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RL General questions

Hello, I'm The Doctor

First Grade
Messages
9,124
(If there is already a thread like this, please merge them)

Ive got 2 ive been wondering about:

- Why do we call the it "Dummy Half"? Its a weird name and it doesnt have an obvious logic. Is it referencing something?

- Does anyone know any of the 1895 Founding Fathers of RL? The Aussies in 1908 are fairly well known, but i can find a single name attached to the NU 1895 move

Thanks in advance for the help. Feel free to post more Qs if you have any....
 

T-Boon

Coach
Messages
15,291
- Why do we call the it "Dummy Half"? Its a weird name and it doesnt have an obvious logic. Is it referencing something?

I don't know where the "dummy" comes from a better name would be the half forward or forward half or wrestle back or ground passer.
 

Fire

First Grade
Messages
9,669
- Does anyone know any of the 1895 Founding Fathers of RL? The Aussies in 1908 are fairly well known, but i can find a single name attached to the NU 1895 move.
Useful website: http://www.napit.co.uk/viewus/infobank/rugby/superleague/history.php

If you're in NSW you should be able to loan the below books from the State Library of New South Wales:
https://books.google.com.au/books?id=UcCZPAAACAAJ&redir_esc=y
https://openlibrary.org/books/OL15344746M/Rugby_disunion
https://books.google.com.au/books?id=coJbHAAACAAJ&redir_esc=y
 

unforgiven

Bench
Messages
3,138
(If there is already a thread like this, please merge them)

Ive got 2 ive been wondering about:

- Why do we call the it "Dummy Half"? Its a weird name and it doesnt have an obvious logic. Is it referencing something?

- Does anyone know any of the 1895 Founding Fathers of RL? The Aussies in 1908 are fairly well known, but i can find a single name attached to the NU 1895 move

Thanks in advance for the help. Feel free to post more Qs if you have any....
They are called Dummy Half or Acting Half because in Rugby it is the half that collects the ball from the ruck, so in Rugby League the player collecting the ball at the ruck is a substitute for the halfback collecting the ball hense the terms Dummy or Acting.
 

T-Boon

Coach
Messages
15,291
They are called Dummy Half or Acting Half because in Rugby it is the half that collects the ball from the ruck, so in Rugby League the player collecting the ball at the ruck is a substitute for the halfback collecting the ball hense the terms Dummy or Acting.

So fake half
 

firechild

First Grade
Messages
7,732
- Why do we call the it "Dummy Half"? Its a weird name and it doesnt have an obvious logic. Is it referencing something?

This is one that sits alongside "Why do they call it a five eighth?" that I really wonder why so few rugby league fans know the answer to. The answers to both are really quite obvious if you know a little bit about the game.
 
Messages
13,942
(If there is already a thread like this, please merge them)

Ive got 2 ive been wondering about:

- Why do we call the it "Dummy Half"? Its a weird name and it doesnt have an obvious logic. Is it referencing something?

- Does anyone know any of the 1895 Founding Fathers of RL? The Aussies in 1908 are fairly well known, but i can find a single name attached to the NU 1895 move

Thanks in advance for the help. Feel free to post more Qs if you have any....

It is a reconstruction, but you might find this of some interest -

https://static1.squarespace.com/sta...375150/The+Founding+of+the+Northern+Union.pdf
 

beave

Coach
Messages
15,558
In union the same position is called a ‘scrum half’ because he is halfway between the forwards and the backs. I guess in league he’s not positioned at a real scrum/maul at each play the ball so maybe that’s where the ‘dummy’ part of the term comes from??
 

muzby

Village Idiot
Staff member
Messages
45,711
They are called Dummy Half or Acting Half because in Rugby it is the half that collects the ball from the ruck, so in Rugby League the player collecting the ball at the ruck is a substitute for the halfback collecting the ball hense the terms Dummy or Acting.
Isn’t the guy playing the ball the active half?
 

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