A rugby team is made up of 15 players. There are 8 forwards, who concentrate on winning possession, and 7 backs, whose chief job it is to advance the ball. All players, though, get involved in offense and defense. Players advance the ball by running with it or kicking it. Forward passes are illegal. All players on a rugby team have the opportunity to run or kick the ball. There's a maximujm of 7 substitutions per team. Once substituted, a player cannot retake the field. The only exception is a bleeding playing, who can be replaced temporarily for treatment of his wounds.

There are two main types of rugby: Rugby Union and Rugby League. RUGBY UNION - 15 players on the field at a time per team; teams field a 22 man team , 15 starters and 7 replacements - The players are: fullback (traditionally wearing the jersey number 15), winger (14), outside centre (13), inside centre (12), winger (11), flyhalf (10), scrumhalf (9), number 8 (8), flanker (7), flanker (6), lock/second rower (5), lock/second rower (4), prop (3), hooker (2), prop (1) - Numbers 1 to 8 are the forwards; numbers 9 to 15 are the backs - A try is worth 5 points, and its conversion 2 - A penalty goal kick is worth 3 points - A field goal is worth 3 points - In Union, a scrum is awarded for knock-ons (fumbles or when the ball is dropped and it hits the ground), forward passes (in all codes of rugby, only backwards passes are allowed), and certain penalties. A scrum is formed when the forwards from both teams line up in a certain fashion (the hooker sandwiched between the two props in the first or 'front row'; the two locks behind the front row in the 'second row'; the number eight at the back of the scrum; and one flanker on either side of the scrum, binded to the lock forward). The scrumhalf who was awarded the scrum then feeds the ball in the centre of the scrum - the hookers try to use their legs to 'hook' the ball in their direction, and the forwards push and twist the scrum to get possession of the ball. The team that was not awarded the scrum, provided they have a good forward pack, can contest and even win the ball. - When the ball-carrier is tackled, he must fall to the ground and place the ball behind him. This is called the ruck. His teammates will try to protect the ball, and the scrumhalf will get the ball and pass it to his teammates. There is no limit to how amny rucks any team can have consecutively - only penalties and turnovers limit how many consecutive rucks one team can have. - The ball can be kicked in play at any time. - If the ball is kicked from within your own 22 metre line, then it doesn't matter if the ball bounces into touch or goes out on the full - the result is a line-out throw to the opposition where the ball went out of play. However if the ball is kicked from past one's own 22 metre line and it saisl out on the full, then a line-out is awarded to the opposition from where the ball was kicked. - A line-out is a contest for the ball. The team awarded the line-out decideds how many forwards to use in the line-out. The props and flankers usually lift up the locks, and the locks contest for the ball. The hooker from the team that was awarded the line-out throws the ball between the two lines of line-outs, and the teams contest possession. - In Union, one must use their arms to tackle - shoulder charges are not allowed. RUGBY LEAGUE - There are 13 players on the field per team; teams field a 17 man team per game; 13 starters and 4 players on the bench; the coaches can use 12 interchanges with the 13 players. - The players are: fullback (1), right winger (2), right centre (3), left centre (4), left winger (5), five-eighth (6), halfback (7), prop (8), hooker (9), prop (10), second rower (11), second rower (12), lock forward (13). - Numbers 1 to 7 are backs; numbers 8 to 13 are forwards. - A try is worth 4 points, and its conversion worth a further 2 points. - A penalty goal kick is worth 2 points. - A field goal is worth 1 point. - Scrums are not contested much in League. The forward packs from each team line up (traditionally, the hooker sandwiched between the two props in the front row; the two second rowers in the second row; and the lock at the back, 'locking' the scrum). The halfback whose team was awarded the scrum feeds the ball into the scrum and picks it up and passes it or runs with it to continue play. - In League, each team gets a set of 5 tackles in which to gain the most metres and score. It is traditional to kick on the 5th and last tackle - if a player is tackled with the ball on the fifth tackle, the possession is awarded to the opposition exactly where the player was tackled. A tackle is basically counted when the ball-carrier is brought to the ground and his ball-carrying arm hits the ground or when he is stopped upright from making any more metres (ie his progress has been completely halted). - Once a player has been tackled, he gets up, places the ball on the ground and plays it backwards with his foot. There is a teammate standing behind the tackled player waiting for the ball - he is called the dummy half player, as this area of play is known as the dummy half. The dummy half player is usually the hooker, and he has the option to kick the ball, go for a run from dummy half, or pass the ball to a teammate. - In League, one can kick the ball during play at any time, not just the 5th tackle. - If the ball bounces into touch, then a scrum is awarded to the non-kicking team from where the ball went into touch. However if the ball saisl out of play on the full, the scrum is awarded to the non-kicking team from where the ball was kicked. - In League, if the kicker kicks the ball from inside his 40 metre line, and the ball bounces into touch past the opposition's 20 metre line, then he has successfully kicked a 40/20 kick - this means that his team gets awarded a scrum 20 metres out from the non-kicking team's tryline. - In League, shoulder charges are legal. This is why Rugby League is faster paced and more aggressive and personally way better than Union.