising her situational awareness and “selfless” actions.

“Ellie Kildunne could easily be selfish but she showed she is selfless,” former England flanker Alphonsi said.

With winger Dow also crossing the tryline, England’s back three bagged five of their side’s 11 tries at the Stadium of Light, taking their combined tally to 141 in 157 appearances.

Speaking on BBC Sport’s Rugby Union Weekly podcast, commentator Claire Thomas said we are witnessing “a generation coming of age at this tournament” while 1994 World Cup winner Giselle Mather pinpointed the teamwork of England’s back three as a key component in any future success.

“The back three that England have are a phenomenal force and they have to work together for the good of the team. It’s got to be the back three scoring together,” Mather said.

“Abby Dow could have gone on the outside and she put the ball back inside to Ellie Kildunne. Ellie gives two lovely passes to Jess Breach, who puts the ball down.

Kildunne, who was named player of the match, maintained her selfless attitude in her post-match interview, deflecting attention from her own performance to instead praise the team effort which underpinned England’s dominant victory.

“It’s a team sport. We wouldn’t have the space on the edges if it wasn’t for the play through the middle,” she said.

“It’s a full team effort. You can’t win a game of rugby with one person. Individuals don’t win World Cups.”

On England’s back three, she added: “We’ve played together a long time. With the depth we’ve got with Emma Sing and Claudia [Moloney-MacDonald] as well, we’re a tight unit. We know how each other play, we know the speeds of each other. When someone’s running down the wing, it’s about supporting them and being that touch if you need.”

But while England’s backs dominated the headlines, Mather, Thomas, and Rugby Union Weekly host Sara Orchard were unanimous in naming Botterman their player of the match.

The prop, who bulldozed over for a first-half try of her own, earned praise for her unsung and less glamorous defensive efforts, with Orchard calling it a “statement performance”.

Thomas, meanwhile, hailed the 26-year-old as England’s player to watch against tougher opposition.

“She’s developed an uncanny ability to turn over balls under huge pressure when her heels are on her own tryline,” she said.

Despite running in 11 tries, conceding just once, and kicking off their tournament with a bonus-point victory, England were not flawless on Friday, with Orchard rating their performance “five out of 10”.

John Mitchell’s side were nervy with their handling when dealing with the restart, beginning with Abbie Ward letting the opening kick-off bounce and never really settling from there – a weakness that could prove costly against the tournament’s top sides.

“I can’t remember the last time I saw a really classy Red Rose let the ball find grass like [Ward]. We thought, ‘that’s fine, it won’t happen again’ and then it kept on happening,” Thomas said.

“It was almost like they were experimenting with something and they hadn’t yet got to grips with it.

“They have just revealed an Achilles’ heel, if they can’t fix it in the next week.”

Mather added: “They went for one-player lifts and that’s a very hard skill. Is it a skill we need to be doing if we’re not doing it well?

“Every time we scored, we let the USA back in the game. That’s fine against the USA but when it’s Canada, France, New Zealand, that’s not fine.