Trainman wrote:
The split half’s thing is an interesting one and not as clear cut as many seem to think. It only really applies when the PTM is somewhere near the middle of the pitch, in that situation having a half back on each side gives the team an option of which way to go and means the defence is unsure of which way the ball goes. If the PTB is on either edge then the half’s line up together just as they did in 1985. In reality it’s not too much different to how it’s always been.
More to the point the FB is now the second receiver who links up outside (on either left or right side) outside of the half back.
I think the positional names throw people off. Really they should be called something like:
FB= Deep lying second receiver
Winger= still pretty apt
centres=outside edges (only in union do they play in the centre)
Prop/13=Middles (props hardly prop up the scrum anymore)
Hooker=dummy half (do they ever hook for the ball?)
SR=Edges (a scrum is made up of whoever, they don't specifically need to be in the SR of a scrum)
scrum half/stand off=left and right halfback
something like that.
