How do you play Number 8 in Rugby?

Question

I've been playing rugby a lot recently with friends and getting better and more used to it. Due to lack of players and officiality we tend to simply divide positions amongst front and backs.

However in the last game we had a scrum on the field and I was chosen as the number eight. The ball got back to my side and instinct took over and I got the ball close to the try line before being taken down.

Suffice to say this gave me an incredible liking for the position and my question stands: How does one play number eight in Rugby?

Answer 1

Just stick your head in and when the ball comes to the back of the scrum, hold it between your feet. Or under one foot. Or you can pick it up and have a run with it

Answer 2

number 8 and flanker have a lot of similarities, except number 8 has more ball handling responsibilities.

what you did is exactly what number 8s do. if the ball reaches your feet in the scrum, you either pick it up and make a blind side run or pass the ball outside the scrum to the scrum half.

in the lineout the number 8 is also an extra jumper, but also watches for overthrows.

i play number 8. usually i play flanker on defensive/ tight head scrums (if they have a solid scrum) and number 8 when its our ball. if they have a decent scrum that allows me to be the blindside flanker and take on their 8th man if he makes a blindside run.

when its our ball, i usually communicate with my scrum half what we are going to do with the ball. if they have a pesky scrum half i will normally pick up the ball, their scrum half will engage me, and then i offload to our scrum half. (we have a c**p scrum half) if they have flankers who are being coached throughout the game i make a lot of blindside runs and usually hook up with my flyhalf when i get tackled.

temper yourself though. if you pick and run everytime they will key in on that. more importantly your job is to provide clean ball to the scrum half so they can give clean ball to the flyhalf.

so youre not supposed to be a glory hound, always seeking the ball and going for it. i make it a point to only attack them from the back of the scrum in the second half. that way they dont expect me to pick and go. and i dont do it every scrum.