Parting ways with its sporting counterpart in 1895, rugby league initially split from rugby union over the issue of payments to players.
But over the years, the game developed with rule changes aimed at making the game faster and more appealing to spectators, with the biggest difference between the two codes being that 15 players are used on a rugby union team, compared to 13 in rugby league.
Below, we look at the different positions used in rugby league.
Rugby league positions
Backs
Full-back
Typically wearing the number 1, the full-back needs to be a versatile player, tasked with offensive and defensive duties. In possession, the full-back needs to a capable receiver while being comfortable passing, making them amongst the most common tryscorers.
Defensively, a full-back typically sits behind the defensive line to provide additional support for the defence from runners who break the line, meaning they need to be quick with good reading of the game.
They're also tasked with catching kicks at the end of a set, meaning they'll drop deep in the pitch when expecting a kick from the opposing team.
Winger
Generally the fastest member of the team, a winger will typically wear number 2 or 5 and is a team's primary tryscoring outlet and, as the name suggests, stand on the wings of the pitch.
Wingers don't have much in the way of defensive duties, but will also drop back to accompany the full-back when expecting a kick from the opposition.
Centre
A centre makes up the back line with the wingers and typically wears either 3 or 4. They're solid ball carriers who may be tasked with finding wingers on the outside, but are typically bigger then -- but not as fast as -- wingers. Centres are amongst the bigger members of a pitch and can be deployed as second-rows.
Stand-off
One of a team's two halves, a stand-off is one of a rugby league team's most important players and typically wears the number 6.
Not usually having much defensive responsibility, a stand-off is typically the smallest player on the pitch. As such, they often have good acceleration and agility to break through a defence.
Offensively, a stand-off is one of the first two players to receive a pass following a play the ball, with passing, creativity and vision their most important attributes.
A team's designated kicker is typically a half-back.
Named a stand-off as they would the half-back who would 'stand off' from the scrum, back in the days when scrums were contested in rugby league.
Scrum-half
In the modern game, the scrum-half and stand-off are virtually identical in terms of responsibility and skill set. The scrum-half wears the number 7 and is sometimes referred to as the 'half-back' or 'first-receiver' as they're often the first player to receive a pass from the play the ball.
Like a stand-off, scrum-halves are the most creative players on the pitch, tasked with passing, play-making, orchestrating the team's attack and kicking.
Named a scrum-half as they would be tasked with feeding the ball into the scrum.
Forwards
Hooker
Alongside the full-back, stand-off and scrum-half, the hooker makes up the spine of a rugby league team and typically wears the number 9.
Tasked with playing the ball more than the other forwards, a hooker is typically the smallest forward but the fastest and most creative. The hooker will typically act as 'dummy-half' -- the player responsible for taking possession from the play the ball before usually passing to a half-back -- but also finds themselves in the thick of things defensively, often making the most tackles during a game.
Prop
Wearing the number 8 or 10, the two props serve as the battering rams of the team. They'll be tasked with carrying the ball into the defence to get the team upfield, while defensively they'll often be tasked with denying opposing props metres.
Second-row
Usually not as big as props but more mobile, second rows typically wear 11 or 12 and should be more adept ball carriers while still prioritising their defensive duties.
Loose forward
A loose forward usually wears number 13 and is often smaller than second-rows. Despite their size, they're typically bigger than the backs meaning they're key to a team's defensive efforts, while being utilised in possession, meaning they need to be strong on the ball.
