Thirteen players make one flexible team.

The rulebook and the role guide

Unless a competition variation is identified, the enforceable rules on this page refer to the International Rugby League 2026 Laws of the Game, effective from 1 January 2026. The descriptions of running lines, kicking, organising, carrying, and defensive workload explain common modern practice; the IRL laws do not require every team to use the same tactics.

Domestic competitions, age-grade rugby league, nines, wheelchair rugby league, physical-disability formats, and other modified games can use different team or squad rules. Always check the current playing conditions for the match being watched or played.

How many players are on a rugby league team?

IRL Section 4 (2026) says the 13-a-side game is played by two teams, each with no more than 13 players on the field at one time. A full starting side is conventionally divided into seven backs and six forwards.

• Backs, 1 to 7: fullback, two wings, two centres, stand-off or five-eighth, and scrum-half.
• Forwards, 8 to 13: two props, hooker, two second-row forwards, and loose or lock forward.

The 13-player maximum is an enforceable limit. The backs-forwards split and numbered position names provide the standard team structure, but players can exchange practical duties during open play.

Numbers 1 to 13 at a glance

1. Fullback
2. Right wing
3. Right centre
4. Left centre
5. Left wing
6. Stand-off or five-eighth
7. Scrum-half
8. Prop
9. Hooker
10. Prop
11. Second-row forward
12. Second-row forward
13. Loose or lock forward

This list follows IRL Section 4 (2026). In Australian usage, number 7 is also commonly called the halfback; in British usage, number 13 is usually the loose forward, while “lock” is common in Australia and New Zealand.

Fullback: back-field cover and support

The fullback normally starts behind the main defensive line. In common modern tactics, number 1 tracks kicks, organises back-field coverage, returns the ball, supports line breaks, and joins attacking shapes as an extra runner or passer.

Those are conventional responsibilities, not a requirement to remain at the rear. A fullback may enter the attacking line, defend in the front line, move to either side of the field, kick, pass, carry, or play near the ruck if the team's system calls for it.

Wings and centres: the outside backs

Numbers 2 and 5 are the right and left wings under the IRL 2026 position list. Wings commonly finish wide attacks, chase kicks, take difficult early carries after a kick return, and help the fullback cover the back field.

Numbers 3 and 4 are the right and left centres. Centres commonly connect the halves to the wings, carry on an edge, make defensive decisions in wider channels, and create or close down space. “Right” and “left” describe the listed starting positions; teams can switch sides or move outside backs around during play.

The halves: stand-off and scrum-half

Number 6 is the stand-off or five-eighth, and number 7 is the scrum-half under IRL Section 4 (2026). Together they are commonly called the halves. They often organise attacking shape, receive the ball early in a play, choose where to pass, and provide much of the team's tactical kicking.

The labels do not make number 7 the only player who may feed a scrum or number 6 the only first receiver. The 2026 scrum law controls what the player putting the ball in must do, and the play-the-ball law recognises an “acting halfback”; either duty can be performed by an eligible player in the correct position for that phase.

Props: the middle forwards

The two props usually operate through the middle of the field. Their common work includes strong carries, completing tackles around the ruck, supporting other forwards, and helping the team control field position.

At a full six-player scrum, the props pack in the front row on either side of the hooker. That scrum formation is governed by IRL Section 12 (2026). Away from the scrum, the laws do not restrict props to short carries or central channels; they may pass, kick, support, or move wider like any other player.

Hooker: service from dummy half

Number 9 is the hooker. In modern play, the hooker is commonly the main dummy-half runner and passer: the player who moves behind the tackled teammate, collects the ball after the play-the-ball, and decides whether to pass, run, or kick.

“Hooker” and “acting halfback” are not identical legal labels. Under IRL Section 11 (2026), a player from the team in possession may act immediately behind the player playing the ball. That is often number 9, but it can be another teammate. At a scrum, the hooker is the middle front-row forward and has the first right to strike for the ball once it reaches the tunnel under Section 12.

Second-row forwards: edge strength

The two second-row forwards commonly defend and carry on the left and right edges, run lines off the halves, and help connect the middle forwards to the outside backs. Depending on the team's system, they may also work through the middle or swap sides.

At a full scrum, IRL Section 12 (2026) places no more than two second-row forwards behind the front row. “Second row” therefore has a formal scrum meaning, but it does not create a fixed open-play lane or prevent another forward from taking that player's usual attacking role.

Loose forward or lock: the link role

Number 13 is called the loose forward in much of Britain and the lock forward in Australia and New Zealand. The modern role varies widely. Some teams use a powerful middle forward; others use a mobile passer who links the ruck, halves, and edge runners.

In the full scrum required by IRL Section 12 (2026), the loose forward packs behind the two second-row forwards and binds around them. The 2026 amendment made that 3-2-1 formation explicit. Once the ball is in open play, number 13 is free to perform whatever lawful tactical role the team chooses.

Position is not the same as the job in one play

Rugby league commentary uses several labels that describe what a player is doing at that moment, not their named shirt position.

• Dummy half or acting halfback: the player immediately behind a teammate completing the play-the-ball.
• First receiver: the first teammate to receive a pass from the ruck area.
• Marker: a defender standing at the play-the-ball in the position allowed by the tackle laws.
• Ball-player: a tactical description for a player who passes and links attacks; it is not one of the 13 formal IRL position names.

Under the IRL 2026 laws, the player's conduct and position in the current phase matter. Their original shirt number does not excuse offside, obstruction, an incorrect play-the-ball position, or another infringement.

Where the forwards-backs split is enforced

Positions become most legally visible at a scrum. Under IRL Section 12 (2026), no more than six players from each team may help form the scrum, and no more than seven may act as backs while the ball is in it. A full six-forward pack uses a compulsory 3-2-1 formation: three in the front row, two in the second row, and the loose forward behind them.

If injuries deplete a team, the 2026 laws allow reduced pack formations while requiring at least three forwards to pack and still limiting the side to seven acting backs. The two scrum-halves and other players outside the scrum must also observe the phase-specific retirement rules. See the full rugby league scrum guide for formation, feed, and offside detail.

Substitutes do not create extra on-field players

Under IRL Section 4 (2026), a team may nominate up to four replacements before the match and use up to eight interchanges among the 17 named players. The referee or appointed interchange official must sanction the changes. Those players are part of the match-day team, but the on-field maximum remains 13.

A replacement may wear an additional squad number rather than the traditional number for the role they enter. Players can also change positions after an interchange: a bench forward can move to prop while the starting prop shifts elsewhere, for example. The legal questions are eligibility, the interchange process, and the number of players—not whether the incoming shirt matches the conventional position number. Competition rules can vary, so use the interchange and HIA guide for the full scope.

What happens after a sin bin, dismissal, or injury

A team can continue with fewer than 13 players after a temporary suspension, dismissal, injury, or lack of available replacements. It normally reshapes its attack and defence to cover the missing player; the laws do not require one particular position to be removed.

IRL Section 4 (2026) sets the safety threshold at nine current participants. This count includes players on the field and players temporarily suspended in the sin bin, but not dismissed players. If a team has fewer than nine current participants, the match must be terminated for safety reasons. This is not the same as saying the match automatically ends whenever fewer than nine players are physically on the field.

What the referee actually enforces

1. Apply the IRL 2026 maximum of 13 players on the field for standard 13-a-side play, subject to any authorised competition variation.
2. Control or supervise entries, exits, and interchanges; unauthorised re-entry is misconduct under IRL Section 15 (2026).
3. Use the nine-current-participant safety threshold and distinguish sin-binned players from dismissed players.
4. At scrums, manage the permitted number of forwards and backs, the pack formation, the feed, and the required retirement distances under IRL Section 12 (2026).
5. Judge each player's conduct in the current phase rather than policing a fixed open-play zone for every shirt number.

The IRL 2026 notes expressly say that even when a player repeatedly infringes in a specialist position, the referee cannot order that player to change position. The captain may choose to move them; the referee deals with the infringement itself.

When 13 players or the numbering may differ

The IRL 2026 laws are the international 13-a-side baseline, but not every activity uses that format. Rugby league nines uses fewer players, and wheelchair rugby league has its own laws. Junior and community organisers can also approve modified team composition, field dimensions, playing time, substitution systems, or other development rules.

For example, the Rugby Football League's 2026 Community Game Operational Rules state that the international laws apply unless varied and expressly allow approved age-grade or modified-format variations to team composition. That is why a local match should be checked against its governing body's current competition rules rather than judged only by the professional 13-a-side template.

Misunderstandings to avoid

• “A rugby league team has 15 players”: that confuses league with standard rugby union. IRL 13-a-side league has no more than 13 on the field.
• “The squad and the on-field team are the same thing”: no. Replacements can be named, but only the permitted number may be on the field.
• “A number 7 must touch every scrum feed”: no. The scrum law regulates the player performing the feed; open-play reshuffles and replacements can change who performs it.
• “Only the hooker can play dummy half”: no. Number 9 usually does it, but IRL Section 11 (2026) allows a player from the team to act in that phase position.
• “Forwards cannot pass or kick”: false. Forward and back are position groups, not restrictions on lawful ball skills.
• “Right wing and left wing can never swap”: false. The names identify the traditional starting positions, not permanent lanes.
• “Fewer than nine on the grass always ends the match”: not exactly. The IRL 2026 test counts current participants, including sin-binned players but excluding dismissed players.

Reading a team sheet after changes

Suppose number 9 leaves and a replacement wearing 14 enters to play dummy half. Number 14 can perform the hooker's usual open-play work even though the shirt has not changed. Later, number 13 might move to prop and another forward might take the link role.

Nothing in that reshuffle is automatically an offence. Under the IRL 2026 framework, officials check that the replacement entered legally, the side has no more than 13 players, and everyone follows the law for the current tackle, play-the-ball, scrum, kick, or restart. Coaches decide the tactical labels.

Source material

• International Rugby League: 2026 Laws of the Game PDF — Sections 4, 11, 12, 15, and 16.
• International Rugby League: Laws of the Game
• Rugby Football League: Laws of the Game
• Rugby Football League: 2026 Community Game Operational Rules
• National Rugby League: The Game and official rules