Language Investigation 2

I've been part of the "rugby community" for six years now. I played for my high school, select side teams, and for Colorado State. This community has been a huge part of my life since it has spanned for so many years. As a foreign game, meaning one not widely popular in the U.S., many words and phrases come across as confusing to members outside this community.

Pitch - Rugby field of play. Typically measured as the size of two football fields.

Touchline - The side boundary of the pitch.

Try - Five points scored when the ball is grounded in the other team's in-goal area. (a set or drop kick through post follows for additional points)

Forward Pass - Pass thrown ahead of himself/herself, which is illegal in rugby. It is a minor violation that results in a scrum to the non-offending team.

Pack/Forwards: Tend to be large players (jersey numbers 1 through 8) who make up a scrum (see later) and are used to retrieve the ball once the ball carrier has been tackled.

Backs: Tend to be smaller, quicker players, (jersey numbers 9 through 15) who use the ball once retrieved from the backs to progress towards the goal and score.

Set Piece - A set way of restarting play such as a scrum or lineout.

Scrum: A scrum will restart play after the referee has called a violation. A pack of players from each team (8 on each side) face each other and bind as one to form the "tunnel," into which the non-offending team will place the ball to restart play. The two teams will push against one another until the ball exits the rear of a pack (whichever side it exits); the scrum half or eight man will retrieve the ball and put it into play by throwing it to the "backs".

Lineout - Offense and defense players (forwards) line up perpendicular to the touchline to receive a ball thrown back onto the field by the hooker. Two players on each side may lift a third player into the air to receive the ball, with the opposing players lift their player into the air to defend.

Ruck: A ruck is formed when the ball is on the ground, usually following a tackle, and both teams converge over the ball, bind with one another, and attempt to push the opposing team backward to gain control of the ball until that teams scrum half can retrieve it and pass it out to continue play towards their goal.

Maul - Similar to a ruck, but occurs when the ball carrier is not tackled, but stays upright and maintains the ball. Both teams converge on the ball carrier and try to push the opposing side backward until the ball is striped or the ball carrier goes to the ground. (In that case, now forming a ruck)

"Ball's Out!" - Call heard when the ball exits the scrum, ruck, or maul.

Obstruction - Illegally getting in the way of an opposing (defensive) player. Unlike football, it is illegal to block (obstruct) your opponent.

Knock-On - When the ball has bounced forward after striking a player's hands, arms, or upper body. It is a minor violation that results in a scrum to the non-offending team.

Offside - Similar to soccer, there is an offside line (equal with the ball) continually moving up and down the pitch. It is not illegal to be offside, but it is illegal to participate in play from an offside position.

Sin Bin - For serious or repeated infringements the referee may send a player behind the in-goal area, the "sin bin," for a specified amount of time. His/her team must play shorthanded until the referee permits the punished player to return.

Positions: Each side has 15 players on the field at a time. A total of 30 on the field during play.

FORWARDS

Loosehead Prop - The player on the left side of his own scrum. (1)

Hooker- The name is derived from the fact that hookers use their feet to 'hook' the ball in the scrum; because of the pressure put on the body by the scrum it is considered to be one of the most dangerous positions to play. They also normally throw the ball in at line-outs. (2)

Tighthead Prop-The player on the right side of their own scrum. (3)
The role of both the loose and tighthead props is to support the hooker in the scrum and to provide effective support for the jumpers in the line-out, as well as powerhouses in the rucks.

Locks:The two locks stick their heads between the two props and the hooker in the scrums. They are also responsible for keeping the scrum square and the front row together and providing power to shift it forward. As the tallest players, they typically are lifted in a line-out. (4 & 5)

Flankers: In the scrum, flankers do less pushing than the tight five, but they have to break away quickly and attempt to tackle the opposing backs if the opposition wins the scrum; and to cover their own backs if they win the scrum. (6 & 7)

8 man: The number eight packs down at the rear of the scrum, controlling the movement of the ball to the scrum-half with his feet. The 8 man is the position where the ball enters the backline from the scrum. (8)

BACKS

Scrum Half: (My position) Scrum halves form the link between the forwards and the backs, and are invariably at the centre of the action. (Somewhat like a quarterback in football) A scrum half is normally relatively small but with a high degree of vision, the ability to react to situations very quickly, and good handling skills, as well as the ability to spin the ball with great ease off both hands long distances. They are often the first tackler in defence and are behind every scrum, maul or ruck to get the ball out to their team and maintain movement. They put the ball into the scrum and collect it afterwards; they also are allowed to stand further forward than other backs at a line-out to try to catch knock downs or passes from the jumper.It is also not unusual to have talkative scrum-halves in competitive situations seeing as one person must communicate with 14 others across a large pitch. (9)

Fly-Half: The fly-half makes key tactical decisions during a game along with the scrum half — whether to kick for space or tactical advantage, move the ball to the outside backs, return the ball to the forwards to drive on to or run with the ball themselves. An ideal fly-half should be a fast runner, be able to make decisions quickly, direct the backline on defence and attack, have excellent kicking and handling skills and the ability to cope under pressure. Strong leadership skills and defensive skills are crucial for this position. (10)

Inside Center: A "powerhouse" runner that is used to break through tackles or clear space for other runners. They may also be expected to act as fly-halves if the normal fly-half is involved in a ruck, tackle or maul. (12)

Outside Center: The faster of the two centers, the outside center is used to make breaks through the opposition's backs before passing to the wingers after drawing the last line of defence. Good size and tackle breaking skills are very important for outside centres to have, as well as the need to be very aggressive in defence. (13)

Wings: The idea is that space should be created by the forwards and backs inside the wingers so that once they receive the ball, they have a clear run for the try-line. Wings are almost always the quickest members of the team, aside from scrum-halves and fly-halves, but also need to be able to side step and otherwise avoid opponents in order to score tries. They are also used as a last line of defense on the sides of the pitch. (11 & 14)

Fullback: The full back stands back to cover defensive options as a 'sweeper' behind the main line of defence removed from the other backs principally to field any opposition kicks. They are also often inserted into the back line as an extra set of hands for an attack. As the true last line of defence, good tackling skills are required, as well as excellent kicking abilities, and require a good eye, as they oversee the entire game as it unfolds. (15)