Centres

The centres are the backbone of the backline. Important to be adept in both attack and defence, they need to borrow skills from the fly-half and back row to develop an all-round game. Traditionally the role has been split into inside and outside centres, with the former being bigger to take contact and draw in defenders to provide space for the more agile outside centre, However, the modern game has seen many changes in the size, shape and skills of centre partnerships, making the coach’s decision in this area one of the more hotly debated in the rugby world.