What Does a 10 in Rugby Union Do? | The Role of a 10 in Rugby Union | Fly Half Rugby

What Does a 10 in Rugby Union Do? | The Role of a 10 in Rugby Union | Rugby Number 10 Explained

SUBSCRIBE: @ConnorDoesRugby

The role of a number 10 in rugby union may be confusing for people who have never watched rugby before so this is the rugby number 10 explained! The Rugby Union Number 10 is a very important position on the field as they control the tempo of the game. What does a 10 in rugby union do? you might ask, well the 10 is one of the half backs and is the link between the forwards and backs. They generally run the attack for the team. Watch the video to find out more!



OTHER VIDEOS:

The History of The 6 Nations:    • The Entire History of the 6 Nations, ...  

Are Drop Goals Useful?:    • Why DROP GOALS Are BAD in Rugby Union!!  

Is This a Red Card?:    • Is This a Red Card!? | Worcester vs G...  



SCRIPT
A fly half is one of the half-back positions along with the scrum half in a rugby team. The starting flyhalf wears the number 10 shirt. The number 10 is the heart beat of the team and potentially the teams most important player on the pitch. Most attacks will go through the fly half. This means that their decision making has to be one of the best and fasted in the game as they can control the tempo and style of a play by a team.

The number 10 orchestrates the attack. They may decide to pass the ball out wide, play it back inside to a forward or kick for territory. Good fly halves are calm, clear thinking and have the vision to direct effective attacking plays. They choose which pre-set plays to run and need to ensure that the team is playing in the right area of the pitch. The number 10 needs to be able to scan the defensive line for weaknesses or out of position players and have the skills to be able to take advantage of the chinks in the oppositions armour.
The fly half is also the main kick threat in the team. They may use their boot to relive pressure, take advantage of space or to control the defensive teams backline positioning. They can do this with grubber kicks, up and unders, chips or punts. They will also commonly be the go to player for drop kicks and drop goals and is usually the teams designated goal kicker for conversions and penalties.

There are 4 key skills that a fly half needs to be able to do their job properly on the pitch. These are passing, Kicking, decision making and Spatial awareness. One of the best passers in the game is Scotland number 10 Finn Russell. He uses his skills to manipulate the defence with a good variation of passing and velocity mixed with his accuracy. One of his most famous passes is “that pass” against England in the 2018 6 Nations that started a well worked team try a few phases later.

One of the best kicking fly halves in the game is Dan Biggar, Not only is he dangerous off the tea with an around 89% kick accuracy since 2015 but he can kick for territory and has excellent touch finders. He will surely be a danger with the new 50/22 rule.

One of the top decision makers in rugby is Harlequins 10 Marcus Smith. Although only young he has shown great ability at knowing what to do and when to do it. He makes risky spilt second calls that more often than not positively impact his team. For example his chip in behind the Bristol bears defence in round 4 of the 2021/22 Premiership season.

The All Blacks No 10 Beauden Barrett is one of the best players at finding space on the pitch for his team. He knows where to put the ball with his boot to maximise the pressure his team puts on the opposition and can also attack space in the defensive line to make a break and set up or score some wonderful tries, like against South Africa in the 2021 Rugby Championship.


SOURCES:
Rugby Pass - https://www.rugbypass.com/news/buildi...
Ruck https://www.ruck.co.uk/ranked-these-a...
Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugby_u...

#rugby union #number 10 #fly half