How Many Players Are on a Rugby League Team?

There are several offshoots of rugby football’s two codes: rugby league and rugby union. SportsBoom breaks down the number of players in rugby league and contrasts the sport with rugby union. Sevens rugby, touch rugby, and beach rugby are other popular rugby football codes, all with different numbers of players per team. This is what we found. 

England and France take part in a scrum//Getty

Why Are There Different Numbers of Players in Rugby League and Rugby Union?

Rugby league has thirteen players on the starting team, with four substitutes. Rugby union has fifteen starting players and eight reserves. There are more substitutes because of the importance of the scrums. The front row in rugby union has a specific skill set not needed in rugby league.

The two missing players in rugby league are forwards. Both codes use seven backline players. Rugby union has eight forwards, and rugby league has six. There are no flanks in rugby league because there are no rucks. Instead, rugby league uses a play-the-ball system. Each team is allowed six phases during attacks before kicking the ball away or scoring before the ball is turned over to the defending side.

Leeds Rhinos and St Helens in the scrum//Getty

The number of substitutes varies. The junior age group (school and club) has fewer replacements because of the number of teams and playing numbers. Schools have several teams per age group, so there is no need for reserves. Instead, players from lower-level sides stand in for injured players of the high-ranked teams. 

In senior rugby, the eight substitutes can be any mixture of forwards and backs. The forwards always outnumber the backline players because of the set-pieces (kick-offs, drop-outs, scrums, and lineouts). Certain positions in the forwards and backline are specialised. 

A scrum during the Top 14 match//Getty

The entire front row is specialised, although a tighthead prop can often play loosehead, while the latter cannot. Although similar, the blindside and openside flanks are specialised. One attacks the rucks to slow the opposition while trying to turnover possession. The blindside flanker must be excellent at carrying and cleaning out the rucks.

Several backline positions are specialised, but versatile backline players can stand in if they have the required skillsets of the scrumhalf and flyhalf. Fullbacks are experts under the high ball, good at reading defensive weakness, and often must be able to kick for poles and out-of-hand.  

A History of Numbers of Players on a Rugby Team

Rugby football was codified in the mid-nineteenth century in England and Scotland. The first laws were written by students at Rugby School in 1845. Another important event in the early years of rugby was the decision by Blackheath F.C. to leave The Football Association (FA) in 1863. 

Rugby had up to twenty players per team until the mid-1970s when Oxford and Cambridge University decided to field fifteen players in a rugby union team in 1875. Twelve months later, the International Rugby Football Board (IRFB) chose to keep this number of players indefinitely. But in 1893, the IRFB battled a philosophical schism between amateur and a professional sport.

Daniel Heckenberg plays the ball with his shorts round his knees//Getty

Fissures developed in rugby. In 1895, rugby split to form two separate codes. League went professional three years later, in 1898. Union was an amateur sport for a century until after the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa when rugby union went professional. Both codes used fifteen players until 1906, when the Northern Rugby Football Union (NRFU) changed the rules from fifteen to thirteen players for rugby league. It was not the only difference between rugby league and rugby union. 

he NRFU decided against rucks. They opted against rucks for ‘play-the-ball’ after a tackle. This shift away from the breakdown meant flankers were no longer needed, hence thirteen from fifteen. Rugby league went professional, and the players made excellent salaries. 

Because of fewer players, reserves are fewer. Sevens rugby uses rugby union rules, especially keeping the ruck instead of putting the ball between a player’s legs after being tackled. Touch rugby, however, uses rugby league-style rules of ‘play-the-ball’ after a player is touched by the opposition. 

How Many Players in Other Rugby Codes? 

There are several versions of rugby. The three professional codes of rugby football are rugby union, rugby league, and Sevens rugby. Each code has different numbers of players that make up the starting team and the number of replacements. Disabled athletes compete in wheelchair rugby, which is a Paralympic sport. 

Beach and Rugby 10s are two informal versions of rugby football, often played by older players. It is an entry-level form of rugby for schoolboy rugby from eight to eleven years of age. Tens is played at clubs and schools and in social tournaments for amateurs and retired professionals.

All codes have different variations on the rules, terminology, and points-scoring systems. Sevens Rugby and wheelchair rugby are Olympic sports, while beach rugby is an offshoot of touch rugby.

South Africa celebrate winning Bronze Medals during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games//Getty