Rugby positions explained, with famous Springboks

A rugby union team has 15 players on the field, numbered 1 to 15. Numbers 1 to 8 are the forwards, who win the ball in the scrum, lineout and breakdown. Numbers 9 to 15 are the backs, who use that ball to run, pass and kick. The bench adds eight more players, numbered 16 to 23.

Bokdle's Position tile groups the 15 positions into six units, three in each half of the team. Green means the mystery player has played in the same unit as your guess, and gold means the same half. This guide walks through each unit, what the players there do, and the Springboks who made those jerseys famous.

The forwards

Front row: loosehead prop (1), hooker (2), tighthead prop (3)

The front row is the engine room of the scrum. The two props bind on either side of the hooker and take the full weight of the opposing pack. The tighthead (3) has the hardest job, scrumming against both the opposition hooker and loosehead. The hooker strikes for the ball in the scrum and throws it in at the lineout, so accuracy matters as much as strength.

South Africa has built its game on scrum power for decades. Os du Randt won World Cups twelve years apart, in 1995 and 2007. Tendai "Beast" Mtawarira won 117 caps at loosehead. John Smit, a hooker, captained the 2007 world champions. In the modern side, Malcolm Marx has scored more Test tries than many wings, and the Springboks often use a front row on the bench as strong as the one that starts.

Front rowers are usually heavy rather than tall, and most score few tries, which is a useful clue on the Height and Tries tiles. Past answers from this unit include CJ van der Linde, Vincent Koch and Steven Kitshoff.

Locks: 4 and 5

Locks are the tallest players on the field, and among the Springboks the typical lock stands about 2 metres tall. They are the main jumpers in the lineout, they push in the second row of the scrum, and they do a huge amount of tackling and rucking.

Victor Matfield is the great lineout general of South African rugby, with 127 caps. Bakkies Botha was his partner for years. Eben Etzebeth has now passed them both as the most capped Springbok of all time, with 147 caps in Bokdle's data. RG Snyman (a past answer) won World Cups in 2019 and 2023.

If the Height tile says the answer is taller than a 2-metre guess, you're almost certainly looking at a lock.

Loose forwards: flankers (6 and 7) and number 8

The loose forwards, or back row, are the all-rounders. Flankers tackle, steal ball at the breakdown and support every attack. The number 8 controls the ball at the back of the scrum and often carries hard into contact.

This is where many famous captains have played. Francois Pienaar, who lifted the 1995 World Cup, was a flanker, and so is Siya Kolisi, who lifted it in 2019 and 2023. Duane Vermeulen was player of the match in the 2019 final from number 8. Pieter-Steph du Toit, World Rugby's player of the year in 2019, has played at both flank and lock.

Some players cover more than one unit. Bokdle uses the positions a player actually started Tests in, so a flanker who also started several Tests at lock has both. A green Position tile means the answer has played in your guess's unit, even as a second position. Past loose forward answers include Juan Smith and Marcell Coetzee.

The backs

Halfbacks: scrum-half (9) and fly-half (10)

The halfbacks run the game. The scrum-half feeds the scrum and passes the ball away from every ruck, so he touches the ball more than anyone. The fly-half decides whether to run, pass or kick, and is usually the team's goal kicker.

Scrum-halves are often the smallest players in the team: Faf de Klerk stands about 1.72 m. Joost van der Westhuizen scored 38 Test tries, a huge number for his position. Fourie du Preez ran the 2007 side. At fly-half, Joel Stransky kicked the drop goal that won the 1995 final, and Handré Pollard (a past answer) kicked every point in the 2023 final.

Past scrum-half answers include Cobus Reinach and Ricky Januarie.

Centres: inside centre (12) and outside centre (13)

The centres break the defensive line in attack and make a lot of tackles in defence. The inside centre is often a strong ball carrier and second playmaker, and the outside centre needs pace and good decisions in space.

Jean de Villiers won 109 caps and captained the side. Damian de Allende and Lukhanyo Am formed one of the best defensive pairings in the world at the 2019 World Cup. Jesse Kriel (a past answer) has passed 90 caps. Earlier answer Japie Mulder was in the centre for the 1995 world champions.

Back three: wings (11 and 14) and fullback (15)

The wings are the finishers, usually the fastest players in the team. The fullback is the last line of defence, catches the high kicks and joins the attack from deep.

Bryan Habana holds the Springbok try record with 67, and scored 8 tries at the 2007 World Cup. Chester Williams scored four in a single match at the 1995 World Cup. Makazole Mapimpi (our first answer) and Cheslin Kolbe scored the two tries in the 2019 final. At fullback, Percy Montgomery holds the Springbok points record, and Willie le Roux has passed 100 caps.

Wings show up clearly on the Tries tile: the average modern Springbok wing has scored more than 20 Test tries, far more than any other unit. Past back three answers include Zane Kirchner, Damian Willemse and Canan Moodie.

Using positions in Bokdle

• Guess one is forward or back. The Position tile will tell you which half straight away.
• Guess two picks a unit. If you're in the forwards, try a lock or a loose forward. Grey or gold tells you which units are left.
• Height and Tries confirm it. A tall, low-scoring answer is a lock or a prop. A short, high-scoring one is a wing or a scrum-half.
• The position hint, after 5 guesses, names the answer's main position exactly. Take it if you still don't know the unit.

For the rest of the tiles, read How to solve Bokdle.